Professional Services? Sounds interesting... But who or what is behind the name? Joachim Krausert, Country Director Professional Services for the DACH region at DocuWare, answered our questions.
Marion Kurtz: Joachim, what exactly does Professional Services do?
We offer DocuWare customers an all-around service. Whether a new customer wants DocuWare installed and configured, or an existing customer wants to upgrade their system or set up a new interface... we're the right place to go.
We‘re still in the midst of a pandemic: what works remotely and what doesn't?
In the last year and a half, we have learned that we can pretty much do everything remotely. Even our workshops and product briefings. Before Corona, they took place exclusively on-site at a customer. Technically, it's no problem. The only part that’s a bit more difficult is to build a relationship with the customer online. But our Professional Services colleagues in the U.S. didn't have to make any changes in that way due to the pandemic: because of the geographical distances involved in their part of the world - they've always done their job 100 percent remotely.
What qualifications do you need to work in your department?
On the one hand, you need a technical background and a basic understanding of IT. But it's just as important to be able to empathize with other people. After all, we always have to listen carefully and find the best ways to help our customers.
After completing vocational training and education in Business Administration and then working as an IT manager for a regional municipality, Joachim Krausert switched to the DMS industry in 2009. He has been with DocuWare since 2016 and is currently responsible for Professional Services in the DACH region as Country Director.
Where exactly are your people located?
We operate worldwide, so we're spread all over the globe. There are two central Professional Services locations: for EMEA, we’re in Germering near Munich; for the Americas, we’re based in New Windsor, New York. Other colleagues can be found in the UK, Hong Kong, South Africa, France and Spain. They all work from their home offices - independently of Corona.
DocuWare is becoming easier and easier to use. Will we need you at all in the future?
Of course! There will always be more complex situations that can’t be handled with a preconfigured solution. That‘s exactly where we come in: together with the customer, we find the optimal solution for each individual requirement.
How long do you spend on an upgrade or a new installation on average?
For a complete new installation and configuration, for a billing process as an example, we need between 10 and 20 working days, including training and depending on customer requirements. For an upgrade, it depends on which DocuWare version the customer is coming from: an update to the direct successor version can be done quickly, usually within one day. In contrast, an upgrade from DocuWare Version 5.1. to the current Version 7.4 is a larger project that requires several steps and therefore takes longer. In this context, hardware is often replaced or DocuWare is reconfigured due to changed requirements.
As an On-Premises customer, can I book an upgrade directly with you, even if I purchased DocuWare through a sales partner?
No, in this case the upgrade is always done through an Authorized DocuWare Partner. If the Partner needs support, they should contact us directly. We are only directly responsible for installations, configurations, system upgrades, etc. for our direct customers.
What kind of training do you provide?
We train everything a customer wants - within the framework of DocuWare, of course. Whether it's admin training on your own DocuWare system, workflow training, training new users or key users: we respond one hundred percent to the needs and wishes of our customers.
Members of the DACH Professional Services team at their regular team meeting
Keyword integration: Do you ever come across software at a customer site that you've never heard of?
Of course, that happens. With DocuWare, we serve all industries, and every now and then we come across very specialized software that we haven't heard of before. In most cases, we can connect them with DocuWare's standard tools. In addition, we can also draw on the experience of our Partner network and, if necessary, track down an existing interface.
What do you like about your job?
I really appreciate the fact that things aren‘t rigid at DocuWare and that you can contribute your ideas to every project. Individual consulting for a customer is always possible within the framework of each project. We have a great team here that is fully committed and motivated. You have to deal with a wide variety of people and requests every day, so no two days are the same – makes things a lot of fun!
Do you have an insider tip for using DocuWare?
The use of DocuWare Forms especially in conjunction with Workflow Designer offers many interesting possibilities. You can use it to simplify or automate processes in all areas of your company for tremendous improvements. It's definitely worth taking a closer look.
And what DocuWare features would you like to see in the future?
I find the expansion of all features regarding the interaction with Office 365 very exciting and would like to see more functions here, like the connection of Microsoft Teams.
Thank you, Joachim, for the insight into your work!
The interview was conducted by Marion Kurtz, Product Marketing Manager at DocuWare.
Interested in learning more about Professional Services?
Find more information here and furthercontact information: DocuWare Professional Services
Interviews with representatives from other DocuWare departments:
Training to suit everyone: The DocuWare Academy
DocuWare Support - going the extra mile every day