Teaching users that change is not always bad

Training as an end-user sales aid

You're about to roll out an enterprise application that touches most parts of the organization - how should you go about training the end users whose way of working will dramatically change when the new software is introduced? That was the issue broadband service provider Knology was confronted with when it rolled out an integrated CRM and field service job scheduling application into the 9 cities in five Southeast states where it operates.

Knology, which provides bundled communication services to customers in midsize cities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, introduced Clarify's CRM system integrated with ClickSoftware's ClickSchedule application to help it consolidate its call center and job scheduling functions.

Before the software was introduced, the central customer service rep had to juggle the different scheduling methods that each city used, explains Rob Hemker, senior IT manager of applications and development at Knology. Also, the traditional method relied on the dispatchers - the workers who interface between the field technicians and the customer service reps - knowing the city layout. Often, technicians were dispatched to jobs based on availability or convenience rather than on the engineer's proximity or specific skills, says Hemker. Now, ClickSchedule schedules jobs to whoever is the closest or is best skilled to solve the customer's problem.The software also allows the dispatcher to see how each engineer is doing throughout the day and whether he can take on more jobs.

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You're about to roll out an enterprise application that touches most parts of the organization - how should you go about training the end users whose way of working will dramatically change when the new software is introduced? That was the issue broadband service provider Knology was confronted with when it rolled out an integrated CRM and field service job scheduling application into the 9 cities in five Southeast states where it operates.

Knology, which provides bundled communication services to customers in midsize cities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, introduced Clarify's CRM system integrated with ClickSoftware's ClickSchedule application to help it consolidate its call center and job scheduling functions.

Before the software was introduced, the central customer service rep had to juggle the different scheduling methods that each city used, explains Rob Hemker, senior IT manager of applications and development at Knology. Also, the traditional method relied on the dispatchers - the workers who interface between the field technicians and the customer service reps - knowing the city layout. Often, technicians were dispatched to jobs based on availability or convenience rather than on the engineer's proximity or specific skills, says Hemker. Now, ClickSchedule schedules jobs to whoever is the closest or is best skilled to solve the customer's problem.The software also allows the dispatcher to see how each engineer is doing throughout the day and whether he can take on more jobs.

Knology trained the corporate training staff and a handful of key users on the CRM and scheduling software six weeks prior to system launch. The idea was to "sell" the software and functions to these users who could give their feedback on the application and promote the benefits of the software to their colleagues before the rest of the company received training. Knology's vice president of operations also championed the software throughout the organization.

"Change presents both opportunities and challenges. We have used sales to focus on the opportunities," says Hemker. "We are becoming more efficient and freeing them to do other things." This initial training exercise was also valuable to Hemker and his team as it taught them what were important to dispatchers when routing jobs.

Eventually, approximately 1,100 employees received training on the CRM software and between 100 and 150 people received training on ClickSchedule, before the software was rolled out to each division. By training a handful of key users first, the trainers were prepared and able to answer many of the questions that came up during the main training program because many of these questions also came up during the initial training.

So what's Hemker's advice for IT execs who are just about to roll out an enterprisewide app? Sell it to your key end users by training them first so they can provide input and evangelize about the new application to their colleagues before general rollout and training, and to get top-level buy-in from the beginning.