I find it very inspiring to read the works of the great authors so it should come as no surprise that this blog post just seemed to flow so naturally. It’s been two weeks since we wrapped up Orange Summit 2018 at the beautiful Sun Valley Resort in Sun Valley Idaho.
Other than the picturesque setting, Sun Valley’s claim to fame is that Ernest Hemingway not only spent a considerable amount of time there, but also wrote a considerable portion of For Whom the Bell Tolls there as well. This setting was an amazing spot for Orange Summit this year. Great things happen here!
Our customers that attended had wonderful things to say not only about the location, but also about the event itself. Attendees were able to get training on the latest and greatest features as well as refreshers and master courses on topics they knew but possibly forgot. On top of their courses attendees were also able to come spent time with me and our product manager Megan Boyd in our Product Vision Center.
The Product Vision Center was a place where attendees were able to see concepts of future-looking features and products and provide their input on the direction that our product should take. Sometimes we discussed blue sky questions, and other times we dug really deep into complex problems that our customers are facing.
Attendees also had the opportunity to tell us about the things that they wanted to see changed in our product. It’s always interesting to me to see how our customer’s practices have grown and how their needs are changing. Even those practices who haven’t opened new locations are still growing. Their processes are maturing and they are looking for more and more efficiencies in their business and hence their needs are also growing.
My favorite parts about the summit this year were the group forums and conversations that we held… and I’m not talking about group practice here, but rather group discussion. We held discussions with groups of up to 3 different practices at the same time. We asked pointed questions about how they conduct certain workflows, or tackle certain problems.
Now, don’t get me wrong, for the most part the folks in these groups agreed on the fundamentals. But then the variety came in to play! Each practice is just a little different from others. They do things a little differently or have different regulations that need to be factored in to their decision making process. I heard “Yes, but…” more times than I can count.
That’s the main reason we hold these group discussions when we try to understand a problem. It’s one thing for us to ask a bunch of questions to individuals, but when we get those individuals in the same room they start to feed off each other and the conversation becomes incredibly rich. Not only do we learn from the discussion but our attendees learn from each other and we all grow together.
I look forward to many more discussions with you and your peers! As always, reach out to me with your questions and suggestions. You know where to find me.
Thanks,
Raul
