Scale Your Software Implementation Process with These Nine Best Practices

“We were on the 12th week of an implementation process with a troublesome new client. At this point it was full on trench warfare; their entire team was communicating with people from every department in my company. It was our fourth meeting that week. We had spent an unprecedented 62 hours of free custom development time to rectify misaligned product expectations that our implementation manager swore was not our fault. Their workflow had changed no less than four times and we had missed three go live deadlines and counting. Everyone was frustrated and tired. What was this particular meeting about you ask? They were pulling and wanted their setup fees back…STOP!…Where did we go wrong? How did it come to this?” -Founder Anonymous

Ever been in a situation like this one? I hope not, but many early SaaS startups find their way into debacles like these all the time because of weak processes. If you run a SaaS business you should know how critical implementations are to the success of your new clients, and the relationship at large. Indeed, making the sale is just the beginning; executing a successful on-boarding experience is often where clients are won and lost. After nearly a decade running a health tech SaaS company and hundreds of implementations, here are nine best practices that I learned.

1. Standardize Your Process Early

In the beginning, it is tempting to shoot from the hip and hyper customize the implementation experience for your early clientele. However, for early stage companies, this is one of the first operational components to establish in order to scale. If you are managing the on-boarding process for your company, you need to put significant thought toward the process of taking a new client live. This process includes understanding which departmental stakeholders are involved at what points, who is driving each step, what artifacts are created or disseminated throughout this cycle, not to mention, how long all this will take. Ask yourself: “What is the critical path of this process? What tasks can be accomplished simultaneously? Do departments in the periphery (sales, product, and finance) know their roles in the equation so as not to slow down your on-boarding flow?”

Consider these deceivingly complex operational questions with your team:

· When does your financial controller invoice the client (setup vs. recurring monthly)?

· What will trigger the product team to begin development?

· When does the clock start on the timeline promised to the client?

· If the client delays providing critical information that hinders implementation, what do you do?

· Define “Go Live”.

Below is an example of a value stream map for a relatively simple SaaS implementation process. I recommend distributing brightly colored, laminated copies to your team and hold dedicated meeting(s) to ensure all are on the same page. The more implementations you do, the more informed you are, so be sure to set aside time to update your workflow periodically.

2. Ensure Internal Stakeholders are Synchronized Post Sale

One of the easiest mistakes to make early in an implementation is not taking the time to ensure all parties are on the same page. To be clear, they will not be without rigorous and thorough processes in place. Product is often clueless that a new client even exists until a development ticket(s) are created by Implementation. Finance is also commonly left out of the loop until someone realizes the client is live, yet they are asking for the invoice. Sales and Implementation communication is the most critical and causes the most damaging breakdowns of all. Think about it; the sales rep and the new client are on a high. Your sales person just spent the last several weeks or even months developing a close rapport and understanding of the clients use case, needs, expectations, and needs. However, on more occasions than I care to say, I have seen sales off load a new client on a wide-eyed implementation team with no real hand-off, in search of the next deal. This, of course, leads to frustration from the client feeling neglected, having to explain themselves from scratch, and reflects poorly on a seemingly unprepared implementation team.

This outcome is not any one person’s fault. With the right, infrastructure, incentives, and expectations in place, these friction points can be avoided. So, how do we solve for this?

· Develop a company-wide announcement that informs all employees that a new client has closed and to prepare for an implementation within a certain timeframe.

· The sales manager should require thorough documentation throughout the sales process that will provide context for the on-boarding team. Once closed, the sales person can reassign the account to implementation and tag Finance as well. Most CRM’s support custom note template creation which should be developed through mutual collaboration from all stakeholders.

· Part of your process should include a 30 minute new client brief between the sales rep, Implementation, and potentially Product and Finance, to review the client details, including, use case, stakeholders, customization preferences, expectations, and other nuances.

· The sales person must participate in the initial launch call between Implementation and the new client to ensure a smooth hand-off.

· All sales commissions should be contingent on the successful completion of the three points directly above.

