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6 Ways to Speed Up Your Work in Collaborate

Time is a non-profit’s most valuable resource. With almost endless demand for your services, and limited resources to provide them, it’s important to streamline your work as much as possible.

Here are some of the best ways to save time in Collaborate.

1. Quick Intake

If you don’t have a new Client’s name or other identifying information immediately available at the time of Intake, or if you just want to do several basic Intakes at once, then Quick Intake is for you. This functionality allows you to quickly enter demographic data to get a new Case kicked off in seconds.

Collaborate Quick Intake example.

Find it in Collaborate

Quick Intake is available from the Actions menu when you Create New Client.

Collaborate Create New Client menu.

2. Copy Case Fields

When entering several members of the same household into Collaborate, you should use Copy Case Fields. With this feature, you can avoid re-entering duplicative information (including Home Address or Allegations), saving several minutes for each related Intake.

Collaborate Quick Intake example.

Find it in Collaborate

Copy Case Fields is available when you Create a New Client from the Associated Case Actions menu.

Collaborate Associated Case Actions menu.

3. Radio Buttons Everywhere

What are radio buttons? They’re form elements that allow you to choose only one option - and they’re much faster than using selection dropdowns. They’re also more usable and accessible for older users, those with disabilities, and work better on mobile devices.

Collaborate radio buttons example.

We recently rolled out an update for Collaborate that replaced most of the application’s selection dropdowns with radio buttons. Network Administrators can opt out of this upgrade, but in the interest of speed and usability, we hope you’ll keep it!

Find it in Collaborate

Radio buttons have replaced most selection dropdowns in all your application forms, including Intakes, Services, and beyond.

Collaborate radio buttons before and after.

4. Custom (1-Click) Reports

We’ve already covered the ins and outs of Collaborate’s robust Reports revamp, so we won’t dwell on it too much here. However, if you aren’t using Custom Reports - especially to meet your funders’ exacting requirements - then you are definitely missing out on some serious time savings.

Collaborate Custom Report example.

Find it in Collaborate

From the Reports tab, in the View Reports menu, you’ll see a list of Custom Reports.

Collaborate Custom Report example.

5. Quick Batch Simple Services

If you find yourself recording multiple Services at the same time in Collaborate, then Quick Batch Simple Services is guaranteed to lessen your workload. Just fill out some basic info, add a bunch of Services to the batch, and you’re done.

Collaborate Quick Batch Simple Services example.

Find it in Collaborate

From a Case Profile page, in the Service Actions menu, you’ll see a link for Quick Batch Simple Service.

Collaborate Service Actions menu.

6. Take a Training Refresher

Practice makes perfect, and it also makes speed. Whether you’re a new or veteran Collaborate User, there are free live trainings that you can benefit from - including Reports, Administrator Training, and Help Desk (bring your own questions).

Do you have a time-saving tip you’d like to share with the Collaborate community? Let us know!

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Your Cases, Your Clients, Your Workflow

Collaborate software running on a MacBook, iPad, and iPhone.

Collaborate is customizable case management software for non-profits and social services agencies.

  • Track Case information, from Intake, providing Services, setting Goals, to recording Outcomes.
  • Efficiently access Case history, medical exams, test results, custom Reports, and more.
  • Tap a single, secure, HIPAA-compliant, easy-to-use, web-based platform for all your Case management needs.
Features Overview Get a Demo

Who's Using Collaborate

Children’s Advocacy Centers of Georgia

Member of the National Children’s Alliance, The Children’s Advocacy Centers of Georgia, Inc. is Georgia’s statewide membership association of 50 local children’s advocacy centers.

CACGA Client Story

  • Dozens of networked Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs), each with own private customizable instance
  • CACs able to search through entire state database of clients, caregivers, and offenders
  • Statewide reporting
  • Mix of Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDTs) and non-MDT children’s advocacy centers
  • 500+ users, years of case data, tens of thousands of cases, hundreds of thousands of services

South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

SCCADVASA is the statewide partnership of organizations providing services to victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in South Carolina.

Members include rape crisis centers and women's shelters throughout the state, serving clients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

  • Dozens of member organizations, many cross-trained with partner CACs
  • Cross-trained Users can quickly switch between DV/SA and CAC sides
  • Hotline Intakes, with ability to easily change Case type for full Intakes later
  • Optional Modules include Batch Simple Services, Document Queue, and Document Templates

LifeBridge Health's Center for Hope

LifeBridge Health's Center for Hope is a comprehensive violence prevention and intervention agency. Programs include child advocacy, domestic violence, community violence, and elder justice for survivors, caregivers, and communities.

