Nonprofit Boosts Efficiency by Moving Off Google Apps to Office 365

In today's post we hear from D&L Representatives Payee Services on why Microsoft was the best decision for their business in their move off Google Apps to embrace business-ready cloud computing!

D & L Representative Payee Services
D & L Representative Payee Services is a US-based non-profit organization that provides financial management services to those who need help managing their Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits. The two-person company is designated by the United States Social Security Administration (SSA), as an organizational payee that can become a client’s representative payee. The SSA sends the client’s Social Security benefit payments directly to D & L, which then distributes the funds to the appropriate entities, such as paying rent to a client's residential-living facility.

IT Challenges
Due to the nature of D&L's business they need a solution that is secure, reliable and easy-to-use. D&L spends much of their time with clients assisting them with needs ranging from purchasing a bus pass to purchasing a refrigerator. Any other time is spent completing legal forms and sensitive documentation about their clients. They need constant access to clients' documents and files to do their jobs effectively. Before Office 365, D&L used Google Docs but became frustrated with it because it changed formatting on documents automatically when saving them. They also were frustrated by the time it took to save and share documents with Google Docs because of extra steps it requires before sharing can begin.

"We're accustomed to using Microsoft Office products and wanted to continue to use them, so the compatibility issues with Google Docs caused concern," recalls Paul Lovette, Vice President and Executive Manager of D & L Representative Payee Services. "We were always worried, for example, that our forms' layouts would be skewed by whatever formats Google chose."

IT Solution and Benefits
D & L decided to participate in a program to test Microsoft Office 365, a set of highly secure, web-enabled tools that offer anywhere access to email, documents, contacts, and calendars, among other services. "I keep up on the IT world, and I wanted to see if Office 365 could make a positive difference for us," says Lovette. "I was particularly interested in how it could help preserve the confidentiality of our clients' information."

D & L found the transition from Google Apps to Office 365 straightforward. "It was so quick," says Lovette. "I registered our domain, shifted our email accounts to Office 365, transferred our documents, and we were ready to go in less than an hour." D&L Representative Payee Services is confident in its decision to migrate to Office 365 because the service provides the organization with the tools to stay more productive and deliver effective services to its clients, all with an affordable price tag. D & L credits Office 365 with its ability to save steps and ensure that it maintains up-to-date forms, client information, and other documentation. "Our newfound capacity to save documents and automatically sync our computers has been key to efficiency," says Lovette.

Learn how D & L is serving its clients through watching this video.

[View:https://mediadl.microsoft.com/mediadl/www/c/casestudies/Files/4000010126/DL_750k.wmv]

D & L also receives a wealth of technology tools at an affordable price because each Office 365 license costs just U.S. $6 a month. "What we get for a total of $12 a month is really priceless: instant availability, a robust suite of products, and the ability to synchronize documents between Office 365 and our workspaces," says Lovette.

And lastly, D & L appreciates that Office 365 is managed and hosted by Microsoft. "We don't have to handle IT management or worry about cobbling together different hosted services; it's all together in one, reliable package," says Lovette. "And if a computer fails, our data is still accessible up in the cloud, with Microsoft safeguarding it. That's great for our peace of mind, especially because we're handling sensitive, confidential documents."

The organization expects to expand its Office 365 use in the future, especially as it adds staff members. "I see tremendous value in using Office 365 for sharing calendars, posting blogs, exchanging instant messages, conducting voice conferences, and perhaps hosting our public-facing website," says Lovette.

Read the full case study and let us know why you might be considering an Office 365 trial or purchase.