Switching from Social Solutions ETO Software to Apricot Software
Social Solutions Efforts to Outcomes (ETO™) software is a powerful nonprofit case management and outcomes management software system. It has a robust administrative back-end, a highly capable reporting system, and is built specifically for social services programs to track data, show outcomes, and prove impact. But for some organizations Social Solutions ETO software is simply too much software. If you feel like your ETO database is too much software for your organization, it may be time for a change.
Before you decide to switch from ETO software, we recommend an audit of your existing ETO site. Many ETO software challenges are fixable. A quick solution for your existing ETO database may be a better option than switching to new nonprofit database software.
If you determine that ETO software just isn’t a good fit for your organization, it’s time to start looking for new nonprofit database software and luckily you don’t have to look too far to find one. Apricot software (formerly a Community TechKnowledge product and recently acquired by Social Solutions) is a Social Solutions software system and is a great alternative to ETO software.
Why move from Social Solutions ETO software to Apricot software?
Social Solutions moved away from lightweight versions of ETO like ETO Fundamentals and currently focuses on its flagship product ETO Impact and its variants. The ETO software platform has grown in features and capability since its creation. In some cases ETO outgrew the needs of small and mid-sized nonprofit organizations. Apricot software is generally a good fit for organizations that feel like ETO is too much software.
Apricot Software Benefits
- Apricot generally gets higher marks from end-users and administrators than ETO on ease of use for navigation and data entry
- Apricot generally gets higher marks from end-users and administrators than ETO on ease of use for reporting and dashboards
- Apricot software costs less than ETO software (monthly cost of software)
- Apricot is browser neutral, mobile responsive, and fully accessible on a tablet, whereas ETO has some limitations in those areas
- Apricot is primarily used for case management and outcomes management, but it can also track other data like volunteers, donors, and grants, among others
5 Things to Know Before a Transition to Apricot Software
Be informed, be intentional, and be thorough. The more informed, intentional, and thorough you are about switching from ETO software to Apricot software, the more likely you are to complete a successful transition. It is possible to over-plan, but in our experience (anecdotally) transitions fail because of too little planning not too much planning. Build a strong foundation for the transition to Apricot software by completing these five tasks.
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1. List what you learned from ETO software that may help you do better with Apricot software
Both ETO software and Apricot software are sophisticated data management systems. Both systems focus primarily on data tracking and reporting for social service, social work, case management, and human service nonprofit programs. The experiences, lessons, wisdom, and insight you’ve gained from your time with ETO software are directly applicable to your transition to and growth with Apricot software.
Actionable Tip: Grab a pad of paper and list all of the things you’ve learned and experienced while using ETO. Develop a comprehensive bullet list. Then go back and organize your list into sections like implementation, maintenance and administration, data quality, reporting, training, user support, and so on.
Your experiences with ETO software should be applied to Apricot software planning in the following ways.
- Define actions your organization can take to avoid negative software experiences that decreased user sentiment, threatened sustainability, and decreased organizational performance
- Define actions your organization can take to enhance positive software experiences that increased user sentiment, promoted sustainability, and improved organizational performance
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2. Talk to Apricot software users and consultants
Reach out to Apricot users, specifically those that have transitioned from ETO software to Apricot software. Reach out to an Apricot software consultant that is independent of Social Solutions. You might consider speaking with one Apricot user that didn’t transition from ETO software, one Apricot user that did transition from ETO software, and one Apricot consultant. The different perspectives from these different groups will help your organization successfully navigate the transition process.
Actionable Tip: Talk on the phone (not just via email) with three people. Try to connect with both Apricot users and Apricot experts. Three isn’t a perfect sample size, but it will allow you to identify outlier opinions and find average consensus among a variety of viewpoints. Have a list of questions ready before each call. Here are some questions to consider.
- What do you like most about Apricot software?
- What do you like least about Apricot software?
- What would you do differently if you started over with Apricot software?
- Does Apricot software match the expectations you had when you first purchased it?
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3. Define the benefits and costs of switching, specifically for your organization
Define the benefits and costs of ETO versus Apricot before you purchase Apricot software. The comparison of the benefits and costs between the two database software systems will ultimately tell you whether you should switch.
Switching software just to switch isn’t wise or practical. Define the “why” of the switch from ETO to Apricot. Why will a switch benefit your organization? Defining the benefits and costs of ETO software versus Apricot software will provide a clear comparison to develop a business case for the switch.
