Our daughter was diagnosed with diabetes at a young age. To keep her glucose at an acceptable level, my wife and I had to understand the effects that food, play, bedtime, the weather, and a number of other factors would have.

“To measure is to know,” became our mantra.

Before a sporting event, exam, or anything that required our daughter to perform optimally, there was a lot of preparation, orchestration, and, pun intended, examination. If we didn’t prepare, concern for her health would take center stage, resulting in undesirable mental pressure on the entire family. Not to mention the (obviously less important) potential for poor results caused by diabetes symptoms.

Fast forward through her childhood: Our independent, cheerful, and loving daughter is now travelling the globe by herself in between her studies with constant (and automated) monitoring to measure her intake and resulting glucose levels.

Which reminds me...

Obviously it’s not the same, but I can’t help but notice similarities between giving her the best possible chances for optimal performance and ultimate success to rolling out an enterprise-wide information management solution.

“To measure is to know” is still the mantra.

We require enterprise solutions to be stable, performant, and ultimately deliver on (or above) expectations. To ensure success, organizations will often use a dedicated team to manage operations. Consumers of these solutions can just do their work without having to worry about operational excellence.

I’m describing a private managed service that caters to specific use cases. (Not to be confused with the term adolescent daughter.)

Customer success with OpenText

At OpenText all our privately managed information management cloud solutions are constantly monitored, measured, and assessed during their operational lifecycle, including and especially before they go into production. We call this the Production Readiness Assessment (PRA).

As part of our promise to deliver on our L.O.V.E. model and ensure customer success we prepare, orchestrate, and examine all our managed solutions before releasing them into the world. PRA involves a thorough evaluation of various elements such as performance, security, the application of best practices, and adherence to requirements, both functional and technical.

Gartner highlighted that businesses who adopt a solid production readiness practice are 30% less likely to experience any form of downtime.

This blog introduces PRA as a standard deliverable for all OpenText private managed cloud solutions. Please stay tuned for my follow-up blogs with more detail on the reasons, goals, benefits, and specific checks the PRA delivers.

Until then please access our Production Readiness Best Practices and many more cloud and product-success resources on the OpenText Customer Success Portal (login required) and be part of our L.O.V.E. journey.

The post To measure is to know appeared first on OpenText Blogs.

Customers share their perspectives on OpenText's B2B integration platform

The results are in, OpenText^TM Business Network Cloud customers are deriving significant value from their investments with OpenText. With a legacy spanning decades in the B2B integration space, we've cultivated deep expertise in technologies that seamlessly connect organizations across global supply chains. But don't just take our word for it. Through our partnership with UserEvidence, we're now able to quantify and showcase authentic customer experiences in ways that transcend traditional case studies and testimonials.

This data-driven approach to customer evidence provides potential customers with transparent, verified insights directly from their peers—actual users who leverage our solutions daily to solve complex supply chain challenges.

As organizations continue to navigate unprecedented disruptions and digital transformation initiatives, having access to reliable, peer-validated information is increasingly more critical to the decision-making process. That's why we're particularly proud of what our customers are saying, and how their verified feedback demonstrates the tangible impact of our Business Network solutions.

Quantifying Customer Insights with UserEvidence

UserEvidence, a U.S.-based customer evidence platform, independently validates feedback collected directly from our clients, providing transparent and credible insights into real-world experiences. Recent verified data from this platform clearly demonstrates the significant value OpenText customers are deriving from our Business Network solutions:

• 82% of Open Text Business Network Cloud customers would recommend OpenText B2B Integration Enterprise.​
• 88% of OpenText users agree that B2B Integration Enterprise is a critical component of their supply chain strategy.​
• 89% of OpenText users saw at least a 25% increase in the number of opportunities uncovered from insights generated by using OpenText B2B Integration Enterprise.
• 86% of OpenText users saw an increase in supply chain visibility by at least 25% by using OpenText B2B Integration Enterprise.

