TechValidate Research on Innovative Interfaces

21 Case Studies


Polaris Case Study

Regional Library System

Introduction

This case study of a cultural institution is based on a January 2019 survey of Polaris customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service. The profiled organization asked to have their name blinded to protect their confidentiality.

Challenges

After comparing with other solutions (namely Horizon), the organization decided to go with Polaris.

The key challenges they wanted to overcome included:

  • Reducing time spent supporting discovery and circulation
  • Improving the patron experience
  • Reducing time spent on reporting and analysis

Use Case

Their main reasons for choosing an Innovative product included the technical quality of current Innovative products, Innovative’s active investment in developing new products, and the quality of Innovative services, training, and support.

Their key reasons for going with Polaris over the competition included the breadth and depth of ILS functionality, and streamlined workflow and overall system efficiency.

Results

After switching to Polaris, the organization rates it as better than the competition when it comes to overall functionality, performance, customization, and reporting/statistics features. They’re likely to purchase Innovative products again, and rate Polaris 4.5/5 stars.

Polaris Case Study

State & Local Government

Introduction

This case study of a state & local government is based on a January 2019 survey of Polaris customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service. The profiled organization asked to have their name blinded to protect their confidentiality.

Challenges

After comparing with other solutions (including CarlX, Horizon, BLUEcloud, and Evergreen), the organization decided to go with Polaris.

The key challenges they wanted to overcome included reducing the team’s time spent supporting discovery and circulation, and improving the patron experience.

Use Case

Their primary reasons for choosing an Innovative product were the technical quality of current Innovative products and Innovative’s active investment in developing new products.

Their top reasons in choosing Polaris included:

  • Streamlined workflow and overall system efficiency
  • Web-based mobility
  • Simplified reporting & analytics

Other factors in their decision to purchase the Polaris Web Application (LEAP) product included the web-based mobility for public services and reference staff, the intuitive interface and flexible workflows, and the ease of training.

Results

After switching to Polaris, the organization rates it as better than the competition when it comes to overall functionality, performance, customization, APIs and integrations, web-based mobility for staff, and responsive discovery.

Overall, they’re likely to purchase Innovative products again and rate Polaris 4/5 stars.

Polaris Case Study

State & Local Government

Introduction

This case study of a state & local government is based on a January 2019 survey of Polaris customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service. The profiled organization asked to have their name blinded to protect their confidentiality.

Challenges

After comparing with other solutions (including Horizon), the organization decided to go with Polaris.

The key challenges they wanted to address included:

  • Improving the patron experience
  • Reducing time spent managing print and electronic resources
  • Reducing time spent integrating with, and maintaining, third-party applications

Use Case

Their primary reasons for choosing an Innovative product were the technical quality of current Innovative products, the breadth of partnerships with publishers and content providers, and the quality of Innovative services, training, and support.

The organization chose Polaris over the competition for the following reasons:

  • Breadth and depth of ILS functionality
  • Streamlined workflow and overall system efficiency
  • Web-based mobility

Other factors in their decision to purchase the Polaris Web Application (LEAP) product included web-based mobility for public services and reference staff and flexible mobile access to help them better connect with their community.

Results

Overall, the organization rates Polaris as better than the competition when it comes to performance and web-based mobility for staff. They also rate Innovative as better than the competition when it comes to technical and customer support.

They’re likely to purchase Innovative products again and note that Polaris is both easy to use and reliable.

Polaris Case Study

State & Local Government

Introduction

This case study of a state & local government is based on a January 2019 survey of Polaris customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service. The profiled organization asked to have their name blinded to protect their confidentiality.

Challenges

After comparing with other solutions (including Symphony), the organization decided to go with Polaris.

The key challenges they wanted to address with Polaris were:

  • Improving the patron experience
  • Reducing time spent managing print and electronic resources
  • Reducing time spent integrating with, and maintaining, third-party applications

Use Case

The organization’s primary reasons for choosing an Innovative product were the technical quality of current Innovative products, along with the quality of Innovative services, training, and support.

Their top reasons for choosing Polaris specifically were focused around the breadth and depth of ILS functionality, along with the streamlined workflow and overall system efficiency. Their decision to purchase the Polaris Web Application (LEAP) product was based on the flexible mobile access features, which they wanted to use to help them better connect with their community.

Results

The team rates Polaris as better than the competition when it comes to overall functionality, performance, and customization. They would also rate Innovative as better than the competition when it comes to implementation and technical/customer support

Overall, they’re very likely to purchase Innovative products again and rate Polaris at 4/5 stars.

