Summary
Situation: The company’s most utilized software tool was limited and created suboptimal operation processes across the majority of teams.
Task: Evaluate alternative options and make a recommendation with a proposed implementation timeline.
Action: Interviewed all relevant departments to uncover major pain points with the tool that negatively impacted customer and employee experiences, as well as revenue generation.
Result: Developed a slide deck pitching a new tool against alternative options, recommending a replacement as the best course of action.
Details
For years, the company had been in dire need of replacing its most-used software tool. The outdated system forced staff to perform a high volume of tedious and time-consuming tasks that could easily be automated. This high-volume manual data entry not only led to higher error rates but also resulted in a poor customer experience, keeping us uncompetitive in the market.
Leadership finally approved the replacement project. However, nine months into the process, the project manager left the company, and I was entrusted to continue the work until a replacement could be found.
While vetting potential vendors, we discovered that no process mapping existed for the customer-facing teams, which was critical for vendors to assess whether they could meet our integration needs. I took ownership of this project, interviewing, documenting, and reviewing all customer-facing teams’ workflows with their department heads.
During these interviews, several major pain points were identified across all departments, including unnecessarily time-consuming processes, bottlenecks, and outdated technology that negatively impacted customer and employee experiences, as well as conversion rates.
Despite the urgency and clear need for a prompt solution, convincing the ownership team was challenging. I had to exercise soft skills and diplomacy to advocate for the speedy replacement of the software tool. While bi-weekly discussions were ongoing, many details got lost in conversations.
With the support of several leadership team members, I compiled a concise business case to present to the ownership team. This business case directly connected the software tool’s problems and solutions to the company’s vision, purpose, and goals. The objective was to clearly guide them to the conclusion we wanted them to reach and hope for the best.
Despite being one of my most challenging projects to date, I am grateful for the opportunity it provided to exercise my analytical, project management, communication, relationship-building, and cross-functional teamwork skills. While I ultimately was not the decision-maker, I took pride in the effort I made to develop the most compelling business case possible for the project.
Lessons Learned
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- Understand the User Journey: Thoroughly map and document the entire user journey to identify pain points and inefficiencies. This is crucial for making informed decisions about software and process improvements.
- Effective Communication: Clear and concise communication is key when presenting a business case. Tailor your messaging to align with the company’s vision, purpose, and goals to gain stakeholder buy-in.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Actively engage with all relevant stakeholders to gather insights and ensure their needs are addressed. This fosters collaboration and support for the project’s success.
- Adaptability and Resilience: Be prepared to adapt your approach and remain resilient in the face of challenges. Sometimes, the obvious solution may not be immediately apparent to everyone involved.
- Holistic Approach: Consider both employee and customer experiences when proposing solutions. Improving operational efficiency can have a positive impact on both revenue generation and customer satisfaction.