Introduction
The PEC Chamber of Commerce, like many other companies that have gone through significant growth over time, had an eclectic mix of high cost applications and services that required significant staff time to manage. Lack of integration led to data entry errors, which resulted in delays as well as missed revenues. Outdated service provider mechanisms were inefficient for the business, membership experiences dealing with the chamber was slow. Third-party service providers and consultant services were also expensive. Our business's growth was hindered.
The Business
The Prince Edward County Chamber of Commerce is the largest business organization in Prince Edward County Ontario. Representing members from all industries, business sectors and of all sizes, located primarily in the Municipality of Prince Edward and also throughout the Bay of Quinte Region
The Challenge
The chamber was unable to manage its memberships due to a lack of integrations effectively, resulting in lost revenue. Additionally, the outdated service provider systems could not adequately manage the business, taking staff more time to complete their tasks. The member experience with the chamber was slow, which created unhappy users and a large member disconnect. To make matters worse, 3rd party services and consultant services were expensive and did not provide a full sustainable solution.
Finding a solution
PEC Chamber of Commerce was challenged to find a solution to all their many business problems. Finding a service that could cater for all of their needs, proved to be a daunting task. Until David from C3 Solutions had moved into the same building. To which he informed us about how Zoho's many business applications came at a much lesser cost, proving to be an extensively greater solution.
Implementation and Results
Working with PEC Chamber staff over several months, C3 Solutions replaced Chamber Master and all other services with ZOHO applications. Training PEC Chamber staff to implement the software as part of the project. The PEC Chamber was able to become, mostly, self sufficient at the end of the initial project. David and the staff at C3 Solutions have been more than helpful with implementing Zoho's solutions. Anything we've needed they have always been fast and efficient when fixing our issues or teaching a member how to navigate the applications. These are just a few key improved experiences that the Chamber enjoys; By managing memberships with ZOHO Subscriptions, lost revenue has been avoided and the automation is simpler to manage than needing to manually call every member yearly. The member portal through ZOHO Sites, allows members to manage their directory information as well as provide specials to consumers and member to member offers directly. For financial reporting, ZOHO Books provides a suite of features to streamline day-to-day accounting needs. The PEC Chamber eliminated the need for a bookkeeper and with the accounting firm able to look directly into ZOHO Books, expensive year end costs are mitigated. Reports on projects or the overall well-being of The PEC Chamber can be generated at a moments notice for board meetings or any other need. Another benefit has been the savings. The PEC Chamber has been able to save more than $4000 a year since integrating Zoho applications into our daily routine.
What would you say publicly about Zoho?
"We have been using Zoho One for a few years now and we are really happy with its impact on our business. Their wide range of tools has made managing every aspect of the business easier and more efficient. The user interface is easy to use, enabling us to quickly access all the features we need. "
Lesley Lavender
Chief Executive Officer
Prince Edward County Chamber of Commerce