Polaris Case Study

Metro Public Library

Introduction

This case study of a cultural institution is based on a January 2019 survey of Polaris customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service. The profiled organization asked to have their name blinded to protect their confidentiality.

Challenges

After comparing with other solutions (including Horizon and Symphony), the library team decided to go with Polaris.

The key challenges they chose Polaris to help address included:

  • Reducing time spent supporting discovery and circulation
  • Improving the patron experience
  • Reducing time spent on reporting and analysis

Use Case

The organization purchased Polaris specifically because of the following features:

  • Breadth and depth of ILS functionality
  • Streamlined workflow and overall system efficiency
  • Simplified reporting and analytics

Other factors in their decision to purchase the Polaris Web Application (LEAP) product included responsive design and web-based mobility for public services and reference staff. They use nearly all of the client modules, in addition to LEAP.

Results

Overall, the team would rate Polaris as better than the competition for overall functionality. They rated Polaris at 4/5 stars and would recommend it to others, especially those working at public libraries.

Polaris Case Study

State & Local Government

Introduction

This case study of a state & local government is based on a January 2019 survey of Polaris customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service. The profiled organization asked to have their name blinded to protect their confidentiality.

Challenges

After comparing with other solutions (including Horizon and Symphony), the team decided to go with Polaris.

The key reasons they chose Polaris were to address the challenges of:

  • Reducing time spent supporting discovery and circulation
  • Improving the patron experience
  • Reducing time spent on reporting and analysis
  • Reducing time spent integrating with, and maintaining, third-party applications

Use Case

Their primary reasons for choosing an Innovative product were the technical quality of current products, Innovative’s breadth of partnerships with publishers and content providers, and Innovative’s active investment in developing new products.

They purchased Polaris specifically for the following features:

  • Breadth and depth of ILS functionality
  • Streamlined workflow and overall system efficiency
  • Responsive discovery
  • Web-based mobility
  • Simplified reporting and analytics
  • Price

The key factors in their decision to purchase the Polaris Web Application (LEAP) product were:

  • Web-based mobility for public services and
    reference staff
  • Intuitive interface with flexible workflows
  • Flexible mobile access to better connect with their community
  • Responsive design
  • Ease of training

Results

Overall, the organization rates the value for money they’ve received to be above average and is definitely likely to purchase Innovative products again. They rate Polaris 4.5/5 stars.

They also rate Innovative as better than the competition when it comes to implementation, customer support, and technical support, and rate Polaris as better than the competition on the following fronts:

  • Overall functionality
  • Performance
  • Customization
  • APIs & integrations
  • Reporting & statistics
  • Web-based mobility for staff
  • Responsive discovery

Polaris Case Study

Medium Enterprise Cultural Institution Company

Introduction

This case study of a medium enterprise cultural institution company is based on a January 2019 survey of Polaris customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service. The profiled company asked to have their name blinded to protect their confidentiality.

Challenges

After comparing with other solutions (including Carl), the team decided to go with Polaris. The key reasons they chose Polaris were to address the challenges of reducing time spent supporting discovery and circulation and improving the patron experience.

Use Case

Their primary reasons for choosing an Innovative product were the technical quality of current products and the quality of Innovative services, training, and support.

They purchased Polaris specifically for the following features:

  • Breadth and depth of ILS functionality
  • Streamlined workflow and overall system efficiency
  • Responsive discovery
  • Simplified reporting & analytics

Other factors in their decision to purchase the Polaris Web Application (LEAP) product included web-based mobility for public services and reference staff and the intuitive interface with flexible workflows.

Results

Overall, the organization would rate Innovative as better than the competition when it comes to implementation, customer and technical support, and ongoing services and training.

They would also rate Polaris as better than the competition on all of the following fronts:

  • Overall functionality
  • Performance
  • Customization
  • APIs & integrations
  • Reporting & statistics
  • Web-based mobility for staff
  • Responsive discovery

Polaris Case Study

Metro Library

Introduction

This case study of a state & local government is based on a January 2019 survey of Polaris customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service. The profiled organization asked to have their name blinded to protect their confidentiality.

Challenges

After comparing with other solutions (namely TLC), the library decided to go with Polaris. The key challenges that they chose Polaris to help address were reducing the time spent on supporting discovery and circulation and improving the patron experience.

Use Case

The organization purchased Polaris specifically due to the breadth and depth of the ILS functionality.

Other factors in their decision to purchase the Polaris Web Application (LEAP) product included web-based mobility for public services and reference staff, and flexible mobile access to help them better connect with their community.

