This is our guide to launching a successful Collaborate platform.
This is our guide to launching a successful Collaborate platform. With these resources, and the support of our team, we want to help you get implemented quickly and start seeing value from our software.
Formal deployments look different in every organization. The important thing is that users are notified, trained, and have the proper incentive to use the new process. The success of the deployment is key to getting value out of your investment in Collaborate and the time you’ve spent setting it up.
Consider Collaborate’s best practice approach to deploying a new solution by creating your own strategy and timeline (including specific dates!) to execute in the following key areas:
Testing - Include System Integration testing, end-user testing, time for any necessary revisions, and a final sign-off date.
Migration - Move the solution to your production environment if needed and confirm that solution still performs as expected.
Go-Live - Set the date that your Collaborate users will begin using the platform for live document generation.
Phase-out “the old way” - Set a date (we recommend 30-60 days after go-live) when your Collaborate users will no longer have access to “the old way.” Once these old systems/processes have been phased out, only Collaborate will be used for document generation going forward.
Communicate to Collaborate users - Generate excitement about the Collaborate platform and share key dates regarding training, go-live, and phase-out dates for old systems. Consider sending a monthly “Tips & Tricks” email to keep users up to date on the most recent improvements.
Provision User Licenses - Create user credentials and add users to the correct roles and permissions groups.
Training - Consider what individual behavior changes you are asking the users to make and address them in your training. Create and distribute training materials (we recommend a step-by-step user guide and a short recorded video). Host training sessions for Collaborate users, and make them aware of available support resources and where they can log feedback going forward. Also consider how you will reinforce the use of this new tool with follow-up training, office hours to answer questions, or quick check-ins at team meetings to monitor usage and success.
Collect User Feedback - Continue to assess your users’ needs and iterate and improve Collaborate as applicable. This might be as simple as asking your users to email feedback or as formal as sending out a survey to capture more detailed feedback.
Recognize and Reward - Consider how you will recognize and reward users for adopting this new tool. Some examples include: celebrating a user’s first accepted document, highlighting user success stories at team gatherings, or creating leaderboards in your CRM.
Track Success Metrics - We recommend selecting success criteria and metrics to track based on the goals you wish to achieve. For example, if you have a goal to shorten your sales cycle, monitor metrics in Collaborate’s reporting tool that help track time, such as: Time to Build, Time to First View, or Time to Close. Set aside time (we suggest monthly) to track your progress, and when possible, always take a snapshot of this metric “before Collaborate,” so you can compare your success.
Here is an example Rollout and Adoption Timeline:
Also, check out our deployment workbook. It’s designed for large organizations that need extra strategies for success. This workbook walks project managers and key stakeholders through several detailed planning exercises, expanding on several concepts presented in this article, with the goal of crafting an end-to-end enterprise-level deployment plan.
