When implementing a new software or company-wide system, many organizations conduct a conference room pilot as part of the vendor selection process. An effective conference room pilot allows users to fully test the software, ask questions, document processes, and identify and resolve pain points.
End-User Satisfaction Conference room pilots can give organizations valuable insight into end-user satisfaction leading to more impactful information such as adoption rates, return on investment (ROI), and overall success of the implementation. Engaging end-users in the pre-selection phase provides a transparent, collaborative opportunity to identify impacts of the switch and assess training requirements.
Examples of end-users from key departments: Information Technology: Chief Technology Officer, Developers
Finance: Accountants, Accounts Payable Manager, Controller, Chief Financial Officer
Sales: Sales Representatives who are top business travelers
Workflows & Technical Requirements Prior to go-live, it’s important to identify issues and resolve pain points. Before conducting a conference room pilot, define a list of technical requirements and map the data scrubbing and reconciliation processes. Document mandatory workflows from start to finish of the expense management process, for all user roles. Ensure that day-to-day users are involved with this documentation, as they will be able to provide insight into these requirements.
Examples of requirements could include: Mobile capabilities
Integration with current business software
On-demand reporting and analytic
Ongoing software support for all users
The Final Selection Process The last step in a conference room pilot is vendor selection. Consider H&R Block, who selected their expense management software through a conference room pilot—enlisting top users to test several systems simultaneously:
“We let the users of the system the power users, the admins, the people that really have a stake in this use the system from day to day, they are going to select the system…At the end of the day, they cast their vote: 9 out of 10 users selected Certify as their vendor. To us, that really spoke highly about the product and the end user experience.” Tim Harrison, Director of Corporate Systems, H&R Block
Another consideration in selecting a software vendor is to identify gaps between the new system and the current system. This documentation will be helpful when calculating ROI once the new system is implemented.
When the results are gathered and analyzed, conference room pilots can provide the framework for a successful implementation and switch over. In closing, an insightful quote from Tim Harrison about H&R Block’s successful conference room pilot:
“Picking the right partner, picking the right implementation manager, and not forgetting about change management it’s a critical piece. The technology is amazing but if you don’t have the other pieces in place, it will make the implementation, and ultimately the adoption, more difficult.” To hear H&R Block’s vendor selection story, watch the free webinar here (enter “Certify Guest” as the IMA Number for access).
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