“The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don’t really

even notice it, so it’s part of everyday life.” – Bill Gates 

 

Silicon Harbor Solutions, LLC (SHS) is a dedicated provider of Microsoft Outlook Integration Solutions with Blackbaud’s CRM system. Catalyzed by the recognition and opportunity to enhance Blackbaud’s exceptional CRM software, Silicon Harbor Solutions was founded in 2015 in Charleston, South Carolina by a former Blackbaud employee, with the mission to “To Provide Affordable Solutions to Nonprofits Enhancing Their Blackbaud Software experience.”

As a product company first, SHS designs and supplies products specifically targeted at increasing user efficiency across their technology ‘ecosystem’, not within one specific product. With this approach in mind SHS has developed a portfolio of unique products, with both Blackbaud and Microsoft experts, aimed at providing significant efficiency gains, as well as a richer set of data, for users of their ‘Classic’ and ‘Cloud’ products.

 

Design, Development and the Right People

Our solutions are of original (copywritten) design and were engineered from the ground up based on feedback from the Blackbaud CRM User community. While the original idea and design was a product of our SHS experts in Blackbaud CRM, the solution’s development was largely charged to our expert developers with 30+ years of combined mastery of Microsoft Office products. As Microsoft products have their own inherent nuances, we were able to leverage the appropriate expertise to optimize, secure and extend what a user can do within Microsoft Office to provide the best user experience possible. Blackbaud already makes CRM easily accessible via their API’s, our expertise makes it available in Microsoft Outlook locally, on the web and on mobile devices.

Further, as a product company first we are committed to the solutions we develop and are not limited by other consulting or services obligations. Due to this focus we dedicate expert resources to deliver our products without compromise. We have no competing interests or other distractions, and simply focus on providing the best possible Outlook integration solutions for our clients. You’re not simply buying a product, you’re investing in a set of solutions for the mutual benefit of all those who take advantage of our offerings.

 

Proven and Established

Established in 2015, our solutions have matured and provided incredible returns in efficiency to our 30+ clients world on 4 continents. Our products have been on the market since 2015 and have proven to enhance the Blackbaud CRM user experience across various non-profit sectors.

Due to this we have become an official Blackbaud Technology Partner as well as an official Microsoft partner. Our software is often recommended and demo’d during Blackbaud’s own CRM sales demonstrations as a natural ‘bridge’ product between Microsoft Outlook and Blackbaud CRM.

 

Mobile, Web and Local – Extended Functionality for All Platforms

Our ‘Classic’ product laid the foundation for a new, and better way to integrate Blackbaud CRM into a user’s technical ecosystem. It saves time, increases data quality and removes much of the effort of using a robust but demanding CRM system. With the release of our O365 ‘Cloud’ solution users have many of those same features available in a new package for Outlook on their desktop, on the web and, most importantly, on their mobile device. Users have the ability to look up any constituent in Blackbaud CRM on the fly, quickly and easily make and log calls, open a map of their saved addresses and even launch into Blackbaud CRM directly for a deeper dive no matter where they are or what device they’re on.

Other features of our ‘Cloud’ solution allow users to Add, View, Edit, Close Interactions, Prospect Plan Steps, Stewardship Plan steps and more right from the palm of their hands, anywhere in the world. This is a unique solution that integrates securely between Blackbaud CRM and Microsoft Outlook 365.

In addition, our ‘Cloud’ solution gives users the ability to extend their user experience on the desktop as well by surfacing Constituent, Interaction, Plan and other information in real-time in a pane within the Outlook program; often automatically. This quick-view includes many of the features of our other products but also gives your users the ability to ‘Click through’ to Blackbaud CRM to quickly and easily. This saves times and increases efficiency while passively drawing a user’s attention to tasks that may need to be completed or suggested to be completed.

Low Technical Debt and Resource Drain

Our products are designed to have the largest positive impact on your CRM users, with minimal to no impact to your CRM environment or an ongoing resource drain on technical staff. This allows your technical resources to focus on other obligations.

Taking into account an organization’s technical resources we have developed multiple methods of implementation and administration of our products. This helps to streamline the implementation process as well as rolling out future upgrades and enhancements.

As we utilize Blackbaud’s already available API’s, inherit security rights, inherit default fields and other information we offer truly ‘plug and play’ solutions with no customizations, registry edits, etc. needed. By adhering to Blackbaud’s ‘Best Practices’ our solutions are easy to implement for user groups of any size.

Further, our expertise in Microsoft products, including the Azure platform, helps us to achieve the highest level of security, speed and stability possible. We offer integrations with various 2FA and SSO solutions as well to ensure connections are secure.

 

Value of client feedback

Our solutions were built not for the needs of a single client and then repackaged and scaled for others, rather from the feedback of multiple clients which has formed the available features of our ‘Classic’ and ‘Cloud’ solutions. This feedback from clients has allowed us to build the most efficient and easy to use products that help with CRM adoption and ultimately more opportunity for users.

We consistently engage with our user base, solicit feedback and ask for collaboration on new features. Those ideas are taken and drive the direction of new features and upgrades on our active roadmap.

 

Product Investment and Innovation

When established, SHS set out to provide the best products that could be made, period. We set out to not just minimally fill a gap or address a singular issue, rather bring to the user a full and rich user experience beyond expectations. In large part this is attributed to our significant investment into our people and products. As we are a focused in this space, revenue goes directly back to the products people are using, not to other areas.

With regard to innovation we are constantly seeking to partner, develop and enhance the user experience as often and as quickly as possible. This pushes us into areas often not visited and envisioned for a Blackbaud CRM user. With a Microsoft focus and Microsoft Partnership in place we are constantly looking into new technologies, existing tools and opportunities to leverage not just Blackbaud CRM or Microsoft Office but other complimentary services and solutions as well. As the technology landscape changes, we are committed to being at the front of progress.

 

A robust Support model of Client Engagement

Support starts as soon as you become a partner with us. For those whose projects are not live yet, we will work with you to develop a project plan and training and implementation strategy suited to their organization. We collaborate through evaluation, UAT and any other area so users naturally are comfortable with our solutions and how they integrate with Blackbaud CRM from day 1. For those already live we work to ensure the solutions are put in the hands of your users as quickly as possible to start making an immediate impact.

While issues are rare, and because each client is different, we have implemented a Support Solutions Center with a multi-tier approach ensuring issues are addressed and mitigated as quickly as possible. Our HelpDesk processing and ticketing system was created so issues are evaluated, triaged and acted upon by the best resource available, as quickly as possible. Everyone at SHS has an obligation to ensure our clients are happy and each play a role in supporting our clients to enhance our readiness and response.

A dedicated Customer Area is available for those who are the ‘Gate Keeper’ for their organization. Here they can vie user logs, manage license assignment, view and download various versions of the solutions, view RFQ’s, How-To guides, etc.

In summary, we are in a unique position to provide our products due to starting from the ground up, using the ideas and input of the best Blackbaud CRM experts and customers available and by specifically using experienced development experts in Microsoft products; where our solutions live and are accessible. Due to these things we are proud to offer a unique, promising set of solutions we hope you will implement at your organization.