· If development is required to spin up a new client, the Implementation lead should create support tickets, assign them to the product manager, and then meet with him or her to agree on an acceptable timeframe to complete the project. Do this before committing to a timetable with the client.

3. Do Not Let the Client Drive

We all love our clients, but sometimes, they can be…overly-exuberant, especially after an initial purchase. After a long vetting process to find the right partner, they are eager to jump right in. This enthusiasm and belief that the client knows exactly what they need, can often translate into attempts to lead and even dominate the implementation process. This is exacerbated when the client is represented by a senior executive and the on-boarding team is led by a novice employee. So, how can you stand by your processes and not upset the customer at the same time?

· The implementation lead postures as an expert consultant, shepherd, gatekeeper, enforcer, and all-knowing guide that will drive the project home, on their terms.

· Implementation sets all meetings, sends the calendar invites and uses internal meeting tools, not those of the client.

· If the client derails the conversation, do not enable their behavior; bring it back on track.

· Don’t be afraid to say “No” if a request does not jive with your process. (I.E. move up timeline, ad hoc meetings, unplanned customization, etc.)

· If a request must be entertained, make the client choose between time, cost, and scope of work. They can have two, but not all three.

· Do not be afraid to make recommendations to improve their workflow. You are the product expert and they are relying on your expertise to create the best possible solution.

· Do not grant them access to any of your team members unnecessarily.

· Document everything and refer back if there are ever misaligned expectations.

· If you are confident in your delivery schedule, set a date for recurring billing to commence regardless of if the client’s solution is ready or not, so long as your side is not the reason for any delays.

· Hold your client accountable to timelines and requests for information.

4. Create a Dummy-Proof “Customization Survey”

Customization surveys, and the like, are excellent tools that can streamline the information gathering process of an implementation. The scope of these tools will vary based on the complexity of your product and how optimized it is to self-service. There are many open sourced tools, like google surveys, that work well for this. Send your standard survey directly after contract signing for the client to complete, along with any other orienting materials. If they don’t finish it the first time through, no worries, you will review their answers, or lack thereof, on the launch call. These surveys not only serve as a great piece of documentation that forces the client to think deeply about their workflow, but also is a guard against any potential misaligned expectations down the road.

5. Create a Schedule and Get Buy-In During the Launch Call

First let’s define what a Launch Call is; a “Launch Call” is the first meeting between Implementation and the new client, post sale. This is the most important meeting throughout the on-boarding process and usually the longest, taking anywhere from 1.5 hours to 2.5 hours. During this meeting follow a strict agenda where you will identify the client workflow, review customization requirements, set a timetable with key milestones, and identify project champions.

The components of every timetable include:

· Weekly or bi-monthly standing check-in calls throughout the implementation period.

· Period for information collection: Collect from client: text preferences, logo, color scheme, website integration, URL creations, SSL creation, etc.

· Initial solution review: First solution walk through with check list of requirements and customizations noted in Launch meeting.

· Final solution review: Review of second round edits. Provide login credentials for client to test solution to their satisfaction. Last chance to edit solution on “fast-track” during implementation period.

· Go Live: Push solution from Staging to Live environment for real usage.

· Post Go Live User Training: User type specific webinar style training.

Your posture should always be that once a new client signs a contract they have made a commitment to work within your implementation process in order to obtain the solution for which they paid. This means that their undivided attention is required and they are expected to punctually participate. Otherwise, without accountability, clients tend to meander through your implementation queue at their own pace or even may not complete it. This leads to a clogged pipeline of new client on-boardings, strained customer relationships, and an ever-growing AR on your balance sheet. It is hard to survive, let alone scale in this way. Strict policy will protect the health of your company. As such, schedules should generally follow your standard timetable and on-boarding steps, but allow some room for minor accommodation if the client requests it. Ideally, Sales has already prepped the customer with regard to expectations prior to close so none of this is a surprise.

