April 28, 2014 Letter from Yong Lee

Dear RB users:

A few years ago, I started to experience some health problems, and I began to focus on those issues and less on the day-to-day of running a business. This created some confusion behind the scenes at OMTI, which I now realize has affected all of you. So I wanted to apologize, explain the situation, and thank you for your patience.

During this time, I realized that I needed a better work/life balance. Since I started this business 30 years ago, I have not only been leading the operation, but also working in the trenches. In fact, many of you remember me as the voice on the other end of service calls.

But this health crisis made me realize that I can’t go on working like this forever. I finally got a diagnosis last year. While I don’t want to share details, it is a chronic condition that I am successfully managing. And I have formally decided to no longer be involved in day-to-day operations at OMTI. Instead I will concentrate on long-range planning and transitioning OMTI management to the next generation.

About the same time that I got my diagnosis, our development team slowed work on new RB features to concentrate on making our new Customer Portal and automated billing system. This became a priority as OMTI grew because, like the shoemaker whose children always went barefoot, while RB & RB Web provide you with fast & easy billing solutions, most of our own billing was done manually. We needed a system like RB and RB Web, but designed to handle our unique business needs.

Because of this focus shift, I decided we did not have enough new features in the last 2013 update to warrant a 2-hour Team RB conference last year, so we did not schedule one. But combined with my absence from other potential points of contact with you, including the NCRA firm owners’ convention, I understand now that it raised concerns about not just me, but the health of OMTI and RB.

Let me assure you that while there have been some bumps in the road recently, OMTI and RB are not going away. As a small business where everyone wears many hats, we have been facing some challenges in this transition. But with our new Customer Portal and automated billing now in place, Stella will be moving up and taking on more of my previous responsibilities, including representing OMTI at conventions. And our support team will be handling more of your issues and product questions.

Maybe happiest for me is that you RB users will be handling more of the new feature direction for RB with the Idea Collaborator in the Customer Portal. No longer will I be the lone voice pleading the case with our development team for a new feature I know will make RB work better for you. Now, you will propose features to them directly and — most importantly — vote on proposed features, so the development team can see which features meet the greatest need. I encourage you to make a habit of checking the Idea Collaborator frequently to weigh in on what’s been requested and make your voice heard.

In closing, I want to thank all of you for being loyal RB customers. I apologize for any confusion or unease you may have felt because of my stepping back. And I ask for your patience with us as we adapt to the new OMTI order of things.

And for those who might have been assuming the worst, I include a recent photo. Except for the gray hair, I think you can tell I am still the same Yong you remember.

As always,

Yong Lee, Founder, President & CEO
OMTI, developers of ReporterBase & MetaRecords