New Features

• Report Model Addition* that now includes the standard field for County.

*Requires that client has a report model of their Vision^PM dataset which is available on request to your account manager.  Client must be able to connect to the report model using Report Builder 3.0 (a free download from Microsoft) and are able to access this report model over their network.

Fixes & Corrections

• Site Report performance improvements that will help load site reports faster.
• Splitting Line Item corrections to improve consistency in cost tracking for commitments.
  • When splitting line items, the “New” button has been renamed to “New/Split” as this is more specific to the action.
  • Parent costs from the original commitment are moved to the new child line item.
  • Allow splitting line items when any combination of the Budget columns for Labor, Material, or Other is covered by commitments.
  • Improved the naming convention of “split” line items, so that:
    1. The new line item representing the original commitment will be named with the “original commitment – original line item name.”
    2. The new line item representing the new commitment will be named with the “new contract name – original line item name.”
  • Users will continue to have the ability to rename the line item before saving. The same applies to line item numbers unless “force line item numbering” is enabled for your implementation whereby line item numbers will not be editable during the split process.
  • The display order of the new split line items in the “Line Items by Provider” view has been improved to show line items the order that they were created.

Expanded Implementations

• Expanded Client integrations for 2 clients
• Custom Reports and Exports for 3 clients
• Client-Program Rollouts including adds, removes, and changes for 5 clients

Contact your Account Manager to discuss how your company can benefit from our new features!

Based in Columbus, Ohio, Expesite provides a suite of SaaS solutions highlighted by Vision^PM, its design and construction project management product. Expesite’s impressive customer list includes The Wendy’s Company and Jo-Ann Fabrics and Craft Stores.  More than 63,000 users in 72 countries use Expesite to manage over 470,000 construction projects.

“The addition of Expesite is a unique opportunity for Accruent,” said Mark Friedman, chief executive officer of Accruent. “Expesite brings an outstanding group of customers and industry partners, and the Expesite team has developed compelling solutions to streamline the complexities of the critical design construction and rollout processes for their global clients. This is a major step in our drive to deliver all our solutions in the SaaS environment.”

When combined with Accruent’s recent acquisition of Evoco, the addition of Expesite extends Accruent’s leadership position in retail to nearly 45% of the Top 100 Retailers, and vaults Accruent into a leadership position in the management of large-scale build programs for retail chains and franchise operations. These organizations require specialized systems that enable collaboration with partners and suppliers across hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of locations.  

The combined company will serve more than 1,000 customers, and the acquisitions will contribute to Accruent’s planned 2013 revenue growth of approximately 50%.  “Our strategy is achieving the results we envisioned,” Friedman continued. “We are leveraging synergies between the best in class solutions we’ve assembled and it has dramatically accelerated the rate at which we’re developing new products and delivering customer value.”

Commenting on the impact the acquisition will have on Expesite customers, Jeff Sopp, Expesite’s chief executive officer, said, “We base every decision on the best interests of our clients. Joining forces with Accruent clearly allows us to achieve the broad capability our clients require much sooner. Accruent is setting the pace for the industry, and we made this move to ensure our clients will have solutions that are second to none.”

The integration of Expesite operations into Accruent is expected to be completed during the first quarter of 2013, with key Expesite leaders assuming positions in the combined company. Support for Expesite and Accruent products continues without interruption.

About Expesite
A Software as a Service (SaaS) company, Expesite provides a collaborative software platform for real estate development, construction, and facilities management through its suite of Vision products. Since 1999, Expesite has helped clients maximize the productivity of real estate assets, efficiently manage projects, and cost-effectively maintain facilities. Expesite delivers results through long-term client relationships and an intimate understanding of each client’s evolving needs.    Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Expesite maintains global offices and serves some of the largest retailers, chain restaurants, financial institutions, educational facilities, healthcare facilities, and government agencies in the world.

About Accruent
Since 1995, Accruent has helped real estate and facilities leaders deliver long term, best in class, operational and financial performance through purpose-built industry suites that deliver greater customer value. Accruent’s six product brands, Accruent, FAMIS, Siterra, 360Facility, Evoco, and Expesite are used by more than 1,000 leading organizations, including nearly 45% of the Top 100 Retailers, 20% of the Fortune 500, 100 leading universities, all of the Top 5 Wireless Carriers, and leading service providers managing more than 1.5 billion square feet of property. For more information, visit www.accruent.com.

