You probably have a bunch of systems helping you run your business. Some of them you love, some of them you hate – but why are you keeping the ones you hate? The most common answer is usually that business leaders can’t even imagine rolling out a new system and changing various team’s processes across their whole estate.
Don’t fear change, embrace improvement and streamlining. Get a system that will make your life easier, and get your deployment right. The difference between a good deployment and a bad deployment will drastically affect the returns you get from your new software. So bear these tips in mind, and get that new, fancy piece of kit up and running in no time.
1. Identify your needs and make them clear
During a typical onboarding process, before even thinking about beginning any roll-out, it’s typically best to understand what you want to get from a new system. Once these goals are set, both the software provider and the customer know what they will be working towards, and everything else is circumstantial. You need to lower labour costs, shave time spent on schedules and payroll? Make that a priority with your customer success manager during the onboarding process.
So don’t be afraid to be honest with the supplier / salesperson / customer success manager when they ask you this. You are basically giving them a tangible way of knowing if the rollout is a success or if something is wrong. And this way, you get exactly what you paid for.
2. Assign a champion
Decision-makers are essential in the world of software deployment. Someone needs to work with the supplier and ensure that advice and tasks are being followed through. These individuals are commonly referred to as champions in the SaaS (Software as a Service) industry.
When you tell your employees that the processes they are used to are changing, there can often be a lot of reluctancy. Which is understandable; especially with part timers who won’t see any benefits from this new system, so encouragement is needed.
This is why you need someone on your team to be a driver for change, sit in on the trainings, watch the demos, and act as a guru, a shepherd, a sensei, and a champion for this system.
3. Work with the onboarding team
While all roles in the onboarding process should be respected, it is just as important that the advice and requests of a customer success team are acknowledged in the same manner as a customer’s own. These people are the experts (as they do this for a living) and know how to ensure a smooth rollout.
So when your account manager asks for certain info, or exports, or historical figures, they aren’t doing this to annoy you. This is purely for the benefit of your deployment and to ensure that you are set to get the best usage from what you paid for. You swim a lot faster with the current than against it.
4. Roll out in steps
Imagine a football team starting the match by getting every player to sprint at the opposition – it may seem like a strong and fast approach to reaching the goal, but ultimately, if they hit one speed bump it could cause them to concede very early on, knocking everyone’s confidence for the rest of the game.
When you deploy a new system, take your time and think about how you are going to break it up, step by step. Will you begin with one store, then another, then another. Or perhaps one region of stores? Or perhaps you’ll begin by running your old system in line with your new one, so you have a fall-back if there is a mistake. Although you will want to get going on this new process and solve your issues asap – don’t be afraid to take your time and get it right. Or you may find yourself living in the pocket of customer support!
5. Stay educated
If your supplier’s customer success team is worth their salt, they will let you know when new features are being released and it is in their best interest to educate you and your team to maximise your usage of these new tools. It will lower the amount of customer support required, and increases the chances that you will review this system positively with your connections and peers.
So leverage these people that want to help you, that are paid to ensure you get the most from your system and bang for your buck.
If you’d like more advice on how we can tailor Bizimply for your unique needs, don’t hesitate to contact us by phone, email or social media:
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