SYNERGOS FITS YOUR NEED FOR A SMOOTH START.

Ensuring a smooth transition is vital when moving to a new association management company. Synergos has solid transition experience and follows a meticulous, phased approach for assuming management responsibilities.

Discovery & Testing, Preparation, The Move

Your transition process will be overseen by our client services team. They will act as a liaison with your current contractors, your board and our team.

Discovery and Testing

Discovery is a detailed process of information-gathering, conducted in cooperation with the existing management and involving a board liaison who has had regular involvement with the outgoing management company. The goal is to conduct a series of interviews to gain familiarity with practices, processes, norms and organizational culture. Through a schedule of meetings and check-ins that may also include conversations with other board members, Synergos gathers information about operations, deliverables, issues and hurdles, organizational history and other pertinent institutional knowledge. Just some examples include how board meetings are conducted, how conference registration has historically taken place, how financials are typically presented and where essential files are stored that must be transitioned.

Testing involves obtaining samples of such information as a bookkeeper’s copy of financials, to determine the best approach for moving records and integrating them into the Synergos system. As an AMCI-accredited firm, Synergos recommends that new clients undergo an audit to determine a clear picture of financials at the time of transition. This helps to uncover any issues that need to be resolved, such as paperwork anomalies or inadvertent irregularities in the proper accounting of expenses. Similar testing is focused on other files that need to be transitioned.

Preparation for the Move

This phase involves carefully organizing all items and assets that must be transferred over. This work may require an on-site visit with the existing management, to arrange packaging and shipping of assets to the Synergos offices. It also entails overseeing electronic file transfers to ensure they are managed correctly, and collaborating with the existing management company to ensure removal of all information, such as from computer desktops.

In this phase, Synergos builds out a schedule of deliverables for the initial 90 days of operation, and begins the longer-term integration of deliverables into its project management system. The result is a service schedule for the next year, which is then carefully reviewed to ensure it is complete and accurate.

Preparation work also involves gaining understanding of who must be added to lists, how bank accounts will be transitioned, and how Synergos can be added as administrator to monitor transactions. Throughout the process, checklists are created to ensure all vital information will be transitioned over.

Making the Move

In the 30 days leading up to the official transition date, Synergos begins the process of cutting ties with any existing management structure and hard-transitioning over specific activities. Synergos begins making accommodations in its phone system—it takes about two weeks to port lines over.

This period also includes introductory board calls, so board members can get to know the staff. Change of address forms are processed about a month in advance.
All of this is essential to ensure that when the first call or email
comes through, Synergos is ready.

The final transition of financial responsibilities recognizes that as the existing accounting team closes out the books, there will be approximately 30 days of transition to ensure all has transpired properly. There will typically be a one-to two-week overlap with the existing management company to ensure nothing is missed.