New Features

• Payment Application settings have been extended to help simplify when a vendor submits a payment application.  With this extension, the “Cost Completed and Stored to Date” column of the pay app can be split into two columns to show:
  • Costs Completed to Date
  • Current Payment Amount

Instead of entering a cumulative amount in a payment application, this new setting allows the vendor to simply record the “current payment amount” by line item in the new column. 

This means that by contract, vendors can see their “Awarded” amount, “Cost” previously submitted, and the “Current” amount that they are requesting.  This new feature improves the accuracy of vendor costs and also takes away the headache of having to calculate cumulative costs in the field.

• Payment Application Integration Opt-Out feature allows the client to manually edit the “paid” status of a payment application when the remittance information comes from the clients’ accounts payable system via web service.  This was designed to prevent certain Payment Applications from receiving remittance information via the web service to be processed manually.
• Payment Application security enhancement that allows the client to manually edit the “Details” and “Remit To” fields of a vendor submitted payment application.  This enhancement helps improve cycle-times by allowing a Project Manager to refine minor details of the payment app without having to send back to the vendor.  
• Report Model additions* that now include the Fiscal Year, Fiscal Quarter, Corporate Currencies and Corporate Currency exchange rate. 
• Automation Addition that will automatically populate a custom site/project Text descriptor with a Date (or Year) that is +/- X years from the Actual Date of a selected milestone.  An example would be to populate a “Forecasted Remodel Year” descriptor that is 10-years from the New Build Grand Opening. 

*Requires that client has a report model of their Vision^PM dataset which is available on request to your account manager.  Client must be able to connect to the report model using Report Builder 3.0 (a free download from Microsoft) and are able to access this report model over their network.

Expanded Implementations

• Expanded Client integrations for 4 clients
• Custom Reports and Exports for 7 clients
• Client-Program Rollouts including adds, removes, and changes for 5 clients

Contact your Account Manager to discuss how your company can benefit from our new features!

Vision^MSI arms clients with powerful surveying tools that give them the visibility they need into their sites when they can’t be there themselves. As the eyes and ears into each location, Vision^MSI quickly and accurately delivers the truth about the condition of real estate assets, providing more valuable information in less time. Vision^MSI helps clients create a rich and robust real-time archive of accurate information that can be used with other Expesite Vision products providing analytical data for critical business decisions. With Vision^MSI, clients are prepared to identify and prioritize capital reinvestment plans, corporate branding, and risk management programs.

“We are very excited to be named a 2012 TechColumbus Semifinalist,” said Jeff Sopp, CEO of Expesite.  “Innovation is a key component of our company, and Vision^MSI was developed to help our clients collect more information about the condition of their assets across their locations.  We are honored to be part of a progressive city like Columbus that continues to be at the forefront of innovative technology.” 

To be eligible for consideration companies have to demonstrate success, have a technical groundbreaking innovation, and be located in Central Ohio.

“We are very excited to be recognized for the fifth time as one of Columbus Fast 50 award winners” said Jeff Sopp, CEO of Expesite.  “This success is because of our dedication to the strategic growth plan, and the companies focus on client satisfaction.  Client Satisfaction is Expesite backbone and without taking care of our clients first, we would never have made it back onto the Fast 50 list.  In appreciation to the best clients in the industry, Expesite is honored to be among Columbus’ fastest growing companies!” 

This is the first time Expesite has been honored with this award since 2007, and marks the fifth time Expesite has received the award. Ranked 31, Expesite is pleased to be placed in an elite group among 49 other progressive Columbus companies.

To be eligible for consideration companies have to be independent, for profit, and have a substantial growth in sales.

“Having a company like Dave & Buster’s use Expesite Vision^PM is a testament to our team and software products,” said Chris Dodds, Senior Vice President of Sales for Expesite. “Dave & Buster’s has created a very unique entertainment setting that you’ll have to experience on your own, to understand why no other place is like it.”

