Glass Door needed a more time effective but simple method for recording client information to ensure they had accurate data from all services.
Glass Door Homeless Charity is one of London's largest open-access network of emergency winter shelters and support services for men and women affected by homelessness. They partner with churches to provide shelter and support.
Staff were recording and updating all client information on excel spreadsheets, which was overwhelming to record all client information in this way. It was time-consuming for staff and data was not always accurate and up to date; it had become impossible to keep good data.
Glass Door knew they needed a CRM to help keep track of their clients, but one of the biggest challenges they faced was the technical ability of some of their staff - they had never worked with a CRM system before, and the IT skills amongst staff were limited.
After searching the internet for a client relationship and case management solution, Glass Door came across In-Form in 2017.
"What appealed to us most about In-Form was the extensive report features, and the ability to feed information into outcomes."
In-Form Essential was the ideal solution for them initially and it needed little customisation to meet their requirements. They wanted a seamless transition and something that was user friendly due to the different level of IT skills within the team.
Caseworkers use the system in the shelters; they access it via an iPad and can update youth sessions and see everyone who is supposed to be in the shelter. For those who had limited IT skills,
Glass Door simplified In-Form and only showed information the user needed to see based on their role. Even users with very limited IT skills picked up the system and within a few weeks were confident using it.
Since Glass Door upgraded from In-Form Essential to Enterprise in 2019, they've had great results with integration with a 3rd party application called FormAssembly for online self-referral forms. They also installed an SMS application (SMS-Magic) which allowed them to text clients directly from In-Form to update guests as needed.
They are the largest UK wide organisation to allow referrals to their shelters directly from anyone without the need for local connection or using partner organisations. They can fill their shelters within the system and send out constant communication to service users. They have improved their data entry by streamlining data and integration, and their reports are easier to produce.
"In-Form has been great from beginning to end, I've found them flexible, supportive and responsive. The system is easy to use and meets our needs, and 95% of staff are confident with the system. I would advise anyone who is considering In-Form to go for it" - Data Manager, Glass Door.