Sharing the Impact in Their Own Words: Customer Perspectives

What does this value look like in practice? Our customers explain the tangible benefits they're experiencing.

• “(It’s) user friendly (and) easy to customize. The configuration and connectivity are fully secure and user friendly.” - Naval Singh, EDI business analyst, Google
• “OpenText is a reliable company that provides valuable solutions, which have consistently helped us improve our operations and efficiency.” - Siddheswari Donturkurthi, EDI developer, Sony
• “OpenText has been a trusted partner for many years, and the service they provide has been good. Account managers and experts from OpenText have given great attention to my company.” - Muraly Munandy, Integration Lead, BAT
• “OpenText does a great job of managing, maintaining and administering the components of a managed services EDI relationship.” - Supply Chain Supplier Portal and EDI Administrator, an industrial conglomerates company
• “OpenText has enabled us to participate in EDI transactions with vendors in a timeframe which we could not have matched with our current infrastructure and resources. We are also enabled to increase the number of vendors we exchange documents with relative ease and speed.” - Internet Software & Services Company
• “Using OpenText B2B Integration Enterprise has allowed us to overcome obstacles in meeting our performance goals. We are now at 100% for the month of August!” - Thomas Rolfes, Supervisor, Polaris Industries Inc.

Discovering More Authentic Customer Success Stories

These testimonials represent just a sample of the wealth of customer insights available through our UserEvidence program. For a deeper dive into how OpenText solutions are transforming supply chain operations across diverse industries, explore our comprehensive User Research hub. There, you'll find detailed customer evidence, including quantitative metrics and qualitative feedback that showcase real-world applications and outcomes.

Building Supply Chain Resilience Through Digital Transformation

In today's complex business landscape, OpenText Business Network Cloud delivers more than just connectivity. It provides a robust digital backbone that powers end-to-end visibility and control. Our integrated financial, operational, and supply chain solutions enable organizations to streamline processes, eliminate information silos, and leverage data-driven insights that drive strategic decision-making. As global markets face unprecedented volatility, from geopolitical tensions to environmental challenges, these capabilities aren't merely advantageous — they're essential for maintaining a competitive advantage and operational continuity.

Taking the Next Step in Your Supply Chain Evolution

Ready to see how OpenText can transform your B2B integration capabilities and strengthen your supply chain resilience? Explore how our solutions have helped organizations like yours overcome complex challenges and achieve measurable results.

Visit Business Network Customer Stories to discover specific use cases and implementation successes across various industries and company sizes. Contact us to discuss how we can help you build a more agile, intelligent supply chain ecosystem for the future.

The post Deliver proven ROI: OpenText drives supply chain efficiency, backed by data appeared first on OpenText Blogs.

Purchasing technology for your enterprise, agency, or organization can be a long and exhausting journey. Once the contract has been signed, you’re ready to go, right? The reality is the purchasing decision is more like the prequel to the true story of the journey. A lot goes in to making the “what technology” choice—but now you need to set off on the “how are we going to maximize the value of this investment” portion of the quest.

So, you have an idea of where you want to go, but do you have a clear picture of the specific goals you want to achieve to drive your business forward with this technology? An important part of any journey is a good map. And even better if you have trusty guides who have been there before.

Follow the map, trust your guides

L.O.V.E.™ by OpenText™ is here to ensure that you have an excellent customer experience, from deployment all the way to the outcomes you’re hoping to achieve. We’re with you throughout the journey to help you succeed as we:

Land together: Listening and learning to ensure value at every step.

Operate: Bringing best-in-class implementation and operations.

Value: Regular, proactive communication and reporting to help springboard innovation.

Expand: Ongoing discovery that increases the value of your software investment.

Customized journey, results-focused

Every organization has different goals for their journey—and needs a different level of guidance along the way. OpenText offers three levels of customer success services to make sure you get exactly what you need to achieve your goals.

