ETO [gives us] the capacity to explore [but also maintain operational consistency]. From delivery to delivery, you [don't have to learn] new symbols/new techniques - they simply keep on adding [useful features]. It is by all accounts truly stable on any workstation I've utilized it on. At the point when questions do come up, they [get] attention and are tended to by the support staff.
Pros
It has all the earmarks of being a company with low staff turnover and steady individuals to chat with.
We use it every day to deliver things for buying and checking verifiable costs of segments.
Cons
I would make a more granular client organization plot.
A portion of the passage techniques resembles an information base versus a bookkeeping page.
Likelihood to Recommend
The only recommendation [I have is that] in the Total ETO stage [you need] to be specific about the capacity to oversee singular clients by bunch participation. When you have the boundaries defined it's alright. The only [issue is that it's] not as natural as a bookkeeping page style.
We have been using the Automated Reentry Management System (ARMS) suite of ETO Social Solutions since summer 2015. We have different applications related to managing and tracking incarcerated individuals in at least 33 institutions for various programs including the California Identification Card Program with DMV, operated by DAI (Division of Adult Institutions), and DRP (Division of Rehabilitative Programs), etc., for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). The software is supposed to allow manual entry of individuals in a comprehensive timeline of events through touchpoints within a tailored dashboard.
Pros
The main dashboard page/portal is attractive in color and font design.
Honestly I'm really trying to be fair, but there is nothing this software does particularly well from the users standpoint.
Some of the support staff have been responsive over the years.
Cons
Still waiting for a seamless connection with SOMS (Strategic Offender Management System which is CDCR's main software for the State). We have been promised these two systems would speak to each other, but there has been zero progress in 6 years, and locally, ETO blames SOMS which is not helpful since SOMS is robust and functional unlike ETO-ARMS. Human manual entry of data dumps has been the "solution".
The interface is far from friendly or intuitive. It also has serious functionality issues. It requires multiple duplication and excessive clicks for data entry (ex: entering the same date multiple times, not showing pertinent required info on the same screen, not remembering last entries and ERASING previous data entered when entering new data, using different terms for the same action, disallowing some corrections, not speaking to itself on basic logic - like having to enroll an individual profile just so you can tell the software to un-enroll him in 3 different fields etc). Another big problem is the reports generator cannot be trusted as the data is often wrong or dated (perhaps because it requires data from SOMS which speaks a different language).They don't understand how to filter previous entries and terms, so the coding is probably defective or misunderstood at the root. This is taxpayer funded programming that the state legislature requires for budget decisions. Entry touchpoints have fundamental basic flaws and reports are basically garbage. We have so many examples of issues...too many to list here. 2-3 years ago a team was set up to assess contract renewal with ETO, and despite multiple examples of problems submitted, we have zero progress, the team was disbanded and the contract renewed.
I understand that the issues we are dealing with may have more to do with the way our product was customized for California, and not necessarily the software's inherent capabilities, but either way, the ARMS part of ETO has become somewhat of a running joke. Even an ARMS support Manager admitted to me that ARMS "sucks". In my honest opinion the entire ARMS suite should be trashed and rebuilt with consultations from actual users. It is costing countless man-hours of lost productivity and employee frustration. Sorry but we have been dealing with these problems for years.
Likelihood to Recommend
ETO Social Solutions should be avoided until they start caring about the problems generated by their software. In regards specifically to the ARMS suite utilized by the entire state of California, until the ETO software learns how to speak with SOMS, and unless it can be customized by knowledgeable people who consult with front-line users. It is not appropriate to provide the state legislature with bad data. I have 6 years of experience with it and I have multiple sources of agreement from fellow users throughout the state.
ETO is being used for our Career Connections program. Our department is the only one that uses ETO within our organization. ETO by Social Solutions addresses our metrics, invoicing for our contracts with continuous improvement for our support services.
Pros
ETO does well with collecting our data and allowing us to see where we can improve in our mission services.
ETO by Social Solutions does well with responding to issues or concerns with the use of the software and they have very friendly customer support representatives.
ETO by Social Solutions provides our organization with the tools we need to track the successes of our individuals as they progress along the path to employment.
Cons
ETO by Social Solutions could improve on the availability of free basic training for new users.
ETO by Social Solutions could definitely improve upon its Help Manual. The search engine is not very intuitive and often returns results that are unnecessary.
Likelihood to Recommend
ETO by Social Solutions is well suited for our program as it allows us to gather the necessary information to improve upon our mission services.
It is used by the entire organization. ETO quantifies our results for reporting to funders.
Pros
Lots of customization available
Clean design
Cons
Frequent performance issues.
Many features feel 'grafted' on without a full scope consideration of how they could be best integrated into the existing interface. The result is a congested array of settings UIs that require the primary user to develop and maintain workflow checklists off of the site itself.
Reporting tool has numerous performance and design flaws.
Likelihood to Recommend
Very helpful for tracking client records; leaves much to be desired as a reporting tool.
We currently manage client data within ETO across several programs in the commission. We are in the process of building out a new system to meet out federal reporting requirements.
Pros
I like the dashboard.
The new touch points, but haven't had much of a chance to use them.
Reporting.
