EnvisionWare Headquarters: The Next Generation!

Dear Friends of EnvisionWare,

Happy New Year! We sincerely hope your 2012 has gotten off to a positive start. This is both a challenging and exciting time for public libraries, and EnvisionWare remains committed to providing self-service and efficiency solutions for the industry as we all navigate these uncharted waters together.

Your humble servant The Man in the Purple Shirt is back on the beat after a lengthy and refreshing vacation. I would use the term “tanned, rested, and ready,” but being of Irish descent the “tanned” part is difficult to achieve.

Before I headed off to spend the holidays with my family, I visited—for the first time—EnvisionWare’s expanded new Headquarters in Duluth, Georgia. Here are some snapshots:

 

Okay…I concede to pulling your leg a little. But it was very exciting to see the new facility, which, in its own way, was just as impressive to me as the images above. Of particular interest was the large auditorium in which our Winter Summit was held,

as well as the nascent Library of the Future, which will eventually be a fully functioning library in the heart of EnvisionWare Headquarters: a place to test and showcase all the EnvisionWare products in a real-world environment. I am very excited to see this project taking shape, and will be reporting more on it (and posting photos) as it develops. 

The new facility includes a warehouse with multiple loading docks—another step up from our, ah, “cozy” facilities of the past.

As always, the EnvisionWare trolls were on display, and as befitting the larger office, they have expanded their presence as well.

Needless to say, we are very excited about our new Headquarters. We anticipate being there for many years, and we invite you to stop in and say hello if you're ever in the area!

EnvisionWare Welcomes Craig Gorbet to Implementation Team

The Man in the Purple Shirt is thrilled to welcome his new colleague Craig to the Professional Services Department! Please see official press release below:
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EnvisionWare, a leading provider of self‐service and library efficiency solutions, announces the appointment of Craig Gorbet as Implementation Consultant. In this role, Craig will be responsible for customer implementations for EnvisionWare hardware and software products primarily in the Western region of the United States. Craig will also work closely with other members of the implementation team to support and train customers companywide.

“Craig brings to us almost twenty years of experience in library implementations, customer training, support, and service,” said Cheryl Morgan, EnvisionWare’s Director of Professional Services. “His technical background and in‐depth knowledge of libraries and the library market will be a huge asset to our customers and implementation team.”

Prior to joining EnvisionWare, Craig served as National Technical Support Specialist for DecisionOne, a service provider for a library technology vendor. There he oversaw library installations for inventory control, self‐checkout, and RFID solutions, and trained customers and technicians on how to leverage, service, and troubleshoot equipment. Before that, Craig spent seventeen years with Checkpoint Systems, managing library
installations and operations of Checkpoint’s EM, RF, RFID, and Patron Services platforms. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering Technology from DeVry Institute of Technology in California.

“EnvisionWare is a growing company with a great reputation for customer service and satisfaction,” said Gorbet. “I’m excited to join the implementation team.”

Contact:
Kathryn Spier‐Miller
315‐380‐8600
kathryn@ksmcg.com

EnvisionWare Holiday Celebration: Exclusive Eyewitness Account!

Dear Friends,

John Himes, "Gentleman Farmer" and Director of Sales, arrives to his customary fanfare.

This week the Man in the Purple shirt offers you candid snapshots from the EnvisionWare Christmas Party, which was recently hosted at an undisclosed location somewhere in the state of Georgia. We had a wonderful time celebrating the holidays in our usual spirit of friendship and camaraderie, and extend that same warm feeling to all of you as well. Thank you for enabling us to continue doing what we love, and best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012.

A gift for our Chief Executive Officer, expressing our appreciation and love.

Somewhere in this photo sits The Man in the Purple Shirt, incognito.

A highly decorated EnvisionWare Officer.

Mike Monk (right) declares the party a success.

STOP THE PRESSES! eCommerce 3.0 is here!

I know a lot of you have been waiting for this for a very long time, so I'm going to avoid my usual preamble and just let you know that the new eCommerce is here. The only thing I will add is that I personally have installed this new version and am quite pleased with it.

EnvisionWare eCommerce Services® 3.0 was released November 30, 2011 and is available via the Customer Center.

Please see the Release Notes for a list of all the latest enhancements.

Cheryl Morgan Appointed Director (AKA "Supreme Commander") of Professional Services

Those of you who have been with me from the beginning, who have followed me from the heady, expectant days of youth to the chastened threshold of middle age--those who, in other words, visit this page on a regular basis to catch the latest goings-on from EnvisionWare, Inc.--will probably have figured out by now that The Man in the Purple Shirt works for the Professional Services Department. You may have heard of--or even known--Field Commander Kristin Sjulson, who led our fine department through many a bracing winter campaign, or, before and sometimes beside her, the gallant Nova Chase, who now heads the EnvisionWare Departments of Support and Quality Assurance with grace and candor. Well, once again, a new leaf has been turned over (as the old-timers say), and I am here to announce a NEW Director (or, as I like to say, Supreme Commander) of Professional Services: the brave and bold Cheryl Morgan. All hyperbole aside, Ms. Morgan is an exceptionally qualified choice to lead our department, and my colleagues and I are very much looking forward to working with her as we enter our next phase of delivering to, and partnering with, public libraries worldwide. Here is the official press release:

Atlanta, GA, November 28, 2011 – EnvisionWare, a leading provider of self‐service and
library efficiency solutions, announced today the appointment of Cheryl Morgan as Director
of Professional Services.