Standard Success

Every customer starts with some basic essentials for their journey. Our Customer Success Portal (login required) provides access to resources and guidance from customer and technical experts. It includes:

• Standard onboarding and welcome materials to kickstart your journey.
• Self-guided resources
• Customer success and technical success resources to support your business and technical requirements.

Premier Success

Work side-by-side with a customer success team to crystallize your business goals and develop a customer success plan. You also have access to technical success services for support of customizations, integrations, and interfaces including third-party products. This offer includes:

• An assigned customer success manager who guides you through your journey with OpenText.
• A success plan that defines expectations, goals, and metrics that drive the value of the solution.
• Success services that ensure faster time-to-value for priority tickets.
• Access to application consultants for customizations, integrations, and interfaces.

Signature Success

Reach your full potential with support from a customer success manager who helps you with every business and technical detail for long-term success. Accelerate ROI with your tailored success plan, success workshops, and a multi-year training and adoption strategy that upskills your team. It also covers effective change management and works to boost end-user adoption. The offer includes:

• A customer success manager who establishes a joint governance model and proactive communication at all levels of the organization.
• Access to success workshops to understand your business needs and inform a unique proactive approach to your success.
• A tailored success plan that accelerates the value of the solution and ensures a joint strategy for growth.
• A technical success manager who consults with you to plan for scalability and conducts performance, solution health, capacity, and architecture reviews.

In the world of technology, the path to success is not just about making the right purchase; it's about how you navigate the journey afterward. L.O.V.E. by OpenText is here to be your trusted guide, ensuring that your investment in technology reaches its full potential. With three distinct engagement levels, we cater to your unique needs, offering the resources, support, and expertise to drive your business forward. Your journey to success is within reach. With a well-planned map, your organization can soar to new heights. So, let's embark on this technology adventure—designed with you in mind—together.

Find out more by contacting Customer Success, filling out our form, or visiting our Customer Success Portal for more information.

The post Announcing OpenText cloud success subscriptions appeared first on OpenText Blogs.

As a continuation of our commitment to L.O.V.E., the OpenText customer engagement framework, we are pleased to announce the launch of our digital success portal (login required). This new portal is designed to deliver sustained customer engagement and satisfaction, driving growth and retention in the modern, interconnected marketplace.

The OpenText digital success portal supports all customers by providing free digital resources and best practices to enhance customer engagement and drive optimization of OpenText solutions.

OpenText is also pleased to announce a collection of success toolkits available from the portal.

The portal (login required for some links) features resources including:

• Welcome Kit for Extended ECM for SAP SuccessFactors
• Extended ECM for SAP SuccessFactors Success Toolkit
• SAP Onboarding Resource Center for Extended ECM for SAP SuccessFactors
• Core for SAP SuccessFactors Success Toolkit
• Getting Started Guide for Core for SAP SuccessFactors
• Core Archive for SAP Solutions Success Toolkit

The portal is also home to a wealth of customer success and product information, so you can:

• Follow our OpenText blog series
• Read up on release communications for Core for SAP SuccessFactors
• Review the OpenText Core for SAP SuccessFactors product roadmap
• Get high-level consolidated updates for OpenText Extended ECM for SAP SuccessFactors from version 24.1 to 24.2
• Learn about the top 6 new features for Extended ECM for SAP SuccessFactors 24.2

In the coming months, you can look forward to regular updates as well as opportunities to provide input as we continue to develop and optimize the portal. Visit the digital success portal to check out these helpful resources and discover new ones as they are added. If you have feedback on the portal or content you would like to see added in the future, please contact us at opentextsuccess@opentext.com.

The post An important step in your digital transformation journey appeared first on OpenText Blogs.

As we approach St. Patrick’s Day this weekend, our thoughts have turned to what it means to be lucky. Most definitions of the word include the concept of good things happening by chance. Here at OpenText, however, we know that the key to good things happening for our customers is planning.

