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Client Connection Forum 2013: We Had a Blast!

By Jenna Campbell posted 08-27-2013 17:43

  

 

The Client Connection Forum is always a much anticipated event for the Avionté team, not only because it gives us the chance to put faces with the names that we talk to and have email exchanges with all the time, but because we get a wealth of feedback, ideas and information that we use to shape and modify our own strategies for development, support and implementation for the next year.

This was the fourth year that Avionté has hosted Client Connection and we are consistently amazed by the level of commitment to partnership that our clients show by actively participating in every session. Friendships, business partnerships and idea exchanges have all stemmed among clients based on forum participation and interaction, all of which are magnified considering the diversity of our client base. Our clients come to us with different specialties, experience and sizes and we love that Client Connection provides the opportunity for us to all get together. This year, we had the highest turnout yet with over 200 attendees, representing 76 staffing companies and 29 states throughout the U.S.!

Our whole staff is involved in the forum to ensure that clients can get quick answers to their questions, one-on-one time to review their processes and concerns and to make sure we get every single comment and idea documented! Sarah Whitney, our Director of Client Services, said being able to get direct feedback was invaluable to the Customer Care team. Our development team got a lot of great feedback on our newest software version 13.1 and our revamped sales mobile application. We’ve all gained tremendously from the interactions we had at Client Connection and we’re so thankful to have such great clients!

There were SO many things that made this year’s Client Connection Forum great. Here are some of the highlights:

Wednesday

Attendees began to check in bright and early on Wednesday morning and filed into various rooms depending on what training topics were of interest. The day consisted of trainings, general sessions and roundtable sessions. Many of the attendees I talked to told me the highlight of the day was hearing our CEO John Long speak about the state of the company. Attendees seemed to appreciate his honesty and his ability to present not only our company highlights, but also our current challenges.

Then, it was time to unwind from the informative day with a dinner event at Windows on the River, located on the 22nd floor of the Crowne Plaza in Downtown St. Paul. Aside from getting to know so many of our clients better, some of my favorite moments were watching the magician awe his audience with card tricks, periodically glancing out the window as the sun set over the beautiful Mississippi River and hearing the buzz grow louder throughout the night as clients, partners and Avionté staff immersed in conversation! Everyone seemed to be having a great time and a large group of attendees followed the pack to our after bar location Wild Tymes just a few blocks from the Crowne.

Thursday

Thursday’s sessions began again bright and early on Thursday morning with a general session on new features and Avionte Staffing Software version 13.1. This was followed by a presentation from our keynote speaker Amy Munroe. From the feedback I received from various clients, the roundtable sessions were a highlight on both forum days, but attendees also said they enjoyed the presentation about our mobile sales application from our Software Developer, Derek Beumer.

Thursday night’s event was a blast! After the forum, we all made our way to Harriet Island and boarded the Northrup Paddleboat for a cruise. The boat was decorated with parrots, flowers, grass tablecloths and more to go along with our Avionteville theme! It was so much fun to be able to talk with our clients on the Mississippi River, in such a beautiful area of Saint Paul. The night was filled with great food, drinks and conversation. And Wild Tymes definitely saw its fair share of people on Thursday night as well! Many attendees exited the boat eagar to continue the party!

Friday

On Friday, many people joined John Long and other Avionte employees for a morning on the golf course. Others came by the office to talk more with our staff and to see the office! We recently added what we call our “innovation” room to the front of our office, and many of our clients and friends left us messages on the room’s glass walls before leaving us.

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The event truly was beneficial on so many levels from learning, to networking, to process improvement for Avionté. And with 30 to 50% growth of the forum each year, we’re looking forward to see what the 2014 has in store. We’re already planning for more opportunities to exchange ideas via proficiency tracts and areas of expertise to continue to deliver on value and our own focus on exceptional service, product and collaboration to increase ROI for our clients.

Thank you to all who made it out for this year’s Client Connection! We hope to see you all again next year!

To see more photos from the event, go to our Facebook album.

by
Jenna Campbell, Sales and Marketing Assistant at Avionte Staffing Software

 

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