Interaction Disability Services Finds a Better Fit: Why They Migrated from Diligent to Athena Board

The commitment at Interaction Disability Services is to provide high-quality support for individuals with disabilities. Effective governance is crucial to achieving this mission, and a robust board portal plays a vital role in facilitating efficient board meetings, secure communication, and informed decision-making.

For some time, Interaction Disability Services relied on Diligent as their board portal provider. However, as the organisation grew and their needs evolved, they began to look for a solution that better aligned with their specific requirements, particularly in terms of price, functionality, and security within the Australian context.

After careful consideration, they made the decision to migrate to Athena Board, a move that has proven to be a significant upgrade for their governance processes.

The Price Point: A More Sustainable Solution

As a not-for-profit, ensuring that every dollar goes as far as possible is a core principle for Interaction Disability Services. While Diligent offered a comprehensive suite of features, its pricing structure became increasingly challenging to justify as our needs became clearer. They found Athena Board offered a more cost-effective solution without compromising on the essential functionalities and security measures we required. This allowed them to allocate more of their valuable resources directly to supporting our clients and expanding our services within the community.

Functionality That Better Meets Their Needs

While Diligent is a feature-rich platform, Interaction Disability Services found that many of its features were not as easy to use as they could be and the administration side was cumbersome. Athena Board, on the other hand, provided a more intuitive and focused set of tools that directly addressed core governance needs.

Key functionalities that have made a significant difference for us include:

User-Friendly Interface: Directors, regardless of their technical proficiency, have found Athena Board’s interface to be exceptionally easy to navigate. This has led to greater adoption and more active engagement with board materials.
Superior customer service: Athena Board is an Australian-owned and operated company. This local presence means its customer support team is on the ground in Australia, sharing the same business hours and cultural context as its clients. This is not just about convenience; it’s about a deeper understanding of the unique governance and regulatory environment in Australia.
Document comparison: Interaction Disability Services directors love the ability to compare documents from previous sessions, ensuring the highest governance standards are met.
Easily add new Boards and Committees: Adding new boards and committees to Athena board is simple, instant and cost free. This was not the case with the previous vendor.
Multi-format support: Athena Board supports multiple document input formats, providing flexible conversion when accepting contributions from organisation executives.
Seamless Board Pack Creation and Distribution: The process of compiling and distributing board packs is now significantly more streamlined, saving valuable administrative time and reducing the risk of errors.
Enhanced Collaboration Tools: The platform’s annotation features have fostered better communication and collaboration amongst board members between meetings.

These focused functionalities have empowered our board to operate more efficiently and effectively, without the complexity of unnecessary features.

Continual Improvement

According to Interaction Disability Services, “What truly sets the Athena portal apart is its commitment to continuous improvement. The Athena team regularly update the platform with new features and enhancements, ensuring that we always have access to the latest tools and technologies. Additionally, their responsiveness to feedback is commendable. They actively seek out user input and make meaningful changes based on our suggestions, which makes us feel valued and heard.”

Security Tailored for Australian Peace of Mind

Data security is of utmost importance, especially when dealing with sensitive information related to the organisation and the individuals we support. While Diligent offers security features, as an Australian organisation, Interaction Disability Services placed a high value on a provider with a strong local presence and understanding of Australian data security standards.

Athena Board, being an Australian-owned and operated company, offered them greater peace of mind regarding data sovereignty and compliance with local regulations. Their commitment to robust security measures, including local data storage options, segregation of access down to a single document, and adherence to best practices, provided an added layer of confidence.

A Smooth Transition and Positive Impact

The migration from Diligent to Athena Board was a smooth and well-supported process. According to Interaction Disability Services , the Athena Board team provided excellent onboarding assistance, ensuring minimal disruption to our board operations.

Since making the switch, Interaction Disability Services has experienced tangible benefits, including:

Significant cost savings without compromising on essential board portal features.
Increased efficiency in board meeting preparation and follow-up.
Improved director engagement due to the platform’s user-friendly interface.
Enhanced confidence in our data security with a local provider.

For Interaction Disability Services, the move to Athena Board has been a strategic decision that has positively impacted our governance processes, allowing us to focus our resources on what truly matters: empowering individuals with disabilities to live fulfilling lives within our community. If your Australian NFP is seeking a cost-effective, user-friendly, and secure board portal solution, we highly recommend considering Athena Board.

Contact Athena Board today at sales@steveathenaboard-com