13-POINT CHECKLIST FOR BUYING & IMPLEMENTING NEW BUSINESS SYSTEMS

Transcription

1 13-POINT CHECKLIST FOR BUYING & IMPLEMENTING NEW BUSINESS SYSTEMS

2 The good news is, there s more sales, marketing, customer success and finance technology than ever before! The bad news is, there s more sales, marketing, customer success and finance technology than ever before! TechCrunch has already declared that 2016 will be the year of the sales stack, while Chief MarTech has predicted that CMOs will drive wider-scale MarTech adoption and define the MarTech stack. All of this technology, if selected and implemented correctly, will help sales, marketing, customer success and finance be more data-driven than ever before and soar to new heights of effectiveness and efficiency. And therein lies the rub: choosing and implementing the right business systems and technology is hard! There are dozens of variables that could be the difference between a successful system implementation...and a sunk cost. Fortunately, we ve talked to lots of sales, marketing and operations professionals who ve gone through this experience themselves and emerged with many lessons learned. We ve worked with them to create this 13-point checklist to ensure that you ve covered all your bases before buying and implementing a new business system. PRINTABLE CHECKLIST... 3 BREAKDOWN OF CHECKLIST ITEMS INTEGRATING YOUR SYSTEMS

3 PRINTABLE CHECKLIST I know why I want this new system and what s in it for me I ve looked at all the vendor s competitors. I ve been given a customized demo I am comfortable with the proposed implementation schedule I have received input and buy-in from all key stakeholders and users I have lined up internal and external implementation resources I am aware of any ancillary products or add-ons that enhance my use case I know this system will play nice with my existing data and workflows I ve determined that this new system can house my existing and new data I ve mapped out the workflow for the new system, tied to my use cases I ve identified potential problems and am comfortable with support resources I ve crafted a training and onboarding documentation for all users I know how to achieve strong ROI from this system implementation 3

4 1 I know why I want this new system and what s in it for ME! Every step of your system implementation will fail if you can t get this first step right. If a new system doesn t solve a pain, then why are you even buying it? Do I have software that can already do what I need - just not quite well enough? Do I need something to augment or supplement systems I m already using? Or will this be a more comprehensive rip-and-replace project? 2 Do I have a key list of necessary functions I want from this new system, as well as a dream list? How do they compare? Will I be happy with just the functions on the key list? I ve looked at all the vendor s competitors. All feature sets and functions being equal - and this is certainly not always the case between vendors of a similar product - you should consider if there is one vendor that is better suited to your company or industry. It s also worth holding up all vendors side by side to compare them on everything from features, to price, and support. What s the difference in price between vendors, and how is it justified? Is one vendor better suited to my industry because of customization options and familiarity with industry best practices? 4

5 3 I ve been given a customized demo - not just a pre-made demo video or a generic product walkthrough. A vendor who won t give you a customized demo is probably trying to obscure the fact that their software can t do everything you want it to do. They re hoping to get your signature on the contract and so far down on the path, before you realize that you re stuck with a bad investment that can t give you what you need. Was this demo crafted to my company s unique workflows and processes? Can they do all - or any - of the things on your dream list? If not, are you comfortable with only must-haves vs. nice-to-haves? After the demo, can I envision myself and other company stakeholders using this product successfully? 4 I have planned out the implementation schedule and am comfortable with timing and deadlines. The vast majority of new business systems will not be turnkey solutions, ready to use right out of the box upon completing the purchase. There will be implementation work on your end that is likely to take some time, so make sure you re comfortable with the amount of work on your plate and the scheduled rollout and go-live date for your new system. What are all the implementation steps I have to take between signing the contract and going live with the system? What s my tentative go-live date? Should I take my preferred go-live date and add an additional two-week buffer on the backend? Are there smaller deadlines for each implementation task that I should be cognizant of, ahead of my final deadline? 5

6 5 I have gotten the input and sign-off from all potential users, as well as key stakeholders. You re making the buying decision, so you re probably the primary user. But are you the only user? If you re buying a marketing system that sales will also be involved in - or vice versa - it s important to consider how the other stakeholders will use and benefit from this new system. Additionally, if it s a very technical project, IT will want to get involved, lest you end up setting fire to the whole building in trying to implement this system. Get them bought-in early; you never want get on IT s bad side! Are the various departments (sales, marketing, customer success, finance) who will be actively using the new system clear on what their use cases will be? Is IT comfortable with the technical specifications and requirements of the new system? Who will be leading the technical implementation - you (the primary buyer and user), IT, or a third-party implementation consultant? 6 I have lined up the resources - both internally and externally - that I will need for a successful implementation. The more complex the system implementation, the more likely you are to need additional technical help, either internally from IT, or externally with a third-party consultant. It s totally OK if you do! Just make sure you have planned for it and have those resources lined up before you sign off on buying the new system. Even if you end up buying professional services from a different vendor, you should consider both aspects as a single transaction. Do I need professional services help? Or are my technical skills sound enough to tackle the implementation on my own? If I do need professional services, which specific aspects of the implementation will I need their help with? Is there any part I can do by myself? If I m using internal resources, have I blocked off their schedule for this implementation? Are they willing to give up their time to help with this project? 6