In September 2023, we introduced the L.O.V.E™ by OpenText™ Customer Success Model. It centers on the tenets of Land, Operate, Value, and Expand throughout the entire customer journey. Its purpose? To achieve seamless engagement, efficient onboarding, widespread adoption, and strategic planning for our customers. The pivotal first step on that journey is success planning.

Unlocking value

Expanding upon the foundational principles of our L.O.V.E model, we are thrilled to introduce our Customer Success Planning Framework. Our dedicated Customer Success teams use this framework to help you expertly navigate through their entire OpenText journey to reach value realization.

The art of connection

For large-scale initiatives, success planning is the roadmap that guides organizations toward their desired outcomes. It’s more than just a process—it’s a shared commitment to excellence. At its core, success planning establishes long-lasting relationships. We develop trust among key stakeholders and sponsors, understanding their aspirations and challenges. It’s these connections that form the foundations for success.

Defining with purpose

Success planning also focuses on defining the primary business challenges and objectives that will shape a successful journey. We work to align with what drives our customers, and we’re not just focused on milestones but purpose. We identify measurable success goals that are commitments to effectively realizing value and meaningful business outcomes.

Efficient success planning

An effective success planning framework propels your efforts forward. OpenText Customer Success Services don’t just guide; we help define, in partnership with you. Our six-stage Success Planning Framework ensures attention is paid at very phase of the process, from value definition to growth and expansion. Working in partnership with you paves the path forward to value realization and achieving the desired business outcomes.
The following outlines our six-stage Success Planning Framework that our OpenText Customer Success teams are committed to.

Start your journey to better business outcomes today! Learn more on our OpenText Customer Success Portal (login required) and be part of our L.O.V.E. journey.

The post Navigating success appeared first on OpenText Blogs.

In the rapidly evolving landscape of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), the role of customer success has become increasingly pivotal. Beyond simply providing reactive technical support, successful businesses recognize the need for a more holistic approach to customer engagement. Enter design empathy—a powerful concept that goes beyond functional aspects to understand and address the emotional and experiential dimensions of customer interactions. In this blog, I explore how design empathy informs and shapes the design of customer success services at OpenText, to create a customer-centric ecosystem that fosters loyalty, satisfaction, and long-term partnerships.

Understanding design empathy

Design empathy certainly isn’t new. It has been informing and shaping how designers formulate service offerings for years. It involves putting yourself in the shoes of the end user to gain a deeper understanding of their needs, challenges, and pain points. Applied to customer success at OpenText, design empathy means crafting solutions that go beyond mere problem-solving at a point in time and instead consider the entire customer journey. The OpenText customer success L.O.V.E. model (Land, Operate, Value, Expand) recognizes that each interaction is an opportunity to build a meaningful relationship, enhancing not only the customer's experience but also the overall success of their solution.

First impressions last

The first interaction with a product often sets the tone for the entire customer journey. As part of the Land together component of our L.O.V.E. model, we ensure that the onboarding experience is not just seamless but also tailored to individual customer needs. By understanding the unique challenges faced by customers in different industries or with distinct use cases, OpenText works to customize the onboarding process, offering relevant guidance and resources. This personalized approach fosters a sense of connection and demonstrates a commitment to the customer's success from the very beginning.

Proactive issue resolution

Design empathy extends beyond anticipating customer needs to proactively addressing potential challenges. By viewing an issue from the customer perspective, the customer success team works to identify potential pain points and work towards resolving issues before they become significant roadblocks. This proactive approach not only prevents disruptions in the customer's journey but also showcases the company's commitment to the customer's own success. It's about being one step ahead and demonstrating a genuine understanding of the customer's business goals and challenges.

Humanizing customer interactions – talk to us

So how does OpenText determine the business goals and challenges of our customers? While technology drives our cloud and off-cloud solutions, the human element remains paramount. Using design empathy, our customer success team works to humanize interactions, making customers feel valued and heard. This involves actively listening to customer feedback, understanding their frustrations, and celebrating their successes. At OpenText, we leverage our specially designed interactive customer workshops to gather the information we need to personalize our service. Built using LucidSpark, these virtual workshops ensure we work to understand our customers and their expectations of us and our service.

