Immigration advisers are among the hardest-working people I’ve met, but their work processes are often disorganised and haphazard. The way client cases are handled is the perfect example.

With each client case, you must complete several tasks – tasks for your business, for the client, and so you comply with Immigration Adviser Authority (IAA) rules. However, there is often no structure to that list of tasks. In most businesses, each individual will operate a different system using everything from memory to to-lists. The reality with this, however, is that things can and do get missed.

When multiple people are working on a case the situation is exacerbated as one often doesn’t know what the others have done.

This leads to multiple problems for your business:

• Wasted time and resources trying to stay on top of a case when there is no adequate structure in place
• Poor client service, particularly if something is missed that leads to a delay or rejection of a visa
• Issues with the IAA, particularly if a client makes a complaint
• Inconsistency in your operations
• Increased costs dealing with the above problems

 The solution to disorganised workflow processes in NZ immigration businesses is simple – implement a standardised case management system.

According to an article on the Business Analyst Learnings blog, such tools can bring significant benefits to your business. This includes more efficient use of resources, increased accountability, streamlined processes, improved communication, and faster handling of cases because there are fewer delays.

An article on Quality Magazine adds that businesses that implement process management tools will see improvements in agility, lower costs, higher revenues, greater efficiency, better visibility, and improved compliance.

 That is easier said than done, unless you use Ezymigrate. 

The Ezymigrate Case Management System is a workflow management tool.

Ezymigrate’s Case Management System

1. Manage – see at a glance the progress of a client’s case including the overall progress (in percentage terms) as well as completed tasks and tasks still to do
2. Collaborate – it is a central system so all members of your team see the same information, i.e. no more emails between members of your team checking if a task has been actioned
3. Actionable – the Ezymigrate Case Management System is easy to implement as it is designed specifically for NZ immigration advisers

 In other words, Ezymigrate offers you a standardised case management system to organise your most important work flow. This improved efficiency will benefit your clients and, ultimately, your business.

Do you have a CRM that is customisable, i.e. where you can add your own fields? Do you think you have the best solution in hand? What if I told you that customisation is holding you back? I have seen this repeatedly in immigration advisory businesses up and down the country – the false promise of CRM customisation.

Let’s briefly explain the debate. CRMs are undoubtedly beneficial to your business – I have discussed that in other blogs. One of the choices you have is to get one that is configurable (where you can add your own fields), or one that isn’t. Many people instinctively think configurable is best, but it isn’t.

In particular, it is not advisable if the CRM system is open source. In an article for CIO, Paul Rubens outlines seven reasons for not using open source software. This includes a lack of support, time consuming management, and inferior features.

Is it ever beneficial to have a customisable solution, though? The simple answer is yes, and on the Caspio blog they explain why – you get exactly what you need with better integration with business processes. However, the comparison they are making is with a generic CRM, which doesn’t include NZ Immigration Advisor’s requirements. Ezymigrate is not a generic CRM.

A tailored software approach is required in Immigration Industry

The Ezymigrate Difference

Ezymigrate offers the best of both worlds – specific functionality that is laser focused on the NZ immigration adviser industry but without all the problems that come with customisable, open source software. The question shouldn’t be whether you get a customised CRM or not. Instead, you should consider whether to get one you have to customise yourself, or one that has been specifically built for your industry from the ground up by industry experts.

Here are four things you get with Ezymigrate that you don’t get with a configurable CRM:

 Better support – you get enterprise levels of support from a team with microscopic knowledge of the system.

Visual design and features – the user interface, features, and reports are all created by industry experts specifically for the immigration industry. It would take years of development to achieve the same with a generic but customisable platform.

Software as a service (SaaS) – the SaaS model means you don’t have to worry about security or servers, plus new functionality is automatically available.

Added functionality –  we have developed specific functions that are not available in other CRMs, for example, Accounting system and Case Management System. They are in Ezymigrate because the immigration industry needs them.

It is understandable that an industry suffering from off-the-shelf CRMs would turn to a customisable option. Before you didn’t have a choice, but Ezymigrate now offers a better solution. Isn’t it time you made the switch?