Overpromising and under delivering
Jarret kicked off the conversation with some revelations about the “dirty secrets” in response to Bill asking us what the important problems are that lead to unhappiness with cloud implementations:
One of the dirty little secrets in the consulting world is that some software integrators are still overpromising, they’re over estimating their expertise and experience to try to win new project work.
This is definitely something that we’re seeing in the SuccessFactors world. If you ever visit an industry conference, you’ll probably be surprised to see that every consulting firm are “the experts” in SuccessFactors. Customers need to make sure they do their due diligence on any potential partner and we’ll touch on this a little later. Jarret made another comment about the current situation:
The great news for customers is that there’s a new breed of consulting firms that really understand how to deploy cloud-based technology. They’re doing so with smaller teams of more experienced consultants, and doing so with a combination of remote and on-site consulting.
There is definitely a new breed of consulting partners with fresh perspectives and cloud DNA. Firms like Aasonn, Cloud Consulting Partners, and – I’m not ashamed to say it – Hula Partners have been implementing cloud since their inception and know how it all comes together for maximum customer value. It’s not just a deployment model, but a mindset that moves beyond technical implementations to value-adding business solutions that solve real customer challenges and pain points. It also involves fewer people with more rounded techno-functional skillsets and understanding of business process and organizational culture.
Unrealistic expectations
Next I was given the opportunity to give my viewpoints on the important problems and what customers can do to solve them:
Customers are still approaching cloud implementations like on-premise implementations, even though they have a different make-up. Some systems integrators and to some extend some sales executives are setting unrealistic expectations about the time it takes to implement a cloud system.
I always think it is important for a customer to think about whether they want to rush a huge, business-changing enterprise software implementation or whether they want to be more patient and thorough with such a large impact on the organization. Just because you can slam in a system in 3 months do you really want your implementation team spending 100% of their time on this initiative with no room to discuss and make the many important decisions – including unexpected decisions – that need to be made? And who is going to do their job while they’re working on this project? How can you even guarantee having the right team available during such a short period? Although it sounds good to be able to get a system implemented rapidly, the real fact is that there are many unwanted side effects that should be avoided.
Research, due diligence, and more research
Bill asked me to continue the conversation by giving my insights on how customers can get the best value out of SIs. Among my responses, I thought this piece was especially worth highlighting:
[Customers] should also be looking at doing the due diligence on their system integrator. Recently a pharmaceutical company that we were working with in the sales cycle had asked us to speak to some of our customers, they had asked us how many implementations we’d done, how many certified consultants we had, they event went as far as asking for the names and resumes of all of the people that were going to be on the project.
This is probably the most important part of any implementation – selecting the right partner. The above example is the perfect example of what a customer should do. They had worked closely and negotiated with a number of partners on the proposal and performed substantial due diligence on the partners. Customer references, a strong team of Certified Professionals in each area, and reviewing the details and track record of the partner implementations ensured that they chose the right partner to deliver their project.
Any good partner will be able to provide solid references – not just on whether the partner is nice to work with, but what the goals of the project was, how the project was delivered, and what the outcomes were – and will have Certified Professionals in most or all of the modules being delivered. There is no substitute for the experience gained by Certified Professionals and choosing consultants who don’t have Certified Professional status means that there is a risk they won’t have enough experience to lead a project. It doesn’t matter how many implementation projects a consultant has worked on, if they don’t have Certified Professional status then they won’t have delivered at least two projects across the entire project lifecycle and this experience is critical to achieve a smooth and effective implementation.
Smart customers choose the right partners
Bill asked Jarret how he felt about being grilled by a prospect and among many of the essential pieces of advice he gave was:
A large pharmaceutical customer of mine is going down this journey right now … they’re reviewing all of their business processes. They realized we deployed on-premise technology 17 years ago. HR has changed, IT has changed, our business has changed, and they’re really looking to find some lessons that when they do their implementation they’re going to be that much further ahead.
This statement is true for so many customers who are using on-premise technology, even if they’re still getting lots of value out of the software. So much has changed in the world since many of the current on-premise systems were released and although they have innovated over the years, their core foundation is built for doing business in a world that most organizations have moved on from. Having a modern mindset and having a partner that understands cloud technology, modern business processes, and how to provide real value in a cloud world is imperative to taking advantage of cloud technology and the constant innovation it will bring. Approaching a cloud implementation as an on-premise implementation will mean teaching an old dog old tricks. It is up to you to ensure that embrace the new world and make the right decisions in your project.
And finally… Key topics we didn’t cover
There are many topics we simply couldn’t cover in this short interview. The consultant skillset has changed with the cloud and consultants have struggled with the transition from single-skilled roles to multi-faceted skillsets and there are many pitfalls they need to overcome to make the jump into SuccessFactors. Be aware of consulting leaders, sales executives, and marketing professionals who are writing or speaking at conferences – their motive may be more around positioning their consultancies than providing useful information. Ask yourself, “Is this individual really implementing software? Do they really have hands-on experience?” A deeper dive will often provide the answer.
It’s worth watching Mike Ettling’s SuccessConnect 2015 Keynote if you haven’t yet seen it as he touches on a few topics that are relevant for customers and cloud implementations.