Dave & Buster’s was developed in Dallas, Texas, and leads the industry in entertainment restaurants.  Each store contains over 170 arcade machines, and a full lunch and dinner menu. With ideas of expansion in the future, Dave & Buster’s is going to use Expesite Vision^PM to help with the centralization of documentation and project milestone templates.  This centralized location of information will provide higher visibility to the status of their projects and an easier environment for collaboration across teams involved.  The project templates will be created to hold all information regarding the remodeling of current locations and the development of new stores.

“Expesite is excited to be adding such an influential and advancing company like Dave & Buster’s to our client base.  With client satisfaction and community service being core values of Expesite, adding a client like David & Buster’s with the same values is a huge win for us,” said Jeff Sopp, CEO of Expesite.

Responsible for thoroughly understanding the Expesite application, and related tools, along with Expesite processes in order to quickly, accurately, and expeditiously address client support inquiries.   Associate is also expected to assist with departmental priorities which may include documentation and training activities.  

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  

• Develop and maintain a full and thorough knowledge and comprehension of the Expesite modules, features, functions, set-up criteria, and related information.
• Provide exceptional phone and electronic support to customers by answering their inquiries quickly, accurately, and in a professional manner.
• Possess exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
• Enhance current knowledge of help desk and support best practices to provide state-of-the-art support to clients.
• Strive constantly to ensure client satisfaction.
• Review and understand the provided metrics in order to clearly recognize the level of service being presented to clients and actively work to improve these metrics.
• Work to use and refine process documentation to implement help desk best practices.
• Ability to collaborate with all clients in order to achieve a win/win solution.  This includes the ability to determine when an issue should be escalated to upper management to proactively address and provide a satisfactory solution.
• Provide “after hours” support on a rotating schedule in accordance with support policy.
• Performs other duties as assigned to promote the Training & Support Department or other company initiatives.

 REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:    

 Education   

•  BA or BS College degree in a relevant subject area or 3 years of proven experience in a related job.

Work Experience   

At least 2-5 years of technical experience that encompasses the following areas: 

• Help Desk
• Communications
• IT Technical Areas
• Customer Service

Technical Skills  

Solid understanding in at least two of the following areas: 

• Customer Service
• Help Desk
• Product  Productivity Applications Including Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, MS Project, and Acrobat
• Problem Determination / Resolution
• Understanding of Internet Technologies and Applications (i.e. TCP/IP, Web Applications, Network Security)

SKILLS AND TRAITS TO PERFORM STANDARDS OF POSITION:    

Strategic Management

• Ability to effectively manage self and team members while focused on maintaining and improving Expesites’ position of leadership in the client support area.

Communication     

• Concise; Accurate; Reliable; Creative; Strong customer-facing skills; Ability to communicate comfortably at all levels; Tactful; Ability to use both the spoken and written word to clearly communicate challenging concepts.   

Administration   

• Organized; Follow through; Thoughtful process planning skills; Ability to prioritize; Flexibility; Understands and supports the concept that “if it isn’t documented, it doesn’t exist”.
• Actively works to improve help desk processes and procedures.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, knowledge, skills, and abilities of individuals so classified. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties and responsibilities.     

JOB TITLE: Client Support Specialist
DEPARTMENT: Enterprise Services
SUPERVISOR TITLE: Support Manager     

Expesite is a leading developer of client server and SaaS software for building operations and maintenance management.  We provide rewarding employment in a challenging environment with a competitive compensation plan and opportunities for personal development.      

For immediate consideration, forward your resume to kgellner@expesite.com.

