Welcome to part 2 of our series focusing on our grant management software, Flexi-Grant. In Part 1, we went through the key features of the system including easy to use application forms and templates, time-saving question banks, the central dashboard, reporting, and more.
We also discussed the advantages of using a cloud based grant management system, such as uptime of 99.95% to 99.995%, remote access and easy scalability.
This article explores some additional features, as well as security, accessibility and other non-functional requirements. We’ll also cover how Flexi-Grant integrates with the rest of your technology stack, providing a holistic ecosystem. Read on to discover why the UK’s leading funders use our software.
Extra Features of Our Grant Management Software
With more than 10 years of development behind us, we have more features available than we have time to discuss today. If you need any functionality that we haven’t mentioned here or in Part 1, feel free to contact us so we can discuss your needs.
Some of our extra features are available as add-on modules, such as our Committee Workspace. This tool makes it easy to manage all committee meetings, their assigned applications and other related documentation. This means there’s no need to use external scheduling systems – another way in which Flexi-Grant brings more order to your grant management processes.
User Experience
The Flexi-Grant user interface is intuitive, visually appealing, and optimised for productivity. It is built based on leading edge design principles for maximum usability (including Google’s proven Material Design system). You can also integrate your own customised branding, which you can review and adjust during the implementation stage.
Our adherence to accessibility standards ensures anyone can use the platform. We are WCAG2.1AA compliant and aim to continually improve the usability of our software, providing regular updates when new accessibility developments are possible.
Our latest version, Flexi-Grant 4.0, saw many improvements in this area. Changes were made to application form designs with the intent of reducing cognitive load. We also changed our colour coding, typography, and other aspects in order to enhance compliance. You can learn more about these usability and accessibility updates here.
Integrations
Our grant management software integrates seamlessly with your other vital systems, whether that’s accounting and other financial software, or specialist integrations for research grants, including ORCiD and Dimensions.
In fact, we have a Finance API that handles integrations with the likes of Sage, Oracle, Exchequer, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and many other programmes. This automatic sharing of data among systems saves time and removes human error from the equation.
With finance teams having direct access to Flexi-Grant’s financial data, less communication is required between them and your grant administrators. Payments can then be automated and reconciled against grants automatically.
Flexi-Grant has other APIs for integrating with different types of systems. Our Award Data API allows you to extract data relating to your grants for use in your website, internal BI tools or any other system.
All in all, Flexi-Grant’s versatility facilitates a holistic ecosystem where all your grant management processes are connected and streamlined.
Security
As mentioned before, a cloud based system has various security advantages compared to on-premise systems. Your data is protected from disasters thanks to failover – if a natural disaster struck, we’d be back online within 60 minutes.
Other measures we take to protect the security of our systems and of customer data:
- We are compliant with international security standards, ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials standards.
- Regular third-party penetration testing
- Web Application Firewalls
- Single sign-on to authenticate users
Implementation
Our implementation process spans 3 months and ensures that the solution is tailored to your specific needs. Before implementation, we engage in a detailed discovery phase to understand your requirements thoroughly. We then produce a project plan, and then provide regular progress updates throughout the implementation.
User Acceptance Tests are conducted after each stage of configuration, and we make necessary adjustments based on your feedback. In addition, we offer comprehensive training across seven interactive sessions to ensure your staff get the most out of the system.
Also note that we set up any integrations with your other systems during the implementation process, working closely with your IT personnel. Any data migration that is required will be completed as well.
Data Replication
With our Data Replication Service, your grants data is consolidated into a unified SQL database, simplifying tasks like reporting, automation, and data warehousing. In addition, our Query & Export tool provides convenient data retrieval, letting you effortlessly search for specific data within the system and export it directly to Excel.
Support Services & Community
Aside from our world class customer support, we also provide check-ins every two to three months as part of our Customer Success programme.
However, the support doesn’t stop there – our Grant Management Community is a platform for speaking to other users, staying up to date with the new feature releases, webinars, video guides, in-person events, and more. It’s also the place to access additional training courses.
Finally, your feedback helps us continually improve – talk to us about your suggestions through the community so we can meet our main objective – helping you to manage grant applications with ease, for greater impact.
In Summary
Our cloud based grant management solutions revolutionise your processes throughout the grant lifecycle. From making things easier for applicants to reducing the admin required from your staff, it removes all the obstacles and bottlenecks that happen with outdated systems and manual processes.
Our software is future-proof and scalable, able to accommodate any number of grant schemes. In other words, it grows alongside your operations.
Your staff can access Flexi-Grant from anywhere, on any device, seeing only the information they are authorised to – and we are compliant international security standards and accessibility standards, ensuring that anyone can use the system with ease.
With the broad range of integrations that are possible, we help to provide a robust, fluid grant management ecosystem – one that is continually improving, giving grantors and grantees a better experience with each new update.
To see for yourself why the UK’s leading funders trust Flexi-Grant, contact us today to book a demo.