Benefits and costs of software
- Increase/decrease revenue opportunities
- Increase/decrease operational costs
- Increase/decrease available time for productive activities
- Increase/decrease time spent on unproductive activities
- Make your organization “smarter” or not (which can lead to the four items above)
Actionable Tip: Grab a pad of paper and draw a vertical line down the center of the page. At the top of the left-hand column write “ETO” and in the right-hand column write “Apricot.” Then draw a horizontal line through the middle of the page. On the far left-hand side of the page write “Benefits” in the first row and “Costs” in the second row. You now have a matrix to list the benefits and costs of ETO and Apricot. Add bulleted lists of content to each box in the matrix and compare ETO to Apricot.
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4. Outline an Apricot software implementation plan
Don’t wait until you sign the contract for Apricot before thinking through the Apricot software implementation. Developing an Apricot implementation plan will take time, but spending three to five hours on a draft implementation plan could save you thousands of dollars when you finally execute your Apricot implementation project.
Your Apricot software implementation plan should address important topics that will ultimately determine whether your organization can sustain Apricot software long-term.
- What are our priorities and expectations for implementation?
- How long will the implementation project last?
- What will the implementation project roadmap look like?
- Who will be involved in the implementation project?
- Who will lead and champion the implementation project?
- How much training will be required for users to be proficient?
- What form of training will be used and at what point in the implementation project will it occur?
- What is needed in order to go-live with Apricot (processes, procedures, reports, etc.)?
- What happens immediately following go-live when the implementation project is complete?
Actionable Tip: Draft an Apricot software implementation plan before you make the switch. Gather feedback on your plan from Social Solutions, an Apricot software consultant, and existing Apricot users.
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5. Decide how to migrate data from ETO software to Apricot software
What happens to your existing data when you switch to Apricot software? This is a question you should answer before you sign a contract to switch from ETO to Apricot.
You have options for data migration. Each option has a time, cost, and effort (i.e. stress and emotional cost) factor that must be considered. Migrating data from ETO to Apricot depends on what data you need to report on in Apricot, what data is required to be in Apricot day one of go-live, how much data you have in ETO, and how different ETO’s data structure is from your future Apricot system’s data structure.
Data migration options
- Migrate All Data – Move all existing ETO data into Apricot by mapping the ETO data structure to the Apricot data structure. Migrating everything from ETO to Apricot generally isn’t practical or cost-effective.
- Migrate Some Data – Move only high value, required ETO data into Apricot by mapping the ETO data structure to the Apricot data structure.
- Archive – Don’t migrate data into ETO. Archive existing ETO data in Excel, Access, or some other database and start fresh with Apricot. Archived data is accessible when needed in the archive location.
- Purge and Move On – Don’t migrate data into ETO and don’t archive the data. Leave the data behind in ETO and transition to Apricot. This is a viable option when data has no value or privacy and confidentiality policies dictate it cannot be moved.
These are four Apricot data migration options, but they are rarely exclusive of each other. Most data migrations employ a combination of methods to ensure data quality and continuity are maintained. Consider migrating some data and archiving some data. A combination of these two options is the most common. While you are planning for a data migration, consider all options and weigh the pros and cons of each.
Actionable Tip: Develop a list of all existing data sets in your ETO database. A data set is a specific record type like a participant, service, assessment, or Touchpoint. Then create a blueprint for how you plan to move each data set from ETO software to Apricot software using one of the four methods outlined above. The data migration plan for each data set will be dependent on its importance, its applicability to your new Apricot database, and potentially the costs of migrating the data.
Switching to Apricot Software
If you determine that ETO software isn’t a good fit for your organization, Apricot software may be a good alternative. Before you make the switch, conduct some upfront due diligence and research. Make sure that you have all of your ducks in a row so that when you are ready to make the switch from ETO software to Apricot software, you can make the decision with confidence!
Ready to make a switch? Let’s schedule a time to connect and outline your options. Click here to get started.
Social Solutions was founded in 2000 with the ETO software platform as its primary product. ETO software is a dominant platform in the social service, human service, social work, and case management nonprofit technology space.
As a company, Social Solutions has a lot of horsepower and muscle. Social Solutions public and private sector reach is particularly impressive. Social Solutions has developed a formidable sales operation that spans many private and public sector verticals. While the sales function sometimes gets a negative connotation, we think a robust sales operation is a good thing for Apricot software users.
Apricot software is a great nonprofit database software product. It is easy to use, reporting is straightforward, it is browser neutral, mobile friendly, and it can manage a variety of data sets. Its flexibility makes it a viable all-in-one nonprofit database platform. Social Solutions’ sales infrastructure by itself isn’t that helpful to Apricot users, but when paired with a great product like Apricot software the combination creates an engine for growth.
Growth is good for existing customers because more growth in a great product equals more focus, innovation, and investment in that great product. Growth ultimately leads to a better Apricot experience with more features, more development, and more capability.
Bottom line: It is our opinion that Apricot software is in good hands in the Social Solutions software portfolio. Social Solutions has the resources and tools available to continue making Apricot a great nonprofit database platform for prospective, new, and existing Apricot software users.