7 7 I have looked at ancillary products or addons to this business system that might enhance my use case. Salesforce has the Salesforce AppExchange. Marketo has the LaunchPoint. SugarCRM has the SugarExchange. Many business systems, especially larger ones, will have marketplaces of additional add-on products and software that could further enhance your use of and success with the system. These additional apps are not always a necessary purchase - and many of them are typically free of charge - but there are many that you will find valuable, so consider that before making your system decision. Are there specific apps or add-ons that the vendor has recommended to dramatically improve my implementation and user experience? Which ones are must-haves vs. nice-to-haves? Have I talked to other users to figure out what types of add-ons they typically look for in this business system? Is there an existing, robust marketplace around this system? Or is the addon ecosystem for my business system ad hoc and disorganized? 8 I have determined that this system will play nice with all my existing systems, data, workflows and processes. This should be one of the most critical points on your checklist; after all, just because you re buying a new system doesn t mean you re getting rid of every existing system or app in your marketing or sales stack. Business systems and data should not work in a silo. Instead, they should all be collaborative, working in concert with one another, making your job easier. Your VP of Sales should care about marketing automation because it helps her sell better; your VP of marketing should care about CRM because it helps him market better; now, your VP of Customer Success wants to buy a customer support platform - which shares data from and with both your CRM and marketing automation platform - because it will help her support customers better. Can all these systems play nice together? 7

8 Are there specific apps or add-ons that the vendor has recommended to dramatically improve my implementation and user experience? Which ones are must-haves vs. nice-to-haves? Have I talked to other users to figure out what types of add-ons they typically look for in this business system? Is there an existing, robust marketplace around this system? Or is the addon ecosystem for my business system ad hoc and disorganized? 9 I ve determined that this new system can house the data I ve already collected, as well as any new data going forward. The worst thing that can happen to a marketer, or really any business, is to lose data. Customer contacts, marketing campaign information, financial records...all are extremely valuable not only as company archives, but to inform strategy and success moving forward. If your existing systems collect data on opportunities, for example, you ll want to make sure that your new system can collect opportunity data as well. Have I tracked all current use cases for collecting data on various objects, and is there a path for these objects in the new system? Will a Master Record of some kind be created to keep track of both existing and future data? WIll it also serve as a backup? If I can t convert data from one system to another, and have to continue housing that data in two different systems, am I comfortable maintaining both data sets? 8

9 10 I ve mapped out the workflow for the new system as much as possible, tying back to my use cases. As mentioned earlier, most business systems are not turnkey, out-of-the-box solutions that fit all sizes. If you have a complicated workflow - for example, if leads generated on your website are routed through marketing qualification checkpoints before being handed over to your sales team - make sure that your new system has those automations available and configurable. Have I been taken through a customized demo that reflects exactly how we will be using this new system? Have I taken my most complicated use cases, the complex edge cases, and brought those up to see how the vendor and system will address them? Have I seen some of my data go in, through a trial or demo, and then seen the results and output to my liking, with no sausage-making in the middle? 11 I ve identified contingencies and support resources, and am comfortable with how to address problems that arise once my system is up and running. Even with the best software and systems in the hands of expert, technical users, problems will inevitably arise at some point. Whether it s a software issue or a user error, the important thing is knowing how to fix it. To that end, it s worth considering possible issues that may arise and being comfortable with the support options provided by the vendor. Will I have a dedicated account manager or support specialist working closely with me? Is she intimately familiar with our specific use cases? Is it a more general support team and ticketing system? Have I talked to other users to ask them about their experience with this vendor s support? Has their experience been a smooth one? Does this vendor have a comprehensive library of support documentation so I can troubleshoot problems quickly, rather than having to work with a support specialist every time? 9

10 12 I ve crafted a training & onboarding process for all users, as well as a documentation plan for future users. Along with implementing the system, there will also be an onboarding period, where all users of the new system get trained on how to use the system and learn best practices. You want to make sure that as you buy the system, you also work with the vendor (or a third-party consultant) to craft a training plan that is efficient - you don t want to spend a whole month s worth of productive time learning a new system - yet comprehensive. Who will be leading the training; the vendor? Or a consultant? Are there a certain number of training hours from the vendor included with your system purchase? What standard operating procedures (SOPs) do I need to develop for this new system? Have I taken other departments and stakeholders into consideration with these SOPs? Do I have a system of documentation for all the training processes, so that future new users can have a shorter onboarding schedule? 10

11 13 I know what a strong ROI for this system implementation looks like, and am confident that we can get there. Let s face it: most business systems are not cheap to buy and implement. Yet, you ve made the decision to do so because you believe that it can ultimately help your business and its bottom line in the long run. How will the success of this new system be measured? Are there benchmarks from a previous system s effectiveness and efficiency that you will be comparing against? Or is this system the start of an entirely new initiative? Begin with the end in mind, and before you buy and implement a new system, imagine what a successful implementation will look like, and what you can achieve with one. Have you factored in all the costs of buying and implementing this system - not just the sticker price, but also consultant costs, the salary of the operations manager in charge of running the system, and the opportunity cost? How will ROI for using this system be measured? Will it be compared to the productivity of the previous systems or workflows? Am I comfortable with the terms of the contract, whether its up-front annual payments or month-to-month flexibility? 11

12 DATA-DRIVEN SYSTEMS INTEGRATION WITH BEDROCK DATA CONTACTS ANALYTICS ACCOUNTS ACTIVITIES BACKUP API S LEADS CONTACTS ACCOUNTS OPPORTUNITIES ACTIVITIES LEARN MORE ABOUT INTEGRATING YOUR NEW AND EXISTING BUSINESS SYSTEMS CHECK OUT THE SYSTEMS WE SYNC