SPE Grows Career Mentoring Program with Chronus

“I think one of the major benefits to using Chronus is that I manage most of the data, the updates, the surveys, the notifications and the emails. As I get feedback from our members, I can change how I communicate with them based on that feedback.”

– Sandy Wilson, eMentoring, SPE Foundation and Member Benefits Administrator, Society of Petroleum Engineers

Mentoring Adds Value to Membership

The Society of Petroleum Engineers’ eMentoring Program gives SPE members a way to contribute to the exploration and production industry by sharing industry insights and practical career advice with young professionals, or by helping university students with academic and career direction. Young professionals also have the unique opportunity to serve as mentors to students.

Sandy Wilson manages the eMentoring program at SPE. “It’s a volunteer opportunity for our professionals and a way for them to give back by sharing their experiences,” said Wilson.

The eMentoring program makes a significant difference for its members. Many of SPE’s mentees are in remote areas with no access to local section or chapter meetings. SPE’s program can connect mentees electronically with a mentor who has years of experience and insights to share anywhere around the world.

“We can match members in remote areas as there are no boundaries, no borders with electronic mentoring,” said Wilson. “You can mentor anyone, anywhere, anytime.”

The Challenge: Scaling the Program with User-Friendly Software

SPE’s 10-year-old, in-house mentoring software needed updating. Mentors had profiles, but mentees didn’t, which made it difficult to find the best fit. Once matched, mentors and mentees did not have a way to interact through the software—so they turned to email instead, which meant conversations were dispersed across multiple email threads instead of centralized in one location.

Wilson wanted mentors to have more visibility into the specific needs of mentees, empowering them to make better, more informed mentor and mentee matches. She also wanted to make administration of the program more efficient to free up time to promote and expand the program.

The Answer: Chronus Software For Professional Association Mentoring

SPE defined its business needs and began the search for better software. Wilson said one of her top priorities was finding easy-to-use software. SPE’s mentors are all volunteers, so it was important to Wilson to provide an effortless mentoring experience.

After researching vendors, the choice was clear. Chronus was selected as the solution that best met SPE’s business requirements.

After adopting Chronus, SPE needed to transfer program participant data into the new software. “The integration of our eMentoring history allowed for a seamless transition with all of our data in one place,” said Wilson.

Chronus provides software that’s easy to use and easy for program administrators to update. Now Wilson can update the program as opportunities arise. “I think one of the major benefits to using Chronus is that I manage most of the data, the updates, the surveys, the notifications and the emails,” said Wilson. “As I get feedback from our members, I can change how I communicate with them based on that feedback.”

Chronus also empowers mentors and mentees to be more involved in the matching process. Mentees take a more proactive role in shaping the mentorship by communicating their goals and aspirations, which allows them to find the best mentor to meet their needs. Mentors can evaluate mentees and accept a mentorship themselves, so they’re more active in the relationship and more aware of what’s going on. “They can create their own schedule and control means of communicating,” Wilson said.

With Chronus, Wilson can also automate communications with program participants. She can quickly export reports on program participation to share with stakeholders. All of this frees up time for Wilson to focus on more strategic aspects of the program.

Chronus Software Powers Career Mentoring

Lower admin time and ease of use are key to SPE’s program success. Some of SPE’s favorite Chronus features include:

• Comprehensive profiles that empower mentors and mentees to find the best match. A successful match is the foundation of a successful mentoring connection. Even better, Wilson doesn’t have to step in and make matches herself as she had done previously.
• User-friendly software for non-technical mentors and mentees. Chronus’ intuitive interface means effortless use and engagement for SPE members.
• Ease of updating makes incremental changes a breeze. “Knowing so much about the program functionality and not relying on IT is an important benefit to me,” Wilson said. She can optimize SPE’s program at any time by editing profiles, system emails, notifications and surveys as she receives feedback.

Successful Outcomes

Adopting Chronus software unlocked SPE’s program growth potential. Between 2014 and 2016, SPE grew its program by 33 percent. “The increase in participation is really significant,” said Wilson.

Another benefit of Chronus is built-in surveys. When participants give feedback, Wilson adjusts the program features to better suit the needs of SPE members.

Beyond the software itself, Wilson values the support she receives from Chronus. “If I have a question, they get back to me. If they don’t have the answer right away, they at least tell me my request has been escalated,” said Wilson. With a dedicated program lead and ongoing support, new programs can be launched with confidence and assurance. If something comes up, Chronus dives in to help.

“The customer service has been fabulous,” said Wilson. “By supporting me, you’re helping me support our members.”

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