In this role, Cheryl will oversee customer implementations for EnvisionWare hardware and
software products. She and her team will also work with customers to determine the best
configurations, settings, and options based on their needs and goals.

“For technology to work as efficiently and effectively as possible, we must work in
partnership with our customers to understand their objectives and challenges,” said
EnvisionWare COO Scott Fothergill. “Cheryl brings practical, hands‐on experience with
implementing and managing library technology. We are proud to have her leading our
professional services team.”

Prior to joining EnvisionWare, Cheryl spent nine years at Forsyth County Public library in
Georgia, where she was Assistant Director for Information Technology. Before that, she
spent three years as Library Systems Specialist and Network Field Engineer for Interface
Electronics. Cheryl has also worked in academic libraries, serving as Technical Services
Librarian for Howard Community College in Maryland and Catalog and Systems Librarian
for Trinity College (now Trinity University) in Washington, D.C. She holds a Master of
Science in Library Science (MSLS) from Clarion University in Pennsylvania and a Master of
Science in Administration (MSA) from Trinity College.

“I get great satisfaction in helping libraries leverage technology to provide better service to
their communities,” said Morgan. “I look forward to working with our customers to help
them accomplish their customer service goals.”

"Gentleman Farmer" John Himes Crowned Director of EnvisionWare Sales in Private Ceremony

It is with great pleasure that I announce to you that my dear friend, the erudite "gentleman farmer" John Himes has ascended to the hallowed post of Director of Sales for EnvisionWare. As befitting the solemn and powerful occasion, Mr. Himes was crowned last week in a private ceremony attended by family, friends, and an elite cadre of respected journalists.

Okay, okay...The Man in the Purple Shirt will concede that he is getting a little carried away in the spirit of the moment, but...anyone who has dealt with EnvisionWare for any extended period of time has probably come in contact with John Himes, and can therefore echo my sentiment that this man is universally loved. So...your humble scribe will now get out of the way and let the official announcement speak for itself:

Atlanta, GA, November 9, 2011 - EnvisionWare, a leading provider of self-­‐service and library efficiency solutions, announced today the appointment of John Himes as Director of Sales and Library Business Development. Previously, John served as manager of sales for EnvisionWare’s Western Region.

“John has consistently served as an advocate for our customers to ensure we meet and exceed their expectations for service and responsiveness,” said EnvisionWare COO Scott Fothergill. “We welcome John to the management team and look forward to working together to deliver a stellar customer experience throughout our organization.”

In this new role, John will assume Al Coalla’s responsibilities in overseeing sales. He will also have expanded responsibilities for creating business development strategies and processes to support EnvisionWare’s broader plan, which is focused on customer service.

“John has established strong and loyal relationships with our customers and prospective customers. He also has a proven track record of responsiveness and a deep understanding of customer needs,” said CEO Mike Monk. “He is the right person to lead our sales team and make certain our business development efforts are in alignment with our company’s strategic vision of providing the best service, products and customer satisfaction within the industry.”

Before joining EnvisionWare in 2004, John spent two years with Digital Access Control, an EnvisionWare reseller. He also spent ten years at Xerox Corporation as Practice Director for Xerox Connect, the company’s technology consulting division.

“I’ve spent the last ten years getting to know our customers and prospective customers in the West so that we could offer products and solutions that best meet their unique challenges and needs,” said Himes. “In this new role, I look forward to partnering with our customers at a national level, and to helping libraries become more efficient and essential within their communities.”

About EnvisionWare
EnvisionWare is a leading provider of self‐service and library‐efficiency solutions. Today, over ten thousand libraries use EnvisionWare products to enrich their service offerings and to empower their customers to do more for themselves. EnvisionWare offers twenty‐two systems, including PC Reservation® computer management, LPT:One™ print management, and OneStop™ for self‐service circulation. For more information about EnvisionWare, visit www.envisionware.com.

EnvisionWare announces Expanded Customer Service Resources

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Kathryn Spier-Miller
315-380-8600
kathryn@ksmcg.com

EnvisionWare Announces Expanded Customer Service Resources
First Phase of Strategic Plan Focused on Service

Atlanta, GA, November 4, 2011 – EnvisionWare, a leading provider of self-service and library efficiency solutions, announced today an expansion of the company’s field support technical resources. The addition of 200 independent field technicians is the first phase of a strategic plan focused on improved customer service and satisfaction.

EnvisionWare's global support staff operates from Company service locations throughout the United States and Australia. The new field technicians will supplement existing US field staff. The technicians are trained to troubleshoot and service a full range of hardware from the EnvisionWare Coin/Bill Acceptor (CBA) to sophisticated sorting systems. EnvisionWare employees will continue to serve as the primary point of service and advice for customers. 
According to EnvisionWare COO Scott Fothergill, the plan to expand the company’s field support resources has been in development for several months and is part of a broader strategy focused on customer service. The expanded support model went through rigorous testing and piloting to ensure the results met and exceeded expectations for customer service and technical support. 

“Our team has an incredible depth of knowledge about our products and a long history of working in libraries and with our customers,” said CEO Mike Monk. “By expanding our technical services in the field, our staff can continue to offer personalized service, backed by a responsive and skilled technical support team.”

About EnvisionWare
EnvisionWare is a leading provider of self-service and library efficiency solutions. Today, over ten thousand libraries use EnvisionWare products to enrich the service offerings of their library and to empower their customers to do more for themselves. EnvisionWare offers twenty-two systems, including PC Reservation® computer management, LPT:One™ print management, and OneStop™ for self-service circulation. For more information about EnvisionWare, visit www.envisionware.com.