Greater Los Angeles Area Council

A Transition Story

Greater Los Angeles Area Council (GLAAC) has been a Tentaroo client for several years and recently started taking advantage of the Events Module. They were looking for a system that was easy to use, both for users and admins, and already knew that Tentaroo had excellent support. We sat down with Kevin Burton, GLAAC’s IT Analyst & Webmaster, to ask him how their transition has gone.

Why Tentaroo?

When Kevin first started working for GLAAC, he recognized their need for an online website and event registration system, but the first system they found was cumbersome and difficult for their staff and volunteers to use. Following multiple requests from their volunteers, GLAAC searched for an alternative. Kevin attended a Tentaroo demo and liked that the software was straight-forward and custom-tailored for the structure of BSA councils. The modules are also integrated, with a single login, which makes managing their system very easy.

Transitioning to Tentaroo Events

GLAAC started with Tentaroo's Website Module and found the transition very smooth. They discovered they could ask questions or schedule training whenever they needed support and that the Tentaroo team was always there to help. Kevin became an expert at using the Form Builder software for simple registrations, like fundraising dinners. He appreciated its simplicity and flexibility. They were hesitant, however, to make the switch to the Events Module, concerned that it would be too difficult for their staff and volunteers to learn something new.

They needn't have worried. Kevin told us, “The transition was so easy, that I wonder why we didn’t do it right away.” They had been using the Form Builder for events like merit badge fairs with class schedules that would be better supported by the Events Module, and managing those registrations in the Form Builder was challenging. When they moved those registrations into the Events Module, they were pleasantly surprised at just how easy it was to build them and at all the features that made managing their events a breeze. For example, the Events Module automatically enforces class capacities, prevents scheduling conflicts, and allows groups to sign up as many participants as necessary in one account. Another important benefit is that the Events Module is seamlessly integrated with their Tentaroo website; when they add a new session to an existing event, it is added to their calendar and the corresponding page automatically.

Kevin largely credits Tentaroo’s customer support for the smooth transition. The Tentaroo team has provided training for the council staff on multiple occasions, including refresher sessions as needed, so the council hasn’t had to handle all the training internally. Each training session is done in their own system with all the features and settings they use, giving them a head start on building their events and helping registrations go live, correct and on time.

Now that the council has completed the transition to the Events Module, GLAAC has begun entering their year-round camping facilities into the Tentaroo Facilities Module and love how easy it is to build properties in the system. They are very happy with the newly implemented updates to the admin interface and find it even more user-friendly.

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