Results

The library team rates Polaris at 4.5/5 stars, and is definitely likely to purchase Innovative products again.

Polaris Case Study

State & Local Government

Introduction

This case study of a state & local government is based on a February 2019 survey of Polaris customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service. The profiled organization asked to have their name blinded to protect their confidentiality.

Challenges

After considering other solutions (namely Horizon and Symphony), the surveyed organization decided to go with Polaris. Their primary focus was on streamlining and simplifying their workflow and analytics processes.

Use Case

Their top reasons for choosing an Innovative product were the great services, training, and support, as well as the commitment to supporting current products.

The organization gets the most use out of the following Polaris features:

  • Breadth and depth of ILS functionality
  • Streamlined workflow and overall system efficiency
  • Simplified reporting and analytics

Other factors in their decision to purchase the Polaris Web Application (LEAP) product included web-based mobility for public services and reference staff, and flexible mobile access to better connect with their community.

Results

After switching to Polaris, the team would rate Polaris as better than the competition when it comes to overall functionality, performance, customization, and reporting and statistics. They would also rate Innovative customer and technical support as better than the competition.

Overall, they’re likely to purchase Innovative products again and rate Polaris at 4.5/5 stars.

Polaris Case Study

County Public Library

Introduction

This case study of a cultural institution is based on a January 2019 survey of Polaris customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service. The profiled organization asked to have their name blinded to protect their confidentiality.

Challenges

After comparing with other solutions (including CarlX, Horizon, Symphony, and Evergreen), the library team decided to go with Polaris.

The key challenges they chose Polaris to help address included:

  • Reducing time spent managing print and electronic resources
  • Reducing time spent on reporting and analysis
  • Reducing time spent integrating with, and maintaining, third-party applications

Use Case

The organization purchased Polaris specifically because of the following features:

  • Breadth and depth of ILS functionality
  • Streamlined workflow and overall system efficiency
  • Web-based mobility

Other factors in their decision to purchase the Polaris Web Application (LEAP) product included web-based mobility, responsive design, intuitive interface, and the ease of training.

Results

After switching to Polaris, the team rates it as better than the competition when it comes to overall functionality, performance, web-based mobility for staff, and responsive discovery. They would also rate Innovative as better than the competition when it comes to technical and customer support and ongoing services and training.

Overall, they’re likely to purchase Innovative products again and note that the LEAP web-based interface is an excellent customer service tool.

Polaris Case Study

Metro Public Library

Introduction

This case study of a cultural institution is based on a January 2019 survey of Polaris customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service. The profiled organization asked to have their name blinded to protect their confidentiality.

Challenges

After comparing with other solutions (namely Symphony), the organization’s team decided to go with Polaris. The key challenge they chose Polaris to address were reducing staff time spent on reporting and analysis.

Use Case

The library team went with Polaris specifically because of the following features:

  • Breadth and depth of ILS functionality
  • Streamlined workflow and overall system efficiency
  • Simplified reporting & analytics

Other factors in their decision to purchase the Polaris Web Application (LEAP) product included web-based mobility, flexible mobile access and responsive design, the intuitive interface and flexible workflows, and the ease of training.

Results

The team rates Polaris at four out of five stars.

Polaris Case Study

Orion Township Public Library

Introduction

This case study of Orion Township Public Library is based on a January 2019 survey of Polaris customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service.

Challenges

After comparing with other solutions (namely Horizon), the Orion Township Public Library decided to go with Polaris. The key challenges that they chose Polaris to help address were reducing the time spent on supporting discovery and circulation, and improving the patron experience.

Use Case

Their primary reasons for choosing an Innovative product were the technical quality of current Innovative products, the quality of Innovative services, training, and support, Innovative’s commitment to supporting products, and Innovative’s active investment in developing new products.

The Orion Township Public Library went with Polaris specifically because of the following features:

  • Breadth and depth of ILS functionality
  • Streamlined workflow and overall system efficiency
  • Streamlined reporting & analytics
  • Price

Other factors in their decision to purchase the Polaris Web Application (LEAP) product included web-based mobility, flexible mobile access and responsive design, intuitive interface, and the ease of training.

Results

After switching to Polaris, they’d be likely to purchase Innovative products again. They also rate Polaris as better than the competition when it comes to overall functionality, performance, APIs and integrations, reporting and statistics, web-based mobility for staff, and responsive discovery.

