Q: Hi Robert, Thank you for bringing this here, sadly I think many of us will know your struggle with developing software!
It looks like this is optimised for Internal team use and in particular for SOPS.
Given there are many options for documenting SOPS and many options for internal team comms ( and internal/external comms) you generally have to go to specialist tools rather than "all in ones" to get decent performance or best of breed.
Of course email is what we are all used to for comms but I suspect in highly process driven situations its a long way from optimal efficiency. .... However IF Comms, SOPS and , highly Process based tasks could be effectively served from one SAAS it could be really great..... my question is all about how effectively this tool works as a communication platform for internal users to both document SOPs( err can't think basic would be Visio or network diagrams but there are other SAAS tools with enhanced features like videos, screenshots etc) , manage the flow of work through processes (more like task management.project management software functions) and Team/customer communications ( eg. Slack/telegram (both too ugly and old school for me) Noysi (dont trust the vendor or their future plan to sell it), please can you explain what features you have, will have or might have? For example:
1) User Management (user rights, user groups etc)
2) Internal/external messaging features (Users, teams, private messages, customer messages) is any chat on the app just one big long list (where things get lost like a Slack or Telegram message) or can I message person 2 about a specific subject with a discrete message ( more like emails but inside the app) eg. Subject: "Client ABC.co needs to sign the updated T&Cs"
3) if a team are collaborating to move a task through a SOP is it safe to assume that the app can handle that client/project like a task on a Project management software, and move it through the stages of the SOP?
thanks and GLWS
Robert_Alvanda
May 15, 2024A: Hi there!
Of course! Thanks for the message and for the empathy!
Alvanda is optimized to help both leadership and their teams stay focused on the work that actually matters.
Your examples and comments are on point. I'll try to take them as punctually as I can.
Yes, there are other SOP documenting tools, but they fail because most of them focus on the documentation process itself, and not the *execution* side of it. You need to spend hours defining procedures, and then again spend time telling everyone about changes if you ever make changes.
Alvanda is the opposite. The Procedure Builder is so simple to use, that you can have an entire business procedure outlined in 10 minutes, and start delegating it associated to tasks the very next second.
Want to make a change to the Procedure later? No problem! Just go in, make the change in 30 seconds, hit save, and it automatically updates all future instances of tasks following that procedure!
That's it. The least possible time spent on building out things, and the most time spent on execution.
With regards to "needing to go specialist to get best of breed" this rationale is exactly why most businesses are conducting their ops across half a dozen tools and several dozens of to do lists scattered across.
I'm not saying Alvanda will replace your banking app. Nor am I saying it will replace specialist Accounting software like QuickBooks. I'm saying it can be the ONE place you run your entire business on.
You need to issue an invoice on Quickbooks? There's a specific process for that.
You were hired yesterday? No problem! Alvanda's Step by Step Guiding System can take a complete beginner to pro at any process, no matter what specialist tools you need to use.
With regards to comms, I’m SO happy you said that, because we share a dislike for Slack. Very few things kill productivity more than threads upon threads of non-contextual conversations…
Whenever someone recommends we use Slack for comms, I half cringe (the other, better half of me knows there weren't any great alternatives until now).
However, within Alvanda, we want to keep ALL communication CONTEXTUAL. So you don’t just randomly open channels and chat. And you never just randomly want to ping someone. It’s ALWAYS in relation to something.
Think about it.
So, if it’s always contextual, the conversation should always happen *on the specific task or deliverable* that the conversation is about! :)
Now, Alvanda is in no way perfect yet. We just launched the MVP literally yesterday. :) So we still have a LOT of features to build in to reach our vision, including improved interaction points (comms).
With regards to User Management, that is another area where Alvanda shines!!
In other tools, you just invite people to the team. And then you worry about what they have access to, what you need to share with them, etc. And that takes a ton of time and focus.
In Alvanda, you invite people *directly into their Position within the Org Chart*!
So if you bring in a Sales Associate, they will only see the sales procedures, sales collateral, etc. etc. that is shares with their specific Position or Department, and they will *by default* NOT see whatever procedures or deliverables you have in accounting or HR, etc.
With regards to following projects through its stages: Of course! We have an entire Module called Flows, which helps you see how things are progressing through your business. Whether that’s a Prospect going through the Sales Cycle, or an Article going through the Content Production Process.
Finally, we realize that achieving Business Excellence is a significant endeavor. No matter how good Alvanda is or will be, there are aspects people will want help with. As such, we have literal dozens of people, each experts in their own fields (sales, marketing, finance, ops, etc.) to help our community of users build the companies of their dreams! :)
Sorry for the long reply, but I wanted to address all of your points. :)
Hope this helps, and looking forward to seeing you on the inside! (Just be sure to email us after you're in so we set up a call! :)
Jack.SPLUS🤔
I think the idea of a tool that will be able to replace everything is impossible. I think it should be something overarching that helps with management, but it won't replace Clickup, Trello or Assana.
However, it could be monitored through API/Webhooks automation or email notifications.
If it was able to build bi-directional email support, it would further help with communication📨.
Hey Jack!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
For some reason, AppSumo sometimes puts replies above the person’s I want to include in the reply… Not sure why, but I invite you to read my reply to our fellow Sumoling above.
In short, I agree 1 tool will probably never *replace* everything.
But Alvanda’s goal isn’t to replace; it’s to help leaders and teams *manage*.
Manage their work. Manage their time. Manage their focus.
In terms of what tools it *can* replace, interestingly enough, glorified to-do lists such as Clickup, Trello, and Assana *can* in fact be completely replaced by Alvanda.
The things that cannot be replaced right now are, as I said in my reply above, tools such as your banking app, or niche specific platforms, such as the national public projects bidding interface if you work on government contracts.
Everything else, that has to do with planning, managing, tracking, and perfecting your team’s work, will be done on Alvanda.
With regards to webhooks and automations: Yes, 100% we’ll implement as many useful integrations as possible, as our community of paying users jumps on calls with us to share with us their workflow, we’ll be building out more and more of that workflow into our systems.
Hope this clarifies the subject! And thanks again!