“I just spent so much time and money planning my workforce solutions program, and the program completely failed when it came time to implement.” - this is a statement no one ever wants to make, but it’s an unfortunate reality for some companies who think their job is done once the initial details of their workforce program are in place.
While your workforce solutions partner is there to handle most of the work, it’s best not to leave it all to them. To prevent your program from failing like many others do during the implementation phase, keep reading for some key insights into the importance of client participation and communication.
Establishing an Implementation Team
Your company’s first step should be setting up an internal implementation team. It’s best to have your own contacts dedicated to the program to streamline communication. This team should stay up-to-date on all activities, lending support to the program provider where needed. By knowing who to contact on your team when questions arise, the provider can avoid any unnecessary delays. Since the implementation process often involves a lot of back and forth to ensure your needs are being met, minimizing communication lags will help your program reach the go-live date quicker.
Your internal implementation team could include stakeholders from various departments, commonly including IT, HRIS, Contingent Workforce Hiring Managers, Accounts Payable & Receivable, HR, etc. Essentially, anyone working in your company’s contingent workforce space can be a valuable resource to ensure program implementation goes off without a hitch.
Why Client Participation Matters During Implementation
As someone who has been involved in many program implementations, I have seen firsthand how effective client participation leads to success, while a lack of involvement can cause significant problems. Here are some of the key benefits of client participation I have witnessed throughout my experience.
Ensuring Accuracy
No one knows your company better than its employees, so their involvement ensures the program provider has the information required to accurately set up your program. Every company operates differently, so your team will need to answer questions and provide insights regarding how your internal processes work, who the invoicing contacts are, what internal systems you utilize and if there will be any system crossovers, etc. If your team doesn’t give this input, your provider will have to play a guessing game that could understandably lead to program issues and dissatisfaction.
Clarifying Expectations
To ensure you and your provider are aligned on what needs to occur during implementation, it’s crucial to clarify expectations together. You need to share what your company expects to achieve throughout the implementation process, and vice versa. Once all parties are on the same page, the provider will create a realistic implementation timeline to share with your team to provide visibility into the goals/deadlines for each component of the process and avoid any disappointment due to ambiguous expectations.
Building Relationships
Working closely with your provider also helps build a strong relationship. Establishing rapport, trust, and understanding leads to seamless collaboration as you and your provider work towards common goals. Program implementation can be a lengthy process, so developing healthy relationships between both parties will make the process more efficient and enjoyable.
Customizing Your Solution
If you are like most companies, customization is probably very important to you. A good workforce solutions provider will tailor the program to your specific needs, and the most effective way to customize your solution is by involving your team in every step of the process. When your internal implementation team is readily available, you can call out components of the program that need adjustment and pinpoint areas for further customization.
A workforce solutions provider can also highlight customization opportunities and receive your feedback in real-time. Without your involvement, the provider will likely adhere to a standard solution which means you will miss out on achieving maximum value for your business.
Addressing Issues
Challenges are virtually inevitable during any program implementation – sometimes causing a significant halt. When your team is part of the implementation meetings, however, you can witness hiccups in real-time and help identify the cause of them which minimizes any potential delays. This is especially useful when the challenge stems from an internal department or operation within your organization, and the individuals who can fix it are in the meetings and can immediately work to resolve the issue. When you and the provider collaborate closely, stop gaps can be easily eliminated to ensure the implementation process continues as scheduled.
Promoting Change Management
Successful implementation often requires a thorough change management process to encourage program adoption throughout the client organization. Providers may offer clients a generic change management plan with communication templates and training decks. While these materials can be helpful for some companies, they may not fit your company’s culture and procedures. A good provider will give your team a voice to decide how you want the program to be introduced to the rest of your company.
By staying involved in the process, you can ensure the change management plan aligns with how your company communicates and learns best. For example, you might want your company president to write and distribute personalized communications concerning the changes, or you might want to train your employees differently than other companies do. Collaborating on these decisions will improve program adoption and promote a seamless transition, no matter what path you choose to take.
Generating Excitement
Lastly, active participation in the process can help spread excitement about the changes within your company. Seeing firsthand how processes will improve and job duties will become more streamlined can spark excitement for the changes ahead. Your implementation team can share this positivity with the rest of your company which will foster anticipation for the go-live date. This will be a big change for everyone in the contingent workforce space, so it’s important to turn their potential hesitations into excitement for something new.
Your team’s consistent engagement throughout the implementation process is a critical component of your program’s success, but first you need to find a workforce solutions provider that’s willing to listen to you in order for your participation to matter. You deserve to have a voice throughout the entirety of your program, and at DZConneX, we are eager to listen and tailor your program to meet your unique workforce needs.