Building trust and loyalty

Ultimately, design empathy in customer success builds trust and loyalty. We know our customers are more likely to grow with our solution offerings if we not only meet their functional requirements but also demonstrate a genuine understanding of their business challenges. When customers feel seen, heard, and supported, they are more likely to become advocates for the brand, driving positive word-of-mouth and contributing to long-term business success. Leveraging our tailor-made customer success plans, we always keep the customer’s guiding principles and business needs in constant focus.

The integration of design empathy into customer success services at OpenText is a transformative strategy for our customer base. By understanding and addressing the emotional and experiential aspects of our customer interactions, we are working to create a customer-centric ecosystem that goes beyond technical solutions. We aim to foster loyalty, increased customer satisfaction, and lasting strategic partnerships. As the cloud and off-cloud landscape continues to evolve, the use of design empathy in our customer engagement model will create a future where success is measured not just by the functionality of our product, but by the depth of the customer relationships we forge.

Learn more about OpenText Customer Success Services and be part of our L.O.V.E. journey.

The post The Power of L.O.V.E. appeared first on OpenText Blogs.

What’s the fastest growing department in your organization today? In many cases it’s Customer Success, with good reason. Understanding and managing the outcomes of customers is vital to the health of any organization, including OpenText. So OpenText proudly announces our L.O.V.E.^TM  by OpenText model focused on our outcome-driven customer engagement framework. L.O.V.E. by OpenText actively supports you as you navigate your OpenText journey. We’ve curated resources designed to ensure your success and help you meet your business goals, with the right services at the right time to drive your outcomes.

What is L.O.V.E.?

L.O.V.E. goes far beyond ensuring successful deployments. We focus on the entire customer journey—Land, Operate, Value, and Expand—to ensure seamless engagement, onboarding, adoption, and planning for future growth and optimization of OpenText solutions. It stands on four clear principles:  

• Land together: We start your OpenText journey with something not many other vendors do—we take the time to listen and learn so we understand everything it is you’re trying to achieve. By doing this, Customer Success enables a smooth transition from sales to post-sales activities for a seamless onboarding experience. Our approach provides positive, proactive guidance that can deliver a faster time to value for true business transformation. We work hard to earn respect and deliver return on investment. And we don’t just focus on the short term. We take your medium- and long-term goals into consideration as well.
• Operate: Here we focus on best-in-class implementations and continual successful operations through our Technical Success and Success Management Services. Our OpenText Customer Success Portal (login required) connects customers with free resources, access to communities, best practices for success planning, forums, software, articles, technical documentation, and more. We don’t leave you alone for this important step. Our experts are available 24x7 around the world, and we deliver new product innovation every 90 days to ensure you’re not just competitive, but you lead the pack.
• Value: After Operate, we bring value by partnering with our customers to optimize OpenText solutions to meet your business needs. Our goal is to provide the Product and Success resources you need to support your journey with OpenText. Here we help you drive and realize value with a regular cadence of insights to build your digital future and create innovation for your business.
• Expand: Strong, proactive customer engagement begins with the first “moment of truth” and extends throughout the entire journey. We help you adapt by providing the right tools and assets to ensure customer health, reflection, and achievement for a successful partnership so you continue to get every ounce of value from your investment.

It starts with our people

At the core of our purpose is Customer Success—a relentless dedication to turning commitments into tangible outcomes, reaffirmed through our daily actions. That means we hire customer-centric, active listeners, who are passionate about both understanding what our customers want and helping them achieve their goals. Every OpenText employee acts as if they are an owner of the business, and we aren’t afraid to push and challenge each other to be our best and achieve the most we can for our customers. It’s how we all succeed together.

Join us at OpenText World

Did you hear the news? OpenText™ World will be back in Las Vegas October 11-12! Whether this will be your first time or you’re a repeat attendee, this is one event you won’t want to miss.

