Bespoke integration capabilities ensure ongoing success for the Smartsheet Aligned Partner of the Year, 2021 - Atturra.

Sydney-headquartered Atturra, is a Smartsheet Aligned Platinum Partner and winner of the Smartsheet Aligned Partner of the Year award, 2021. Atturra is a one-stop-shop services provider based in Australia, offering a full spectrum of capabilities to lead projects from end to end. It works with over six hundred clients across utilities, local government, education and financial services, with exciting plans for continued growth and expansion. Atturra is proud to be a home grown consulting company in a geography which has had few full-scale IT services providers historically. It is the largest Smartsheet Partner in Australia. 

lain Elliott is the Chief Technology Officer for the Data & Integration business at Atturra. After attending a Smartsheet partner session two years ago, he was quick to advocate for the technology. “By the halfway point of the day, I called the CEO and told him I wanted to run this line of business. I was blown away by what Smartsheet could do," says Elliott. 

Atturra Data & Integration helps clients break away from data silos and build a collaborative environment that enables data and information to flow seamlessly, and in an automated manner. They work with mid to large organisations and local government authorities, leveraging iPaaS tools along with Smartsheet to create data pipelines that move relevant information across the teams in a timely manner, and without causing any disruption to BAU. By improving efficiency, reducing manual tasks and building the right environment for data-led collaboration and growth, Atturra uses Smartsheet to deliver a lot of value for its customers. 

Atturra regularly works with organisations that operate multiple systems, including local councils locked into specific and slowly-evolving ERP platforms. Iain and his team's key challenge lay in creating data pipelines that could move information from one part of the business to another whilst adding value for Atturra's customers along the way.

Since joining the Smartsheet Aligned Partner Program, Atturra has been able to further strengthen its portfolio of services and attract new customers, presenting Atturra and Smartsheet as a united solution. 

Atturra team uses Smartsheet to enhance their customers' existing systems. Smartsheet acts as a conduit, providing additional layers of functionality that don't exist within existing applications. "We can now work with our customers and bridge the gaps in their IT infrastructure using Smartsheet,” says Elliott. 

In a recent example, Atturra built a Smartsheet solution for a retail giant in the Australian supermarket industry. The retailer's project management structure was linked with its procurement and capital controls systems. However, they were unable to bring together all relevant project data in Excel. Atturra implemented Smartsheet dashboards that now ensure that disparate data is groupable and the customer can view the overall status of projects at a national, state, and store level. 

A certified training program facilitates both customers and in house Smartsheet knowledge/use

Keen to position Smartsheet as a critical vendor for the business, lain set about building a dedicated Smartsheet team in Atturra. He was the first person globally to clear Smartsheet's Certified Trainer Program, enabling him to provide training for his customers. 

Atturra has also adopted Smartsheet internally, with its project and resource management functions channelled through the platform. Smartsheet allows Atturra access to its team members' project status, skillset, availability, and projects where the business can allocate them next. The implementation of client-facing Smartsheet dashboards also acts as a valuable sales tool, with customers keen to adopt the technology for themselves at the end of a project. 

Atturra also leverages Smartsheet for several internal use cases. For instance, after the lockdown was lifted, they built an application where the staff can book seats in their office across Australia via Smartsheet forms, creating a workflow for approval with real time updates to HR and Managers. This ensured the team was able to maintain COVID protocols like social distancing and capacity limit. 

“Before getting to know the technology, I couldn't articulate exactly what Smartsheet was," says Elliott. “I could see the potential but couldn't yet attach a use case to it. Smartsheet's flexibility has surprised me. Where we'd have required a custom solution previously, we've been able to do everything in Smartsheet." 

A trusted sales partnership results in long-term business wins

The key to any successful software implementation is knowing that there's a team at hand to support you along the way. Smartsheet Account Managers and Attura Sales Executives work as a tag team to provide first-class customer service. Working from a partner portal that captures deal registrations, there's always someone at hand to assist, safe in the knowledge that Smartsheet's sales executives provide the same level of excellent service, irrespective of deal size. 

Elliott credits this compensation-neutral partnership model with winning more work for the Atturra business. “It's opened up opportunities beyond Smartsheet, no matter where we've used it in the process. Nine out of ten times, we get more work as a result of this account expansion tool." 

Future-proofing customer satisfaction with Smartsheet

Striving to be the most-trusted IT services provider in the country means thinking ahead for their customers. Atturra is currently looking to use Smartsheet to bolster customer security. For instance, when someone shares a document with an external third party or adds a new user from outside the organisation, this will reflect on the Smartsheet dashboard. "We'd like to empower our customers with the information to investigate potential security breaches before they happen," says Elliott. 

Such ideas are only possible due to Smartsheet's ability to customise and produce a solution at short notice. Elliot is looking forward to further exploiting Smartsheet's time to value.

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