Polaris Case Study

Monroe County Public Library

Introduction

This case study of Monroe County Public Library is based on a January 2019 survey of Polaris customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service.

Challenges

The real-world challenges that Polaris helps the Monroe County Public Library address include:

  • Improving the patron experience
  • Reducing time spent on reporting and analysis
  • Reducing time spent integrating with, and maintaining, third-party applications

Use Case

The library was focused largely on reducing time spent managing reporting, analysis, and work around maintaining integrations and customizations.

Results

After switching to Polaris, the Monroe County Public Library team reports that they would definitely purchase Innovative products again, and rate Innovative as better than the competition on price, customer support, and technical support.

They also rated Polaris as better than the competition when it comes to overall functionality, customization, APIs and integrations, reporting and statistics, web-based mobility for staff, and responsive discovery.

Polaris Case Study

Orion Township Public Library

Introduction

This case study of Orion Township Public Library is based on a January 2019 survey of Polaris customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service.

Challenges

After looking at competitors, including Horizon, the Orion Township Public Library team decided to go with Polaris.

The key challenges they chose Polaris to solve included:

  • Reducing time spent supporting discovery and circulation
  • Improving the patron experience
  • Reducing time spent integrating with, and maintaining, third-party applications

Use Case

Aside from price, the standout features that were a factor in going with Polaris included:

  • Web-based mobility for public services and reference staff
  • Flexible mobile access to better connect with their community
  • Ease of training staff in using it
  • Breadth and depth of ILS functionality
  • Streamlined workflow and overall system efficiency
  • Responsive discovery and design

Results

The library team would rate Polaris as better than the competition when it comes to overall functionality, performance, customization, APIs and integrations, reporting and statistics, web-based mobility for staff, and responsive discovery.

Polaris Case Study

Monroe County Public Library

Introduction

This case study of Monroe County Public Library is based on a January 2019 survey of Polaris customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service.

Challenges

The real-world challenges that Polaris helps the Monroe County Public Library address include:

  • Improving the patron experience
  • Reducing time spent integrating with, and maintaining, third-party applications

Use Case

Their top reasons for purchasing Polaris included:

  • Breadth and depth of ILS functionality
  • Responsive discovery
  • Web-based mobility

Results

After using Polaris, the library team is likely to purchase Innovative products again and would rate Innovative as better than the competition when it comes to pricing, customer support, and technical support. They also rate Polaris as better than the competition when it comes to overall functionality, customization, APIs and integrations, reporting and statistics, web-based mobility for staff, and responsive discovery.

Polaris Case Study

Cultural Institution

Introduction

This case study of a cultural institution is based on a January 2019 survey of Polaris customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service. The profiled organization asked to have their name blinded to protect their confidentiality.

Challenges

After evaluating multiple solutions, including Horizon and Symphony, the institution decided to go with Polaris.

They chose Polaris with the goal of:

  • Improving the patron experience
  • Reducing time spent on reporting and analysis
  • Reducing time spent integrating with, and maintaining, third-party applications

Use Case

Their top reasons for purchasing Polaris included the ease of training and web-based mobility for public services and reference staff.

Key features that were a factor in going with Polaris included:

  • Breadth and depth of ILS functionality
  • Streamlined workflow and overall system efficiency
  • Responsive discovery
  • Web-based mobility
  • Simplified reporting and analytics

Results

After switching to Polaris, the organization’s team reports that they’d be likely to purchase Innovative products again. They also rate Polaris as better than the competition when it comes to reporting and statistics, APIs and integrations, customization, performance, web-based mobility for staff, responsive discovery, and overall functionality.

Sierra Case Study

State University

Introduction

This case study of an educational institution is based on a December 2018 survey of Sierra customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service. The profiled organization asked to have its name blinded to protect their confidentiality.

Challenges

Once they decided to switch from their previous system, the client started evaluating other solutions. After looking at OCLC, they chose Sierra, with the primary goal of improving the patron experience.

Use Case

Their primary reason for choosing an Innovative product was the technical quality of Innovative products, along with the price of Sierra.

Overall, the client rated Sierra as better than the competition when it comes to the following:

  • Overall functionality
  • Performance
  • Customization
  • APIs & integrations
  • Reporting & statistics

They also rated Innovative’s implementation services, customer and technical support, and ongoing services and training as better than the competition.

Results

After switching to Sierra, the client reports that they’ve received great value for their money spent on Sierra and are likely to purchase Innovative products again.

Sierra Case Study

Ivy League University

Introduction

This case study of a educational institution is based on a December 2018 survey of Sierra customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service. The profiled organization asked to have their name blinded to protect their confidentiality.