6. Designate a Client Champion

There is nothing more time consuming or chaotic than having multiple client stakeholders interacting with half your team. Once they have that level of access to your operation it is hard to remove without a strained “Come to Jesus” meeting that resets boundaries. So, the best approach is to put systems in place that prevent this from happening in the first place. Enter: Client Champion. During every launch call require the client to name a designated project champion that will act as the sole point of contact for the company. Creating a one-to-one communication channel reduces redundant conversations, general confusion, and conflicting direction. Teams from both sides must respect the communication channel and refer all issues to the appropriate points of contact. Zero tolerance for deviations is required to prevent the dialogue from snowballing. Remember, the client will respect rules that you respect yourself.

7. Unforeseen Issues are Opportunities, Not Liabilities

Unwanted issues and roadblocks are inevitable. What savvy managers understand is that any unanticipated setback is a prime opportunity to rise the occasion and shine in front of your new customer. Whether it’s a server crashing or a piece of functionality not working correctly, if your team is able to provide responsiveness, empathy, good communication, and a definitive solution, you will succeed in endearing yourself to the customer and solidify the partnership for the long term. You will not be judged by the fact that there was an issue, but rather on how you respond. There is no quicker way to lose a client than failure to resolve a problem in a timely manner, and also no better way to create long term relationships than building trust by solving issues in satisfactory fashion.

8. Establish Pro-Active Communication

Pro-active communication is what separates the wheat from the chafe. Efforts that delight your clients engender trust because it indicates that they are working with a high performing, well-oiled machine. Here are a few examples of what pro-active communication looks like:

· Reach out ahead of scheduled meetings with a proposed agenda and ask for their input so as to help them feel that they are a part of the process and team.

· Email summaries of all formal meetings that take place during the on-boarding process and beyond.

· Email updates in-between scheduled meetings that serve to inform the client of a positive update or a negative one and how you are addressing it. The latter is more powerful than the former; see #7.

· Delight your client by over-delivering. Go the extra mile to help them set up their software. Or perhaps you are able to lobby the product team to add a piece of software functionality to the pipeline earlier than anticipated that solves a workflow requirement.

· Know your client’s business. Take time to research your client’s industry and send them a relevant article that relates to the project in some way. At the very least, it shows that you are making material efforts to understand them and be their partner.

9. Documented Sign-Offs

Nothing will protect your organization from a disgruntled customer better than written sign-offs. Provide every client with a grace period toward the end of an implementation to access, explore, and test their software portal to their satisfaction prior to Go Live. This is absolutely necessary because, unfortunately, clients fail to deeply test their use-case before going live and realize too late that there are product fit and/or customization issues with their newly minted solution. Clients that have not figured out their workflow yet are especially fickle with their needs and ever-changing requirements can easily be miss-construed as product short-comings. By incorporating sign-offs into the workflow you put the onus on the customer to confirm in writing that what you procured is in fact what they requested. If changes are needed in the future, post Go Live, they will be addressed but are not a fire to be put out immediately.

Additional Resources:

Key Performance Indicators for Your Implementation Process

· Lead Time: Span of time required to perform the process (or series of operations). i.e. value added time + non-value added time from initiation to fulfillment.

· Throughput [time]: Total time required to perform value-added processes only

· Process Efficiency: Lead Time / Throughput

· Cycle Time: The time needed to complete a certain task or activity.

· Process Capacity: # of employee / processing time (of the bottleneck process step)

· Client Satisfaction Score at Go Live

· On-Time Completion Percentage: Whether or not an assignment or task on your implementation schedule is completed by a given deadline.

· Number of Adjustments To The Schedule: How many times your team has made adjustments to the completion date of the project as a whole.

Recommended Productivity Tools

· Communication: Slack, Zoom

· Customer Support: ZenDesk Guide

· CRM: Salesforce Lightening

· Project management: Basecamp, Trello

· Product management: Aha

· Ticket management: Jira, Redmine

· Workflow mapping: Lucid Charts

· Survey creation: Google surveys, Survey Monkey

*All of these offer free trials and have robust integrations with one another that will allow you to create a streamlined workflow for your implementation process and keep your team on the same page.