Group Participate

Why Should I Lead a User Group?
Why take the time and effort to lead a user group? Ask any user group leader and they will tell you that the satisfaction of leading a users group far outweighs the time they invest. Here are a few reasons why:

 

  • Gain exposure to other business segments and industries, in an environment that focuses on the sharing of best practices in migration, upgrades, and problem solving.
  • Play a pivotal role in your user group’s directions and gain valuable insight into the JD Edwards, PeopleSoft, and Oracle processes for user groups, management teams and enhancement processes.
  • Build your skills as you work to foster strong project management, communication, and organizational skills through planning, organizing, and conducting meetings, in person or online.
  • Become a stronger leader as you learn how to best motivate participants, and receive feedback in a supportive atmosphere.
  • Expand your knowledge of the products offered and keep yourself on top of current events and news in the software an hardware industries.
  • Create a network of strong relationships that can be tapped as resources throughout your career.
  • Give your company a leg up with a solid “user-to-Oracle” line of communication, guaranteeing that your needs and opinions are communicated.
  • Increase visibility for both you and your employer through a multitude of professional channels related to software and hardware solutions. 

 

 

 

 

  

How Do I Start a User Group?
It's easy. Here's how it's done:


  • Find a group of users like yourself that are interested in the same or similar industry, product or special interest issues.
  • Contact the user group team at Quest Headquarters to let them about the new group and its focus.
  • The Quest user group team will verify there is interest in the user community for this new group and and ensure that this issue or topic is not already covered by an existing group.
  • Quest will ask the group to set up a leadership team, with a minimum of a president, vice president, communications coordinator and an enhancements coordinator (if applicable) and to create a mission statement.
  • Once Quest has the list of the leaders and mission statement, it will request a point-of-contact from Oracle. 
  • Oracle assigns an Oracle point-of-contact and notifies the Quest user group team.
  • The Quest user group team then notifies group, provides training on user group tools and helps the user group initiate the first meeting.

Want more information? Contact the Quest user group team.


How Does Quest Support User Groups and Leaders?
Because user group leaders have enough responsibitiles with their other jobs, Quest provides a wealth of support tools to make it easier to be a leader, including:

 

  • Quest-hosted user group websites that include calendars, e-mail push tools, a polling system, private forums and file libraries.
  • Event management software.
  • Enhancement request process and online tools.
  • Ongoing training for leaders on using the Quest Web site and its online tools.
  • Webconferencing services for the user groups to conduct their calls and business meetings.
  • Scheduling and arrangement of user group meetings at COLLABORATE and/or Oracle OpenWorld.
  • If a group meets at COLLABORATE, Quest publicizes the meeting in our communications and covers the costs of the meeting.
  • Promotion of users groups and their events/meetings in the following areas: 

 

 

 

 

 

             - Events area of the Quest Web site
             - eNews and Q&A magazine
             - E-mails to members, subscribers and prospective members
             - Direct e-mail inquiries
             - Oracle calendar of users group meetings
             - Interaction with Oracle Field Marketing
             - Extensive “targeted/consultative telemarketing” outreach programs
             - COLLABORATE registration
             - Quest booth at COLLABORATE
             - Quest booth at Oracle OpenWorld 
             - Sponsorship opportunities sent to Quest vendor members and key vendor contacts


In addition, Quest provides services specifically for users group leaders, including:


  • HQ Update - Quest regularly pushes out information from Oracle to our users group leaders through the HQ Update.
    In turn, the HQ Update allows users group leaders to push information out to their members, helping to increase the value of participation in the user group.
  • Monthly users group leader calls – These calls provide
    - Oracle/Quest updates
    - Product advocacy updates – PeopleSoft, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and World. Oracle Utilities, Fusion
    - Best practices/hot topic/peer discussions among users group leaders
    - User Group leader Web sites – these sites, specifically for users group leaders, provide a private forum for leaders to
      discuss issues and share information particular to users group leadership.
    - User Group leaders track at COLLABORATE – This track includes activities planned specifically for training,
      brainstorming and     best-practice sharing for user group leaders.


Want more information? Email the Quest user group team at UGInfo@questdirect.org.