  • Referral Module to manage internal and external Referrals, across Programs
  • "1-Click" VOCA Report to easily meet funding requirements
  • Custom Services for Treatment Plans, Clinical Assessments, and Forensic Interviews

Douglas County, Nebraska

Three human services departments of the Douglas County, Nebraska municipal government run on Collaborate, each with their own tailored software implementation.

DCGA Client Story

  • No need for additional systems or network administrators
  • No software to install
  • Lightning fast, with as much bandwidth, processing power, and storage as you need
  • Access from anywhere, any time

The Spot / Project Ark

The Spot / Project Ark is a cooperative focusing on social justice and health care for at-risk youth.

The Spot / Project Ark Client Story

  • Collaborate facilitates all data management and reporting for SPARK
  • Medical services, mental health counseling, sexual and reproductive health services
  • Work development / workforce coaching services
  • Substance abuse counseling
  • Fully electronic medical records, charting, even immunization records

Substantial Cost Savings

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami (CCADM) was established in 1931 to serve impoverished families during the Great Depression. Since then, CCADM has grown to offer a diverse slate of Services in the Miami area, including alcohol & substance abuse treatment, child development, behavioral health, elderly assistance, homelessness, and help for immigrants & refugees.

  • Universal Intake to facilitate a quick implementation
  • Custom workflow allows Clients to have several open Cases at once
  • Reporting for over 40 distinct Service offerings across dozens of sites
  • Optional Modules include Batch Simple Services, Case Review, and Class Management

View Clients

Benefits of Using Collaborate

Cut out the Paper

Let Collaborate do the heavy lifting. Collaborate adjusts to your workflow and processes, not the other way around.

“Prior to Collaborate, we were using paper charts…”

See what The Spot has to say about Collaborate vs. Paper.

  • Use your existing forms, electronically
  • No more boxes of folders, no more spreadsheets
  • Clients can sign documents using smartphones, tablets, or computers
  • Save everything in one place

Fully Customizable

Don’t mess with a good thing - keep your workflows where they work, use our templates where they can be improved upon.

“…it’s like partnering with architects, engineers, and systems designers!”

See how we went above and beyond with Casa de Salud’s customizations.

  • We’ll customize and configure Collaborate for you, good to go at launch
  • Afterward, as requirements change, make configuration changes on your own
  • Grant requirements change frequently, so can Collaborate’s reports
  • Our expert software developers can accommodate your specialized requirements

Fast and Secure

Directly on the Internet backbone, and actively monitored for security, so you’re safe and sound.

Assist America uses Collaborate’s admin capabilities to configure who can access Collaborate from where, and even automatically lock accounts if something suspicious is happening.

  • High-grade encryption
  • Users can be granted access to what they need, only
  • Stable and scalable platform
  • Hourly backups means disaster avoidance
  • HIPAA compliant

Cloud-Based

Hosted and maintained by us, for you.

Children’s Advocacy Centers of Georgia and SCCADVASA both make use of Collaborate’s cloud-based nature to allow users spread across a large area to access their database securely, using a web browser. Assist America does it worldwide.

  • No need for additional systems or network administrators
  • No software to install
  • Lightning fast, with as much bandwidth, processing power, and storage as you need
  • Access from anywhere, any time

Easy to Use and Understand

Developed and constantly improved upon, since 1998, we take our clients feedback seriously. Easy to use, even for the most technology-averse.

Our userbase is diverse, but most are not organizations that traditionally rely heavily on technology. Take a look at how some of our features work, simple and straightforward.

  • Intuitively designed interface
  • Simple to navigate
  • Dedicated support staff to assist
  • Online support & issue reporting

Substantial Cost Savings

Software is a tool to help you perform better, with less effort. Let it handle the grunt work and tedium, allowing you to focus on your real goals.

“…making for a highly efficient client experience and delivery of services…”

See how Collaborate streamlined The Center’s processes and reduced overhead.

  • Significant reduction in organization communication overhead
  • No annual or "per seat" license fees
  • Increased productivity and lower administrative costs
  • Reports that used to take weeks now take seconds!

Try Collaborate Now

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