Challenges

After evaluating other solutions, including Alma and WMS, the university’s team chose Sierra over both.

The key challenges that made them choose Sierra over the competition included:

  • Improving the discoverability of their collection
  • Reducing the time spent managing electronic resources
  • Reducing the time spent integrating with, and maintaining, third-party applications

Use Case

Went with Sierra specifically because of the following features:

  • Breadth and depth of ILS functionality
  • Rich cataloging data
  • Range of customizations

The university decided to go with an Innovative product due to Innovative’s focus on training, services, and support, as well as our partnerships with content providers and publishers and active investment in developing new products.

Overall, they would rate Sierra as significantly better than the competition when it comes to overall functionality and performance. Additionally, they also rated Innovative’s customer support and ongoing services and training as significantly better than the competition’s.

Results

After switching to Sierra, the Ivy League university reports that they’ve received good value for their money spent and are likely to purchase Innovative products again.

Sierra Case Study

MOBIUS Office

Introduction

This case study of MOBIUS Office is based on a December 2018 survey of Sierra customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service.

Challenges

The MOBIUS Office, an organization that lets libraries in Missouri and the Midwest collaborate and partner with each other, has been using Sierra for twenty years. They chose Sierra to address the following challenges:

  • Improving the discoverability of their collection
  • Improving the patron experience

Use Case

The MOBIUS Office went with Sierra specifically because of the following features:

  • Breadth and depth of ILS functionality
  • Workflow and overall system efficiency

Overall, they would rate Sierra as significantly better than the competition when it comes to overall functionality, performance, and customization.

Results

After switching to Sierra, the MOBIUS Office team reports that they’ve received great value for their money spent and would be extremely likely to purchase Innovative products again.

They also agreed with the following statements:

  • Innovative is investing more in developing new products than their competitors
  • Innovative is a trusted leader in Library Services

Sierra Case Study

Regional Library System

Introduction

This case study of a cultural institution is based on a December 2018 survey of Sierra customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service. The profiled organization asked to have their name blinded to protect their confidentiality.

Challenges

The key challenges the customer wanted to address by choosing Sierra were:

  • Improving the discoverability of their collection
  • Improving their patron experience
  • Reducing the time spent on reporting and analysis
  • Reducing the time spent integrating with, and maintaining, third-party applications

Use Case

Their primary reason for choosing an Innovative product was the quality of services, training, and support. The client went with Sierra specifically for the following reasons:

  • Breadth and depth of ILS functionality
  • Workflow and overall system efficiency
  • Price

Overall, they would rate Sierra as better than the competition when it comes to overall functionality, performance, customization, APIs & integrations, and reporting & statistics.

Results

After switching to Sierra, the client reports that they’ve received great value for their money spent on Sierra and is extremely likely to purchase Innovative products again.

They also agreed with the following statements:

  • Innovative is a trusted leader in Library Services
  • Sierra is a leading Library Services Platform

Sierra Case Study

Texas A&M University – Central Texas

Introduction

This case study of Texas A&M University-Central Texas is based on a December 2018 survey of Sierra customers by TechValidate, a 3rd-party research service.

Challenges

Once they decided to switch from their previous system (Evergreen), the Texas A&M team started evaluating other solutions. After looking at Alma and WMS, they chose Sierra over both.

*The key challenges they were facing that made them choose Sierra specifically were: *

  • Improving the discoverability of their collection
  • Improving their patron experience
  • Reducing the time spent managing print resources
  • Reducing the time spent managing electronic resources
  • Reducing the time spent on reporting and analysis

Use Case

Their primary reasons for choosing an Innovative product were the technical quality of current Innovative products, along with the quality of Innovative services, training, and support.

Texas A&M went with Sierra specifically because of the following features:

  • Breadth and depth of ILS functionality
  • Workflow and overall system efficiency
  • Shared record keeping and collaborative collection management
  • Rich cataloging data
  • Strong and flexible reporting & statistics
  • Price

Overall, they would rate Sierra as better than the competition when it comes to overall functionality, performance, customization, APIs & integrations, and reporting & statistics. Additionally, they also rated Innovative’s implementation services as best in class.

Results

After switching to Sierra, the Texas A&M team reports that they’ve received great value for their money spent and would be very likely to purchase Innovative products again.

They also agreed with the following statements:

  • Solutions from Innovative save libraries time and money
  • Innovative is a trusted leader in Library Services
  • Sierra is a leading Library Services Platform



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