Cons
The ability to have assessments on one page as opposed to separate tabs.
Likelihood to Recommend
Its reporting feature is very useful and allows direct care staff to run reports independently to better manage their caseloads. The level of navigation that is required is problematic though, especially when staff is attempting to collect the data while with the families are waiting. It distracts from them building a strong relationship.
The current ETO system that we pay for is used exclusively for one program that serves clients across three different departments within our organization. It was purchased to serve as a case management tool, as we currently do not have any technology infrastructure to serve this purpose. It was also selected for its data collection features that would permit us to pull data about clients in this program.
Pros
The administration of user accounts is easy to learn and manage.
Creating touchpoints is relatively straightforward.
The chat feature for help/support is really useful.
Cons
The user interface is not intuitive and exceptionally difficult for non-tech savvy people to learn.
The system is not as customizable as we were led to believe at the initial purchase.
The system does not interface well with other systems. Organizationally we are moving towards data integration, and we will likely replace ETO because of this limitation.
Considering the limitations of the system, the cost is quite high. We've seen only marginal benefits of this system over pen and paper, and the ROI is not promising.
The initial build process was very frustrating. We didn't understand what the developer was billing us for. Something like simple touchpoint forms was billed for more hours than it would seem to require.
A system like this should be both fully mobile compatible and have offline functionality.
We would benefit from more nuanced security settings.
Likelihood to Recommend
I have a difficult time imagining a scenario where this would be an optimal solution. In our current program that is using ETO, we have many external partners that need to be involved in client care. However, the external partners refuse to use ETO because it is redundant to their existing systems (and we cannot link ETO to their existing databases). Our staff operating this program are largely field-based. ETO is a barrier for them because they can't use it on their mobile phones, and there is no offline capability. Many of the buildings that our clients meet with their providers in (such as hospitals and long-term care facilities) are old buildings that block cell signals and don't have WiFi. It's severely burdensome for staff to have to take notes on paper when meeting with clients in these settings and then have to type it into ETO later.
We use ETO as a case management system for our families. We use it across the entire organization. It allows us to compile and report on all case notes associated with individuals and families. These notes start when we perform our initial intake response and follow them through treatment and follow up sessions.
Pros
Custom reporting allows for almost unlimited reporting options.
The ability to create your own touchpoints means you can capture any data point you wish.
Available webinar training sessions for administrators and reporting training.
Cons
Still not browser neutral (requires Internet Explorer)
Almost too much customization involved in reporting and administration. Definitely requires a dedicated admin to effectively use this software in the organization.
High turnover in the account manager and customer relations team.
Likelihood to Recommend
It is a powerful tool for non-profits of a larger size but a dedicated admin is a must. Smaller organizations without a dedicated admin would be better served by a different product.
VU
Verified User
Employee in Information Technology (51-200 employees)
We use ETO across multiple departments and to help us manage our client and service data. We have multiple ways a client can enter into our building and we have multiple services we offer. ETO provides us an opportunity to better and more accurately track the services we provide to our clients and their family members.
Pros
ETO's customization allows for the use of so many different and unique applications.
The ability to build extremely customized reports also allows us to get very detail oriented results or very broad building wide stats.
The additional added features such as workflow, referrals, and ETO Engage are useful in their own way and add more ways to better track and record data while simplifying some end-user processes.
Cons
ETO can be a bit clunky. Lots of added unnecessary clicking. I'm hoping the new UI will bring it up to speed.
ETO Results is built on the SAP BO Web platform and although it's one of the best reporting engines out there for customization, it provides little to no feedback by comparison to other reporting platforms in terms of error checking and predictive text, which with such a complicated system, would be really helpful.
ETO customization is awesome, but there is a need to add some more functionality to building out TouchPoints and creating questions and conditionals. The process is long and cumbersome when compared to any other form builder, even the more complex ones.
Likelihood to Recommend
I can see from an education perspective how it would be an incredible fit. The functionality is all there and growing. From a CAC perspective, it's still a work in progress, especially for larger CACs where lots more services are provided and the lines between programs blur a bit more. I think that ETO is becoming more user-friendly for CACs and Social Solutions is moving in the right direction too. I can't wait for some of the new features to roll out and be able to use them in our system. I really do think that will improve our user experience significantly.
VU
Verified User
Employee in Information Technology (51-200 employees)
We primarily use ETO for data entry and pull reports and data sets to analyze programs, metrics and successes and challenges. It is used by all program managers.
Pros
Easy data entry
Quick reports
Cons
Report writing is super tricky. I struggle with writing them even though I've taken classes.
Some times previous data sets can be difficult to access.
Likelihood to Recommend
Really powerful, but not necessarily easy to use.
VU
Verified User
Account Manager in Quality Assurance (11-50 employees)
We use ETO to store data for over 56 youth programs, track program indicators, and measure outcomes for approximately 5,000 annual clients.
Pros
Customer Service
Results Training
Tracking several clients who may be involved in more than one program
Cons
User Interface
Increased assistance with transitioning from outdated features to new features
More advanced classes in results
Likelihood to Recommend
More suited: organizations that track outcomes for several clients, especially that keep clients for set periods of time. Less suited: organizations that might only interact with a client one time.