Our theme this year is “The future of AI.” What will it mean for your organization and the way you work? How can it help you automate processes, manage and protect information, and collaborate efficiently? Check out all of our planned sessions, then register today to secure the best, limited-time pricing. Learn more about our OpenText Customer Success Services and be part of our L.O.V.E. journey.

The post Introducing L.O.V.E. by OpenText appeared first on OpenText Blogs.

Here’s a Jeopardy question for you: “Concerns not being acted upon, wrong person at the wrong meeting, no direct access and a lack of message clarity.” If you answered “What do customers feel when they interact with service providers?” then perhaps it’s time to take a good look at your communication methods. This is especially important for customer success managers (CSMs) when trying to better understand the needs, challenges and goals of their customers through customer workshops.

The Customer Success team at OpenText™ is taking effective communication to the next level through a series of highly interactive, virtual customer workshops built using LucidSpark. Leveraging virtual environments, we are striving to forge better relationships with our customers by prioritizing their challenges and goals, and delivering the business outcomes they expect from OpenText.  

Success starts with strong communication

Our workshops are designed to put the customer’s business needs first — focusing on what they need to succeed, the challenges they face daily, their business goals and even their vision for the future.

The Executive Intent Workshop for example, has been developed to review the challenges, focus areas and metrics for success of our customers’ senior stakeholders when adopting an OpenText solution. The information gathered serves as our ‘North Star’ for future interactions with their teams and business units. To ensure these needs are clearly understood, OpenText CSMs follow several rules of thumb when facilitating these interactive sessions. 

Our approach to interactive workshops

1. Right topic, right people. We set suitable agendas to ensure the right people are in the virtual ‘room’. We understand that your time is valuable, especially when it comes to bringing together executives and C-suite participants. OpenText CSMs ensure that workshops focus on relevant topics for the right audience. For example, for senior executive stakeholders, we discuss strategic business concerns, whereas technical teams require we focus on their technical challenges.
2. Invoke the Pareto Principle: The customer should be talking 80% of the time, the facilitator 20% or less. If it’s the other way around, the workshop is not working. We ensure that the facilitator’s role in the workshop remains that of facilitator. The workshop is for you and your business. We’re here to listen so we can address your most pressing challenges.
3. Be inclusive: Assuming things about the workshop audience can be counterproductive. For example, not all participants will be familiar with the acronyms a company uses. Our CSMs avoid using jargon that might leave participants feeling confused. Inclusive workshops ensure that all participants feel welcome, that their opinion matters and that the content of the workshop is something truly meant for them.
4. Cover sensitive topics in a safe environment: Not every topic or challenge that arises will be viewed as something to embrace; some challenges might be just plain irksome or frustrating. Our CSMs address concerns in a positive and proactive way to keep conversations productive, ensuring each workshop stays on track, and everyone has an opportunity to give voice to their challenges.
5. Focus on keywords: When utilizing virtual Post-It Notes, we pay attention to the keywords our customers are using. For instance, if a participant writes “Security is a Concern”, we focus on the words "security" and "concern" and determine what they mean to the customer. By drilling into the definition of the words themselves, we get a better understanding of the customer’s perspective. One person’s definition of something may differ wildly from another person’s idea of the same word.
6. Have fun: We always pay attention to the level of engagement in our workshops. We strive to get the most out our time together with customers while getting a true understanding of how we can help. OpenText sees customers as partners—we don’t want to be just another vendor who doesn’t engage with you.  

Engaging with customers in such an interactive way to better understand our customers’ pain points requires that our CSMs work hard to prepare and listen intently. Feedback from customers shows that they thoroughly enjoy the process and are actively engaged during each virtual session.

Interested? Please see our Customer Success Portal for more details.
This is where the fun begins!

The post Effective communication for a successful customer workshop appeared first on OpenText Blogs.

