On the Radar: CirrusOne, an implementation partner for CPQ, CLM, and QTC

Transcription

1 On the Radar: CirrusOne, an implementation partner for CPQ, CLM, and QTC Redefining the "customer advisor" means setting a new bar for consulting excellence Publication Date: 04 Aug 2017 Product code: IT Jeremy Cox

2 Summary Catalyst Growing demand for configure, price, quote (CPQ) software in businesses selling complex or configurable products has been reflected in the increasing sales of CPQ applications from vendors. Oracle and Salesforce are two such vendors supported by CirrusOne, a small but rapidly growing professional services company that specializes in this field. Implementing CPQ requires specialist technical insight allied to business consulting skills to ensure that the application delivers every client's desired outcome. Ensuring that delivery is within plan and budget requires discipline, and based on its open-book policy for references, CirrusOne believes it has developed an approach to delivering professional services that practically guarantees success. Such an approach is a potential game changer for the professional services industry. Key messages CirrusOne helps clients go beyond CPQ to provide a complete quote-to-cash (QTC) solution, including contract lifecycle management (CLM). The firm is aiming to redefine the role of the trusted advisor with a unique approach to project methodology that provides customers with better odds of success. Finding and nurturing employees with the right consulting skill sets (not technical) is the starting point for CirrusOne. A key challenge for any small professional services organization is to grow the company by hiring people with the right skill sets in time to meet demand for the solutions provided. CirrusOne has a sophisticated selection process. The firm uses a predictive scoring mechanism to determine the potential customer-facing suitability of candidates who, once onboarded, develop a career plan to acquire and refine specific skills. Ovum view CPQ is of growing importance in B2B and some B2C environments, where more complex products can be configured in multiple ways. From a demand perspective, CirrusOne is in a growing market; however, it is still a relatively small company and may find that competition for skills from other services organizations slows down its future growth, currently running at 70% per annum. Recommendations for enterprises Why put CirrusOne on your radar? CirrusOne has proven delivery experience with CPQ solutions from Oracle and Salesforce. Enterprises in the US considering CPQ from either vendor should put CirrusOne on their radar as a possible implementation partner. Headquartered in San Francisco, and with offices in Chicago and Atlanta, its coverage is currently limited to the US. Ovum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. Page 2

3 Highlights Background CirrusOne was co-founded in 2014 by Erich Rusch, an experienced solution architect and consultant with expertise in CPQ gained at Big Machines, the leading CPQ vendor acquired by Oracle in October Rusch serves as the firm's chief strategy officer. CEO Shane Anastasi joined CirrusOne in January 2016 and prior to that spent a significant amount of time analyzing the past successes and failures of professional services engagements. From this, Anastasi developed seven core principles to ensure successful delivery of complex projects. What makes CirrusOne different from many other services organizations is that each of the 35 employees operates by those seven principles: Adapt to your environment. Always know what done looks like. Manage expectations. Have difficult conversations early. Think FAAST = focus, attention to detail, accountable, skilled, and trustworthy. Participate in collective wisdom (of colleagues). Stay engaged with your career. For more details on these principles, see Anastasi's book, The Seven Principles of Professional Services: A field guide for successfully walking the consulting tightrope. When rigorously followed, CirrusOne's implementations have always met the expectations of the customer. That is the reason the firm is willing to connect potential clients with any of its existing clients for reference purposes. Current position CirrusOne helps clients go beyond CPQ to provide a complete quote-to-cash solution, including contract lifecycle management Cash flow is a major concern for any business, and those that can configure, price, and quote when customers are ready to buy have a speed and accuracy advantage over those that are reliant on old ERP systems and manual calculations to provide quotations. Once accepted, products are invoiced, and within the terms of the agreement, customers are then expected to pay. By simplifying and automating the quote-to-cash process, companies can win more business and improve cash flow. As well as implementing CPQ, CirrusOne also helps firms design the complete QTC process and manage the life of the contract. Finding and nurturing employees with the right skill sets is the starting point for CirrusOne CirrusOne has 35 employees, and it expects that number to rise to 50 by the end of In addition to the seven governing principles outlined above, the firm takes great care in selecting the right talent and providing an environment for continuous learning and personal development. Technical skills are secondary to the ability to follow the guiding principles. The skills, however, have also been thoroughly mapped out, and all employees create a plan to enhance their skills, each of which is broken down Ovum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. Page 3

4 into specific steps. Each week employees state their level of employee engagement, and scores below a certain level trigger a discussion with the CEO to provide mentoring support. Data sheet Key facts Table 1: Data sheet: CirrusOne Product name CPQ, CLM, and QTC services Product classification Professional services Version number Not applicable Release date Continuous development Industries covered B2B and B2C with complex products Geographies covered US Relevant company sizes Midmarket to large enterprises Licensing options Not applicable URL Routes to market Direct and referrals Company headquarters San Francisco, California, US Number of employees 35 Source: Ovum Appendix On the Radar On the Radar is a series of research notes about vendors bringing innovative ideas, products, or business models to their markets. Although On the Radar vendors may not be ready for prime time, they bear watching for their potential impact on markets and could be suitable for certain enterprise and public sector IT organizations. Further reading 2017 Trends to Watch: CRM, IT (December 2016) Author Jeremy Cox, Principal Analyst, Customer Engagement Practice jeremy.cox@ovum.com Ovum Consulting We hope that this analysis will help you make informed and imaginative business decisions. If you have further requirements, Ovum s consulting team may be able to help you. For more information about Ovum s consulting capabilities, please contact us directly at consulting@ovum.com. Ovum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. Page 4

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