New Features

• Report Model + Cost Tracking now available by request for Advanced Reporting!  Includes friendly views of line item detail for Bids (Packages, Bids & Bid Revisions), Budgets (Versions, History & Budget Details), Commitments (POs & Contracts), Changes (WO & CO), Invoices & Payment Requests, Spend Approval actions.
• Custom Print Views extends Vision^PM and allows clients to customize unique print views for Contracts, Purchase Orders, Work Orders, Change Orders, Payment Applications and Invoices.
  • Design custom print views through SQL Server Report Services* and the Vision^PM standard report model (or Expesite can design as a service).
  • Link new print view to any Cost Tracking record (contract, purchase order, work order, change order, payment application, and invoice) with “custom print” button.
  • New security group added on the Master template to “grant access to Custom Print Views.”
  • Ability to save the custom print view from Cost Tracking records to the Documents area.
• Spending Approvals on Recorded Items enables spending approvals, approval requests, and endorsements on work orders, change orders, payment applications and invoices that have been recorded rather than submitted by vendors.
• Invoice Tax Flag extends invoice feature to flag Tax and Freight line items as taxable.
• Custom Fields on Work Orders and Change Orders allows clients to track additional details (e.g. dates, numbers, or descriptions) on recorded or submitted work orders and/or change orders.
• Automation to Auto-Convert Descriptors allows up to five fields to automatically receive new values based on a conversion factor.  This is useful for converting between customary units and metric units (e.g. convert feet to meters).

Expanded Implementations

• Expanded Client integrations for six clients
• Custom Reports and Exports for eight clients
• Client-Program Rollouts including adds, removes, and changes for 10 clients

Sneak Peek of Upcoming Release Features

• Expesite’s newest development platform, Vision Enterprise, has begun to take roots!  Over the last couple of months we have deployed baseline functionality (logging, error handling, authentication, etc.) for this new application platform to the Expesite production system.  Although our clients can’t physically see or interact with the code, these additions will allow us to deploy new releases and functionality in the next generation of the Expesite product suite.
• Admin Console will be the first visual example of an application that is built on our Enterprise platform.  This new tool gives Vision^PM champions the ability to administer their system configuration.  The first phase includes the ability to administer Project Type entities – add, edit, re-order descriptor categories, descriptors, descriptor choices and descriptor help, milestones and sub milestones, and milestone days-to-next or days-from.  This console will only be available to Champions and it will also give you some insight into the new Vision Enterprise look and feel.  

Other Announcements

• As of October 1, 2012 Expesite will no longer support Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) with Vision^PM.  Users with IE6 may still access the application however certain features may be better experienced through newer IE browsers.
• It’s not too late to register for the 2012 Expesite User Conference! You don’t want to miss the opportunity to learn more about the upcoming release of the Admin Console or to network with other Expesite clients.

Contact your Account Manager to discuss how your company can benefit from our new features!

“Being named to the Inc. 5000 list for a sixth year in a row is a huge testament to our suite of Vision products and to all our clients that use Expesite,” said Jeff Sopp, CEO of Expesite.  “We attribute this success to our strategic growth plan, clear focus on client satisfaction, and having the best clients in the industry.”

Since being named to the Inc. 5000 list in 2011, Expesite has made a key strategic development to move into the Asia Pacific (APAC) region with the opening of its Hong Kong office. Expesite’s presence in the APAC market is driven by its need to support many of its clients as they continue to expand globally. Through its suite of Vision products, Expesite provides its clients a preferred collaborative software platform for real estate development, construction, and facilities management. These product offerings give clients added confidence that Expesite can deliver world class client satisfaction, no matter the location, and enhances Expesite’s ability to serve its clients in projects and programs beyond North America.

“On behalf of our global team at Expesite, we are delighted to be recognized by Inc. magazine,” said Jeff Sopp, CEO of Expesite. “This honor clearly reflects that our clients value our partnership and the solutions we provide. We look forward to another year of growth and achievement.”

“To be honored this year is a particularly notable achievement,” according to a letter Expesite received from Eric Schurenberg, Editor in Chief of Inc. magazine.  “To rank among Inc. 5000, your company had to thrive through three of the toughest years this economy has seen in living memory. Your success in such times is eloquent testimony to your team’s creativity, resilience, and tenacity.”

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and a sortable list of the fastest growing companies, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000/list/2012.

What makes Waze so much fun is the score board that tracks how often the app is used compared to other users. The more the app is used and the more a user reports items the higher his or her score climbs, and is rewarded with different Waze status levels. Eventually a user can reach the Waze “Royalty” status where the user becomes part of the top 1% of reporters in his or her region. 

Waze is free to download and use, and it currently supports iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian, and BlackBerry OS (beta only). To learn more about Waze visit: http://www.waze.com/download/