In a recent article, Guy Galon argues that in the wake of Covid-19, customer success is more important for business success than ever. The role of customer success manager (CSM) evolved with the advent of SaaS technology, but companies across numerous sectors now have a customer success function. Still, the role is often poorly understood or confused with customer support. Let’s explore what customer success is, and how working with a CSM can benefit your business.

Understanding the role of CSM vs customer support comes down to two words: proactive vs reactive. Customer support serves a vital and well-understood function as the go-to team for troubleshooting and providing fixes when technology fails to perform as it should. Customer success, in contrast, is a proactive function. CSMs connect with customers soon after they invest in new technology (typically even before implementation is complete) and remain engaged throughout their journey to guide the customer toward their desired outcomes.

What is a customer success plan?

At OpenText, the backbone of every customer success engagement is the customer success plan. The customer success plan defines success as the customer sees it, by outlining the business objectives to be achieved, as well as a roadmap for how to achieve them. The plan is jointly developed by key customer stakeholders with support from the CSM. It is a living document that is updated throughout the customer success engagement.

Unlike customer support, which aims to ensure that software is functioning as designed, the target outcomes of customer success will be unique to each customer. Gainsight observes that when it comes to success, “There isn’t a one-size-fits-all definition, but there is a methodology for discovering how your customer defines success and perceives value.” While goals are always unique, CSMs leverage a proven methodology to support customers in defining their goals and building a plan for how to achieve them. At OpenText, CSMs lead a series of workshops, each with a defined outcome, to structure and guide the success planning process.

What are the benefits of developing a customer success plan?

Certainly, defining and prioritizing the outcomes to be achieved is a crucial step when implementing new technology. But there are numerous benefits to success planning besides goal setting. The customer success plan also breaks down the steps needed to achieve those goals. Forrester notes that “having a formalized success plan helps CSMs design a framework and implement processes to meet customer goals, bringing other internal teams together where needed[1].” In addition to goal setting and planning, the customer success plan ensures that the right resources are in place for customers to realize value from their new product. Examples may include product information, support for internal communication or plans for employee training.

CSMs also help customers develop a governance framework. Effective governance is essential to any digital transformation effort but is not delivered by customer support teams. Governance frameworks define how decisions are made within the customer organization, and who has the authority to make them. Because digital transformation efforts are inherently complex and multi-layered, implementing a governance framework is vital to streamline decision-making. It ensures that roles and responsibilities, together with decision-making authority, are clearly articulated and agreed upon, so that when decisive action must be taken, projects don’t get sidetracked due to lack of clarity. Like the customer success plan, it also helps build buy in well before projects get underway. CSMs work closely with customers to develop and implement a governance framework in parallel to developing a success plan. Without the necessary structures in place for efficient and effective decision making, the success plan risks never being fully implemented.

The role of the CSM encompasses more than these two essential elements. In addition, CSMs help customers plan for and proactively avoid key pitfalls that can hamper or stall digital transformation efforts. Research demonstrates that simply choosing the right technology won’t guarantee success. Other factors can profoundly impact outcomes. Two of the biggest, poor user adoption and organizational change management are explored in past blogs. Taken together, these factors can cause digital transformation efforts to fail, stall, or never realize their full potential. Working with a CSM alleviates these challenges, as part of their role is to ensure plans are in place to proactively avoid these obstacles.

The benefits of working with a CSM go far beyond those highlighted here. Forrester observes that “Trust is the currency of Customer Success[2]” noting “Customers must feel their provider understands their situation and empathizes with their concerns to begin the journey toward value realization. Trust is the momentum that sets progress in motion[3].” In addition to supporting success planning and governance, CSMs are trusted advocates who connect customers to people and resources to provide support throughout their journey.

To find out more explore the OpenText Success Portal or discover OpenText Customer Success Services.

[1] The Role of Customer Success in Building Trust, Forrester Research Inc., July 12, 2022.

[2] The Role of Customer Success in Building Trust, Forrester Research Inc., July 12, 2022.

