Making the most of Synergy through our User Group

Of the many benefits that Synergy, our PLICS system offers NHS costing teams, did you know that unrestricted access to a user-led group community was one of them?

What is the Synergy User Group?

The Synergy User Group unites NHS organisations from the UK, Ireland and Scotland in an online forum that is entirely driven by Synergy users themselves. This brings a genuine and beneficial collaboration opportunity to Synergy users across the UK. We facilitate monthly User Group virtual sessions (and more frequent clinics closer to the mandated submission time) that are for you, by you and to your benefit. Participants can ask each other questions, learn from shared experiences and gain tips on best practices.

How does the Synergy User Group work?

Step 1: CACI invites users to the Synergy User Group

We invite all Synergy users to join the Synergy User Group with new users always welcome to join the cohort of experienced long term Synergy users. Organisations themselves can determine which of their employees should participate in the group. If you’re a new user from an existing customer of ours, or a brand-new customer all together, we will oversee the invitation process and make sure you have access as soon as possible.

Step 2: Chair of the User Group & CACI align on the agenda

Ahead of each monthly meeting, users will set the agenda collectively with the chair of the meeting. CACI and the User Group chair will then meet to discuss what will be included in the agenda, covering off what participants need or want to get out of the meeting. This helps our experts understand what can be improved – whether that’s new functionality, setting up “how-to’s” for users, scheduling more demos, etc.

Step 3: Monthly User Group meetings take place

During the monthly meetings, CACI’s Synergy lead will help guide the session using their wealth of costing and Synergy knowledge. Anything from how the solution works to how it can support priorities being met can be discussed. While CACI help lead the meeting, the meeting ultimately belongs to the User Group attendees and is their time to share, collaborate and discuss. You can also tell us what you’d like to see or discuss in future meetings, from upcoming requirements to outstanding questions you have about the solution.

In addition to the monthly User Group meetings during the busy critical mandated submission period, CACI offer weekly open-drop-in clinics online for all Synergy users. These clinics are held by the highly experienced CACI team. These sessions are scheduled as soon as the submission guidance and software are released and take place well in advance of submission time.

Why should you join the Synergy User Group?

Providing outstanding customer service and support is at the heart of what we do. CACI want to ensure that our Synergy Costing and Finance teams feel supported individually and collectively – with the ease of use and flexibility of Synergy being the driving force to great outcomes. Your self-sufficiency will flourish by joining the User Group and being given the freedom to control the conversation; getting the answers you need to enhance your Synergy experience and carry out your tasks in the most efficient way for you.

The User Group:

• Promotes self-sufficiency by allowing our users to work together and use the roadmap as their own.
• Brings more to the table than just a costing solution. The User Group is there for you to utilise as you see fit. You can have as much or as little support or involvement from us during your usage as you want.
• Allows you to get the most out of Synergy whatever your technical background. Synergy is built with every employee in mind, freeing up your team’s time to dedicate effort and resources to improving your business functions.

What are Synergy User Group participants saying about the group?

Michelle Barnes, Assistant Director of Finance at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), told us why the Synergy User Group has had such a profound impact on her team’s success.

“The User Group forum feels like it belongs to the Trusts – it’s not a sales update for CACI. It’s a chance to ask each other questions, as well as the CACI consultants. For example, peers might demo what they’re doing with reports – it’s a really good forum because it shows how people use the system in practice. It’s truly collaborative and interactive. Spin-off groups have emerged for different aspects, like the dashboards, and it’s so useful to be able to talk directly to other mental health and community trusts, because our needs can be different from acute trusts,” she explained.

“It’s a strong relationship – we’ve had great support and interaction with everyone from the account manager to the trainers and helpdesk. We had a few IT issues related to our firewall and making connections through it. CACI’s consultants were really responsive and came back to us very quickly to get this sorted. They were always progressing what they needed to and checking that things were satisfactorily resolved. The Synergy User Group is great – it helps us continue to explore and make the most of the solution, to deliver more decision insight and value for our Trust.”

If you’d like to find out more about getting involved in the Synergy User Group, please contact our expert, Susan Brooks, or take a look at Synergy, our PLICS system and what our customers have to say about it.