FAQ

 

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new IW Community CRM platform, Babele. This milestone is pivotal in our commitment to fostering seamless communication and collaboration within the IW family. This comprehensive system unites entrepreneurs, volunteer Executive Mentors, community resource partners, and our dedicated staff on a unified platform, enhancing the support and resources available to each member. 

We chose the Babele platform because of its user-friendly interface. It enables network members to streamline interactions, facilitate meaningful connections, and empower everyone to navigate their entrepreneurial journeys more efficiently. 

 

Babele has many unique features that can be useful to you immediately or as you grow your enterprise long-term. Below are some examples and features to address them: 

 

Opportunity Using Babele 
I recently landed a new contract with a new client and need assistance reviewing it before I sign it.  Create a ‘Request’ with a short description of the challenge, and upload a contract copy. Our team can do a quick review and assign the appropriate mentor or resource for review. 
I was recently paired with a mentor to address a challenge; I loved the mentor and want to share my appreciation publicly.  When we close a ‘Request’ once addressed, the entrepreneur and the mentor receive short forms to complete to provide feedback on the engagement. 
I have a big goal I want to pursue over the next year, but I don’t have enough time for the accelerator or want to keep working with my current mentors (or new mentors).  Work with the IW/IC team to develop an action plan to be loaded into the system. The appropriate mentors, peer entrepreneurs, and staff can be assigned to the plan to support you and track your milestones. 
I would like to collaborate with other entrepreneurs on a project based on similar sectors or challenges.  Work with the IW/IC team to scope out the opportunity. An invitation can be shared with the entire pipeline. Once a group has been formed, the team can assist you with creating a peer-advisory group with assigned resources to support you on the journey and milestones. 
I often beat myself up about long-term goals and don’t take enough time to celebrate small wins. I could use some motivation.  With the KPIs and Milestones trackers, you can create customized goals for yourself and your enterprise on the platform. We can support you as an accountability partner, cheer/celebrate you when you accomplish those milestones, and help you pull dashboards you can share with your stakeholders. 

 

Are You Ready to Jump In? Getting Started Guide:

There are three stages to jumping right in (our best recommendation) and gaining the full experience of the platform. The instructions below and the included visual User Guide will guide you step by step through this process in less than 45 minutes. 

  • Entering the Platform (Part 1): First, you must register to join the platform and complete your full user profile. This will be done in three steps: 1) completing your community profile, 2) applying for the General Pipeline (where all of our resources are housed), and 3) creating a detailed social enterprise profile for us to serve you better and you to serve each other. In the attached User Guide, these steps are in slides 3 – 7. 
The link to the application can be found here 
As you complete Part 1, please be mindful of the following: 

  1. This platform was developed for global use; there are a few instances where ‘Market’ is asked. It refers to the country where you work; select ‘United States’. 
  2. The platform asked for your Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) twice. The first instance relates to SDGs of personal interest to you (Community Profile), and the second instance relates specifically to what your social enterprise is tackling (Enterprise Profile). 

 

  • Exploring the Community Platform (Part 2): Once in the system, follow the instructions and complete the tasks detailed in the attached CRM User Guide, slides 9 – 15. 

 

  • Exploring Your Enterprise Page and Resources (Part 3): Once you are in the community platform, have completed your enterprise page, and explored the general community resources, you will go into your team section restricted to you and your team members. Follow the instructions and complete the tasks detailed in the attached CRM User Guide, slides 17 – 24. 

Download our step-by-step guide here

What We Have Heard From You (Frequently Asked Questions) 

  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Find answers to common queries about our CRM platform.
  • If you have a question not listed here, please contact us at babelecrm-team@iwbmore.org

 

 

Question  Answer 
Inviting Team Members: Can you invite a team member to join you on the platform?  Yes! We encourage it because you can’t do it alone as a leader. 

Provide them with the same instructions. Once they join the broader IW community on the platform, you must invite them to join your ‘Enterprise’ team (we can assist you with this if needed). 
Multi-step Application Process: The instruction manual laid out a multistep application process that was not consistent with my actual experience.  Some initial bugs needed to be cleaned up, but they should be resolved by now. It is important to read every line in the instruction manual. In some cases, we recommend monitoring the ‘Notifications’ tab for immediate next steps rather than waiting for an email notification, which can be delayed due to server-related nuances. 
Securing Technical Assistance: There needed to be more clarity about who to contact for customer support.  We recognize that SEs or Mentors have various IW team relationships. We have created this form for all technical support requests. Our team will review those internally, and we will decide who the best person is to respond to the issue or if it needs to be elevated to the Babele platform team. This link will also help us monitor and close cases out quickly. 
Navigating the Platform: Once on the platform, I have been unclear about some of its features and 

how to maximize their usage. 

 We recognize that individuals have varying degrees of comfort with navigating new systems. We are creating a series of how-to Videos that will live on the platform and will release them in batches over the coming months. For now, feel free to submit a request ticket, and a team member can spend a few minutes with you on the phone or via a virtual call to walk through the use cases. 
Managing Use of Multiple Platforms: I use other platforms such as LinkedIn and Instagram as social networks. I am anxious about signing up for yet another one; what makes this any different? We understand this challenge. Our goal with Babele is to provide you with a mission-oriented community of people (social entrepreneurs, mentors, partners) in a pseudo-closed network focusing on Baltimore City and our collective mission of decreasing the racial wealth gap. 

Through the Notifications Settings, you can manage how often you need to sign on to the system and set what actions trigger an email notification. The email notifications can alert you when you hop into the platform, so you don’t have to monitor it constantly. 

The platform will maintain your ability to communicate and build relationships with our team members or mentors. Still, it helps IW, IC, and you ensure we maximize our time focusing on relationships and high-level matters. 

 

Technical Assistance:

  • If you have any issues or questions, let us know, and our staff will respond within 24 to 48 business hours. Completing this form here makes it much easier to determine the best staff member to support you with the issue and track response time.
  • If you want someone to spend 30 minutes with you on a call while you complete the process, email babelecrm-team@iwbmore.org to request a meeting.

 

Call to Action: Ready to Get Started?