[3] The Role of Customer Success in Building Trust, Forrester Research Inc., July 12, 2022.

The post A foundation of trust: The role of a Customer Success Manager appeared first on OpenText Blogs.

Michael O’Malley argues “it isn’t the technology itself that IT projects trip over.” Research from the Project Management Institute confirms that change management challenges account for most project failures. Harvard Business School defines organizational change management (OCM) as the process of guiding organizational change to a successful resolution and notes that it typically includes three phases: preparation, implementation, and follow-through.

When it comes to introducing new technologies, OCM is particularly important. If a new technology is underutilized, it is not worth the organization’s investment, regardless of how well it addresses the use case. While a new application’s technical benefits may be clear to the buying team, employees may see the new software as disruptive if it requires changing existing processes. Ultimately, if employees don’t embrace the change, it won’t be a success. With technological change now a business imperative, how can organizations ensure successful change management? Here are six best practices:

1. Define success

First and foremost, the goals of any change that will significantly impact workflows must be clearly defined. Goals provide a reference to measure progress against. It is helpful to establish goals in 3 key areas:

• People: Consider all stakeholders impacted by the planned change (including decision-makers, the implementation team, and users), and define how they will be informed and enabled on the new technology to maximize its value. Identify change champions who will help lead the way by becoming early adopters and advocates.
• Process: Outline the change management process, including required approvals. The simpler the process, the easier it will be to implement.
• Governance: Governance is a framework that defines how decisions are made and who has the authority to make them. Outline who has the authority to make decisions about buying and implementing new technology, as well as about communicating change.

2. Plan for success

It will pay big dividends to plan not only the implementation, but how stakeholders will be informed and engaged, and how decisions will be made. There is also clear evidence that neglecting change management can mean failing to achieve desired business outcomes or ROI. Working with a Customer Success Manager can help customers achieve stronger adoption and better overall results by helping develop a success plan that addresses both technology changes and change management strategy.

3. Emphasize Communication

To be supported across the organization, change must be communicated to all stakeholders, not only those directly impacted. Both process changes and desired business impacts should be shared to ensure that employees see their value. Communicating well in advance of significant changes creates opportunities to raise concerns and may flag challenges well before they derail progress. For OCM to succeed, it is important to foster a two-way dialogue. Listen to feedback, gauge employee response, and allow employees to suggest ideas for improvement. Finally, having an executive sponsor communicate the benefits also has several positive impacts. Transparency fosters trust, and communication from leadership encourages employee buy-in.

4. Engage employees

When it comes to communicating change, both the medium and the message matter. That is, both the information shared and the platform used can impact how the message is received. Delivering information in a format that invites sharing and discussion, such as social media, may increase engagement and boost buy-in. Some employees will adapt to change faster than others. Encouraging knowledge sharing will speed the learning process across the organization.

Effective communication and employee engagement will not only ensure a more successful change management process, but they are also essential to success. Employees who are not engaged or unsupportive of the change pose risks to overall success. Their resistance may inspire other employees to lose support for the project.

5. Train and reassure your teams

Beyond planning and communication, training is an important aspect of successful OCM. A training plan should be built into your change management plan. This can help ensure that you “hit the ground running” post-implementation rather than waiting for employees to adapt to new practices.

6. Celebrate successes

Celebrating wins and milestones can further support the transformation process. One way to do this is by recognizing change champions, employees who demonstrate leadership by adapting to change and sharing the positive results with co-workers. Simply recognizing employees who adopt new behaviours can be a great motivator to support change.

The phrase “begin with the end in mind” is fitting advice when it comes to change management. Before initiating change, all organizations will benefit from defining both desired outcomes and the path to achieving them.

Technology vendors are increasingly aware that technical support alone is not enough to help customers maximize the value of their technology investments. OpenText Customer Success Services supports customers in defining their goals, developing change management strategies, and implementing a governance framework. OpenText customers can find out more about success best practices resources in our Customer Success portal.

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