As a Business Development Executive at Multiview, Christopher Cuming’s mission is to guide, educate and support our Multiview prospects and clients as they kick off their ERP journey.
He sits down and discusses his Sherpa methodology as well as the driving force behind Multiview’s partnership successes and our commitment to being client obsessed.
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Could give a little bit of background into your role, what you did prior to Multiview and what brought you to Multiview?
My name is Christopher Cuming and I am a business development executive for Multiview Corporation.
I’ve been with Multiview now for two years in this position throughout. In my career, I can say that those who I am working with have positively impacted me more than any other prior Cohort. To be working for a team that I believe in and that I know people are excited about makes our efforts that much more meaningful.
Before working at Multiview I held roles in performance marketing and a technology firm which developed an app that focused on event discovery.
In my current role, I see myself as a Sherpa through the selection process for our prospects, connecting them with the resources needed in order to really understand what it is like to be a Multiview partner.
Can you describe your approach to the “Sherpa” method?
The hardest part about choosing a new partner for technology needs is that comparison methodology. Offering our insight in how best to approach this validation process is often appreciated.
Traditionally, I will start my process with a few tasks. Connecting potential partners with our solution engineers to offer a demo, arranging conversations with the implementation team, and scheduling calls with either a team leader or a director are my standard approach to building trust and effectively set up an apples to apples comparison.
Oftentimes, I am building relationships with critical access hospitals, community hospitals, the most “in need” organizations with most of their teams wearing multiple hats in their organizations. We have observed the majority of health systems coming from manual processes. When they see Multiview, they are genuinely excited to know that we’re going to change their day today for the better. It’s amazing to be able to help them with their needs and providing much-needed automation.
Does your title offer any insight into your engagement approach, whether it’s a critical access hospital or large health system; does your executive approach lead to you acting more as a consultant as opposed to a salesman? Is there value in bringing that type of leadership and guidance?
It is certainly an interesting role that empowers me to be an advocate for our potential partners.
Obviously, all of Multiview is encouraged to be client obsessed meaning we should always strive to be genuine and honest.
For me it takes what would be typically assumed of a salesperson and takes “the pressure off “. I’m working for a product that I believe in so much that I’m able to let it speak for itself and I’m able to let truthful facts speak for themselves in an impactful way.
Not having to manipulate how we present our technology in order for people to be excited about what we have to offer is a major satisfier for me. I want to show people our product and give them the information that they need to allow them to be comfortable with we have to offer. This guiding method allows their team to see the insights and to clearly understand what conversations are important from all of the other vendors they may be considering.
What I’ve realized in my years working for Multiview is the more prospects are willing to “kick the tires” of Multiview, and do the same for all the other vendors, the more likely it is that they are to to choose Multiview. If they make a quick decision based on assumptions, we often do not earn their business. With that, what I do is encourage the appropriate conversation, supply the answers from Multiview and then trust that future partners will have those same expectations with the other vendors.
Are there any specifics outside of what you’ve already mentioned that allow you to present information to potential partners to summarize the thorough dialogues with all parties that they may be connected throughout Multiview?
You must build a relationship with every client, but more importantly, you need to understand their current pain points. Sales managers traditionally identify pain points but only focus on the ones that they can solve. Their goal then is to have the client perseverate on those pieces and hammer home that their product is the best way to solve all their issues. This approach may work, but it may not introduce a true answer to their needs.
At Multiview, we want to understand the potential partner’s pain points but I also want to try and open their minds up to solving problems that they perhaps hadn’t considered or problems that they aren’t necessarily prioritizing. Allowing them to focus on the big picture ultimately adding up to a more significant increase to their efficiencies within their processes.
I find that Clients are all unique offering different needs and requirements. You have to address them under their terms with the focus being on what it is that they think that they need to solve but also coaching them on potential needs.
By guiding the process in a way that allows for an honest answers from all vendors we see our position of a trusted voice opposed to a talking figurehead. I encourage them to ask many question of our team and our competition.
Unfortunately, we do see second time buyers in the market. Some feedback we have heard as to what caused past relationships to sour are:
- Our implementation did not set us up for success.
- Our chart of accounts was never created correctly.
- We are not getting the support that we require to be successful
- We found out that the cost are far more than we anticipated. (hidden fees, renewal term pricing concerns
- We need a more predictable and affordable solution.
We approach all relationships differently but we always focus on what they want to achieve. Listening to their needs in their own words on their own terms is key to our methodology.
I see this as a psychological first step in connecting with people. Once you have built this bridge to their trust then we are able to approach broader conversation; as I say, the more that they kick those tires, the more likely it is that they’ll choose Multiview, You need to get them through their hesitations before we can grow the faith in a new partner.
What is the industry looking for from Multiview? What is that next iteration of the ERP?