What will happen to the Apricot software platform?
Apricot is a perfect addition to Social Solutions’ software portfolio for two reasons.
- Apricot is a good fit for organizations where ETO isn’t a good fit.
- Apricot has strengths where ETO is weak.
Apricot software gives Social Solutions broad horizontal reach to both public and private sector customers that need enterprise-level software (ETO) as well as a software solution for small and mid-sized nonprofit organizations (Apricot).
The two platforms together make a complimentary software portfolio that achieves the statement made by Social Solutions in its press release. The combination of ETO and Apricot “will provide the market with the most comprehensive suite of outcomes and case management solutions.”
Bottom line: We believe Apricot is here to stay and that Social Solutions will invest in its success.
Will Apricot software pricing go up?
Maybe, but if it does we can’t see it going up too much. Using Apricot software is incredibly sticky (meaning it is difficult for your organization to switch to a different solution), so a price increase probably wouldn’t affect Apricot software retention.
Apricot pricing increases could have occurred under CTK’s watch too. Any company can raise prices, but it isn’t good business to make customers unhappy with excessive pricing increases.
In the past, we’ve seen price increases for ETO software of 10-15% but those increases weren’t recurring, consistent, or common. When prices did increase, the increases were primarily applied to new customers.
Protect your organization against price increases by reviewing your Apricot software service agreements and contracts. Determine the term length and the language that governs price increases. Those two elements will dictate when and by how much the cost of Apricot might go up for your organization.
Bottom line: The timing of price increases are impossible to project, so keep in mind that price increases are a possibility in the future. It is our opinion that any increases will be minimal and low impact on your experience with Apricot software.
Will Social Solutions continue Apricot updates and improvements?
The development cycle for Apricot could go one of two ways. The development cycle could move more quickly due to Social Solutions’ size and financial strength (Social Solutions was recently acquired by Vista Equity Partners, so we assume it is financially robust). The development cycle could also slow down due to Social Solutions’ size and organizational inertia.
The CTK development team did a fantastic job pushing software updates for Apricot on a consistent and continuous basis. They also produced timely and practical updates that greatly improved the Apricot software platform. We assume that the existing Apricot development team will stay in place for the foreseeable future because they are the people who know Apricot the best. We also assume the Apricot development team will maintain the update schedule Apricot users are used to with Apricot software.
As we mentioned earlier in this post, we also believe that the combination of Social Solutions’ sales engine and the fact that Apricot is a great product makes it inevitable that Social Solutions will invest in Apricot. Social Solutions can also bring its 15+ year history and experience with nonprofit case management software and nonprofit database development to make Apricot an even better product.
Bottom line: We think Apricot software development will continue at its current pace at a minimum. We believe that the development cycle will increase in speed as Social Solutions allocates more resources to Apricot’s success.
What should I be doing as a result of the acquisition?
We recommend all Apricot users complete scenario planning and contingency planning. These are things you should consider doing whether Apricot software was acquired or not, but a trigger like the acquisition by Social Solutions is a great place to start.
- Budget for increases in Apricot pricing. Add 10-15% to your existing pricing and build that increase into next fiscal year’s budget. If Apricot pricing doesn’t go up, you can reallocate that money somewhere else.
- Find external and independent resources where you can get support for Apricot software. While we don’t think there will be a lag in customer support, what happens if there is? Where will you turn if you need help?
- Get trained on Apricot. If your organization wants to build internal capacity with Apricot, get trained now. If the pace of Apricot software innovation increases with the acquisition, which we think it will, then you will want to know how updates affect the software structure. The best way to know how updates affect Apricot is to learn the software inside and out.
- Document your Apricot database. Build a data collection blueprint, draft user guides, and map workflows for standard operating procedures. Develop an Apricot software management plan that defines how you maintain and manage your Apricot database. This will help you manage changes to the software as well.
- Review your Apricot software service agreements and contracts. Make sure you know what’s in them. Get clarification on ambiguous language so you know what is expected of you and what is expected of the vendor.
- Develop a relationship with the vendor. Call your account manager and talk to them about the transition. They may be able to give you information you cannot get in a press release. Check-in with your account manager quarterly or semi-annually to get up to speed on changes so you can update your scenario plans and contingency plans as needed.
Social Solutions and Apricot Software
The acquisition of CTK and Apricot software by Social Solutions makes sense. Social Solutions is broadening its market and incorporating a great product into its already well-recognized portfolio of ETO software products. The initial reaction to this type of news can be mixed, especially for Apricot software users, but based on our experience with both companies and both software platforms, we think there is no where to go but up. This was a positive outcome in the nonprofit software space and we are excited to see what the future of Apricot software brings.
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