Original Date: 06/02/2003
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

ABC Virtual Communications, Inc. created a dedicated implementation team to work with its customers, from initial planning through deployment and training. By maintaining a single team throughout the process, ABC Virtual Communications, Inc. fosters better communication between the customer and the developers, which results in smoother and faster system roll-outs, better user training, and increased customer satisfaction.

Prior to 2003, ABC Virtual Communications, Inc. (ABCV) used many different teams to handle various customer- related functions. The sales team collected customer requirements and data, a build team created customized software modules, a Quality Assurance (QA) Team verified the setup when the product was delivered, and a separate support team provided follow-up support. Because of insufficient communication between the teams, installations suffered from slower-than-anticipated customer acceptance. ABCV’s solution was to create a dedicated implementation team.

The implementation team works with the customer to establish requirements for the target environment and the deployment, collects customer data, and identifies any needed specific customization. Before the software is ready to be deployed, the implementation team begins working with the customer’s own people to “train the trainers,” including providing demo environments for the customer to begin learning. When the software is ready for delivery, the implementation team remains on-site to help users learn the new software and acclimate to new ways of doing things. Ordinarily, the implementation team remains with the customer for 120 days. During the first 30 days, the team provides the users with “tips and tricks” to help them get the most out of their new software. From 30-60 days, the implementation team focuses on mitigating any function gaps; and during the last 60 days, works on prioritizing additional customization. Since implementing this process, software roll-out times are measured in days rather than weeks and customer satisfaction has increased, which is reflected in greater system usage and fewer help desk calls.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.