Multiview has set our internal standard to be provide tools to our partners that allow them stop chasing their numbers and to start using them.
Data visibility for healthcare organizations will be and is now transformational to our industry.
As an example, a typical relationship between an EMR and an ERP is based on summary data. This is as simple as the health system unit and the appropriate account. With this basic view into that entry, you do not have access to the details required to understand what those numbers mean or what the full story is.
Most health systems are forced to go back into their EMR to understand the full view or what makes up that summary. Clinically, the EMR host this wealth of statistical information but Multiview asks why can you not leverage that data in the financial tools as well. Currently, most finance teams we speak to are building reports manually in a one-off workflow forcing them to toggle between the two systems. This is incredibly inefficient and time-consuming disallowing for the teams to properly analyze the data or focusing on how best to format the data for analysis.
Multiview can certainly bring over the summary data, but we took the process a step further. We have dedicated our teams to bridge the gap between clinical and financial silos to bring over 90 plus data points from their EMR into a per transaction view which is then housed within our data warehouse.
From there the data can be summarized and then the information populates into the general ledger allowing for a full drill back into this this wealth of statistical information.
This integration provides CPT code, physician name, and patient information, really all the way down to the charge level being visible in the financial tools. This visibility into all of the health systems numbers is a major differentiator.
The other “next” movement is what we call “End Month End”. There is an awakening amongst accountants causing for a movement to end the status quo of long month end processes.
I spoke to a prospect this week who offered that their month-end processes are currently taking them an entire month. Not only is this a major work effort in their current system, but they’re not reporting on information that is current. In their words, “they are looking through the rearview mirror at the potholes they either hit or didn’t hit but cannot focus on what is ahead”.
What Multiview wants to do is to take you on a partnership journey. The software itself is not enough to bring your month end to a zero day close. What we provide are tools that will reduce the end month efforts but also introduce a consultative approach guiding the automation along.
This strategy will progress through the current struggles, but also allow for a chip away approach. This can be frustrating but by diligently addressing the needed changes, we are bringing down processes for month-end from 2 weeks to one week, to five days, to three days, and then at that point, we have clients that have a zero-day month-end close or a perpetual close environment allowing real-time visibility to their current state.
Learn about Multiview's commitment to finance and service superiority. With over three decades of experience, we equip clients with adaptable solutions, overcoming data silos and streamlining accounting operations.
What makes Multiview so special and what is it that makes Multiview so impactful to your day-to-day?
I was thinking back to the conversation that we had yesterday where you asked “what do you think about offering client references? Do you think it’s contrived? Do clients think “what’s the point of speaking to a reference?” Are they not all so curated that there’s no validity in them?”
What I want to achieve in connecting our current partners to potential partners in the sense that people within references are references that see the values of Multiview. They attend our annual conference and can speak not just to their experience, but can speak to the experience of the collective Multiview community.
When prospects hear the reality that our clients are so thrilled working with Multiview, we see why Multiview has never lost a healthcare client in 30 years. As I attend our annual conference, what I love is when references can share with prospects that they’ve been to IMUG year after year. One common theme is that not only do they love Multiview, but they notice all of our clients love Multiview.”
From the outset, our goal for IMUG Digital was distinct: to unite the Multiview community in a secure environment, facilitating opportunities to learn, connect, and evolve collectively!
IMUG 2021: Watch Janet Carbary from Integrated Rehabilitation Group as she shares insights during IMUG 2021's Opening Session on how Multiview has transformed their organization and our role in ending the month-end process.
What is your “Why Multiview” statement?
For me, when I’m thinking about the question of my “Why Multiview”, the answer is pretty clear.
Working for and with our collective Multiview community knowing that we provide a product that everybody loves. How could you not enjoy working for such a team? It is empowering to know that I don’t have to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes. It’s really my job to show them the truth.
How cool is that? It becomes quite evangelical at times with a feeling that you are preaching something that you actually believe in. People will find a happy home here knowing that Multiview will be the accounting solution that they stay on for the lifetime of their organization acting not as their next vendor, but their favorite partner.
Reveal Multiview's fervor for finance and unparalleled service. With a legacy spanning over three decades, we equip our clients with scalable solutions, clearing data hurdles and enhancing financial operations automation.
If you’re interested in Multiview’s cloud-based ERP solution and starting the journey to “End Month End”, contact us today to schedule your software demo!
Chris Cuming
Chris Cuming has been supporting Multiview healthcare clients in their ERP journey since 2018. With experience working with Critical Access Hospitals, Community Hospitals, Behavioral Health facilities, and more, Chris brings a wealth of knowledge within the Healthcare vertical and will be sure to connect you with any resources you may need, as well as answer any questions that you and your team may have.
