When we started creating custom cakes for families impacted by the critical illness of a child, our small but mighty team of volunteers kept track of everything on an Excel spreadsheet. Now, 12 years; 25,769 cakes; and 13,062 volunteers later, Excel doesn’t cut it anymore.

“The way our operations were set up, we’d maxed out at the number of cakes we could serve each year,” says Icing Smiles’ Assistant Director Karen Griffiths. “Our goal is growth. We want to serve more and more families.”

We started exploring new database management options with the guidance and expertise of board member Gray Sandridge, the vice president of product management for the global software company Workiva, and in February 2021, we implemented a customer relationship management (CRM) tool. Over the past year, our Administrative Team has been adapting to the new system, training volunteers, and rolling it out state by state. 

“Gray Sandridge was the Oz behind the curtain that took this storyboard and put all the puzzle pieces together,” says Technology Coordinator Cindy Johnson. “It’s a remarkable improvement with many bells and whistles from what we had just one year ago.”

The new database platform allows for easier and faster communication and more accurate data and minimizes the time spent on each request. So far, it has reduced the average application processing time from 30 minutes to 10 minutes.

“A comment we hear often is, ‘I’ve been signed up to be a volunteer for X amount of time, and I haven’t received a CTA,’” Karen says. “This CRM is needed to be able to grow and to get more cakes out there. You want to bake. We want you to bake.”

We know change can be uncomfortable, but it’s necessary for growth. So, Sugar Angels, here’s everything you need to know about the new CRM, from the problems it solves to what it means for you.

We Have Better Data

When using Excel, we were dependent on accurate data entry to track cake requests and who has been assigned to them. Volunteer schedulers also often struggled with fairly allocating requests among volunteers, and our admin team experienced difficulties in validating eligibility and implementing appreciation programs.

With the new CRM, bakers are assigned ID numbers, which allow volunteer schedulers to pull historical information, making it faster and easier to track cake requests and CTAs. ID numbers also reduce data entry errors because of misspellings or typos.

Now, a baker’s service history is linked to one data point. Schedulers can use the data to not only find the closest baker to the family but also ensure that the same baker isn’t receiving CTAs all the time. 

The new CRM provides volunteer schedulers with more information when they’re moving cakes along the process from requests to delivered smiles.

The CRM also allows us to reach out to a small number of volunteers as soon as a cake request is approved, rather than reaching out to bakers one at a time. Schedulers also now have quick access to special instructions, such as when a baker is traveling and unavailable for five months.

Emails Are Automated — Yet Still from Humans

Previously, all emails were sent manually, which meant that volunteer schedulers spent a lot of time cutting and pasting when corresponding with families and bakers. This time-consuming process created delays between process steps.

With the new CRM, there are customizable email templates that are sent out automatically to the right people at the right time. The volunteer scheduler is still the driving force behind the communication and manages all requests; however, this automation allows us to serve more families better. 

“We’re still human beings behind the computer,” Karen says. “Bakers can reach out to us anytime with the CRM. ​​We are actually finding that we have more communication with them now!”

Because email communications are now tracked in the CRM, if there is an emergency situation, such as a cancellation, any operations volunteer can hop online and respond. 

More People Can Be Involved

A view of a report from the new CRM that shows the number of cake requests Icing Smiles receives each week.

Between 750 and 1,000 volunteer hours are donated each week to Icing Smiles just to help with the administration process. Previously, volunteer schedulers were the only people with all of the information for any given request, so they were essentially on call 24 hours a day seven days a week. This placed too much responsibility on their shoulders and quickly led to burnout. 

With the new CRM, anyone on the operations team can access all the information from anywhere. This means that our team has more time to focus on issues, rather than track communication and update data. 

The efficiency gained through accurate and transparent data and automated emails frees up operations volunteers to focus on serving both families and bakers better, rather than just simply trying to keep the process moving forward one cake and email at a time. 

“We are always looking for ways to serve better,” Karen says.

What’s Coming Next

Now that all cake and baker records reside in the CRM, we’re moving on to Cookie Club records. 

“We understand that change can be difficult, but overall, we think the changes that the CRM will bring us are necessary and beneficial,” says Executive Director Tracy Quisenberry. “The new CRM platform will allow us to minimize the time needed on each request, allowing us to serve more and better. After all, that’s what it’s really about!”

Do you want to help keep the smiles rolling? Your tax-deductible donations help fund technology like our new operations software, administrative and accounting systems, and this website. Donate today!