Over the years, Waeg, an IBM Company has been leading the Digital Transformation space in the Salesforce ecosystem. Waeg’s reputation has been built on two key dimensions: our core values of Commitment, Integrity, and Excellence that are intrinsic to each day and engagement and our team of senior Salesforce experts that create the most innovative projects for the highest return on investment.
In every engagement, Waeg has always delivered more than just technical implementation efforts in order to provide maximum impact to the customer. Providing in-depth industry and product expertise, guidance throughout the journey while always being focused on delivering each project the first time right.
As you know, last year Waeg took this unique expertise that goes way beyond the development aspect of a project and officially launched Waeg Envision.
Those of you that have experienced our way of working know what we offer. Those of you that haven’t, let me explain.
Waeg Envision brings together all the experience and expertise of Commercial Excellence, Customer Experience, and Change Management and applies the best practises, concepts and methodologies to ensure the successful implementation and adoption of each tool.
Our offer can be broken down into components. You can consider each like a puzzle piece that together creates the Envision effect where we challenge the now and create the future.
Let’s set the scenario: you are entering the Digital Transformation space and want to take steps to implement a new tool.
1. Strategy is GOLD.
Setting clear objectives and strategies.
Before taking action, it is important to think about what you want to achieve with this digital tool implementation. For example, is your main goal cost reduction, to increase revenue with new or existing customers, to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of your commercial teams, improve your commercial processes and way of working or enhance the customer journey and customer experience?
Your journey with us always starts with co-defining the goals and creating a clear strategy.
Understanding the impact that the digital tool has on the internal organisation.
There are tools such as the introduction of a Commerce portal that can have a major impact on the different roles and ways of working within your teams. This could mean there will be a need for different skills that your team might not possess (yet) or even mean that there is a need for new roles as well. Our Change Management approach prepares Sales, Service, and Marketing Executives and leaders to lead this change successfully in order to result in having motivated teams that are aligned with a new way of working and who are motivated to continuously improve.
Creating a clear change and implementation plan.
In addition to preparing managers to lead the change, the Envision team will support with defining and executing a change and implementation plan based on proven concepts to ensure the new way of working is successful and that there is an optimal adoption and usage of the new tool.
2. The crossroad of ideal or suboptimal processes
What does Excellence look like?
Together we defined your objectives, we have a clear overview of the strategy and internally you are ready to handle the change. Now it is the moment where defining what Excellence looks like is fundamental. For example, for Sales Cloud, Excellence is defined by contact management, opportunity, lead, account planning, or contract management processes.
Even if you are confident that you have the best business processes in place, it is always better “to be safe than sorry”. We will run a sanity check to analyse the business processes as it is always better to be well prepared before workflows in the tools are being built than having to conduct multiple changes after the tool has been implemented. Not only is this much more expensive, but it also isn’t good for the buy-in of your teams and management.
Specifically for Commerce tools, the Envision team focuses on cross-channel customer experience and customer journeys. Besides anticipating role changes, processes, and skills, it is fundamental to have a clear plan on how the onboarding of your customers will be once the portal is ready. Moreover, Waeg Envision has extensive experience with supporting customers with Marketing communication activities and dashboards which supports the sharing of best practises within our customers (multi-country) and which leads to higher adoption rates.
3. People drive success
Focus on the human aspect
As mentioned, our methodology prepares your management on how to lead the change. We start with top (commercial) management and then with Sales, Marketing, and Service managers. We discuss what will change for processes, roles, skills, and tool usage by carrying out a gap analysis. Based on this analysis we put together the so-called ‘lead the change interventions’ on how to effectively tackle these gaps.
On top of this, our approach will ensure maximum buy-in from your commercial teams (Sales, Marketing, and Service). The involvement of your teams in the process is a key success factor for future tool adoption rates.
You may be asking why. Isn’t having an amazing tool enough? No. Having the teams and managers involved and aware of what is expected from them in their roles as well as prepared to optimally collaborate with other departments reduces friction when the time comes. If this doesn’t happen then your tool usage will not be optimal and there is a high chance you will miss the full impact and return that you would be able to achieve with this new tool.
Zooming in on the commercial teams, it is important, for example, to define what skills are core for excellent performance. For management, the same applies - they need to have a clear definition of leadership skills to lead this change successfully. Our experience has shown that success is achieved when both teams and management are aligned and prepared with a clear structure to monitor the progress on the skills defined.
These three components lay the foundation for success but of course, there are other elements - puzzle pieces - that should be considered:
Defining a solid communication plan
Communication leads to clarity which leads to success. It is important to regularly communicate the progress made on the objectives defined for both ‘what excellence looks like ‘and the digital tool usage including specific quantitative or qualitative KPIs.
Monitor progress and success
It is important to monitor progress made based on the objectives that were defined. This can be anything from revenue targets, amount of new deals, opportunities, or the number of visits for example. Our experience tells us that monitoring quantitative and qualitative KPIs maintains motivation, engagement, promotes productivity and will be the only way to really improve the quality of your teams' activities.
Governance structure/Steering Committee
To ensure key decision-makers in your company are fully aware of the objectives and progress made, it is important to establish a Steering Committee which validates the content of the new or adjusted processes and monitors the progress made with the implementation of the tool and objectives set at the beginning.
Best practice sharing
Whether you are talking about improved processes in relation to the tool implementation, the tool adoption or the role your management plays in leading the change, our experience has shown that organising best practice sharing sessions with the different stakeholders works really well. Not only is it important to share best practises but most importantly it is by sharing “noble failures” that the learning process becomes stronger and more valuable.
Celebrate success
Recognition not only works extremely well to motivate people, but it also shows what success means and ‘’what excellence looks like’’. Recognition of the best colleagues is a very important aspect in establishing a continuous learning environment.
Now that you know the key pieces that define success with Waeg Envision, don’t hesitate to reach out to our Business Transformation Director Leon Weerts and continue the conversation. In the meantime remember, by challenging the now you create the future. Do it with us and thrive to Envision!
