Remote Implementation: Trade Promotion SaaS
I’m writing this blog from my kitchen table while my power is out. Something that probably would not have happened in February.
We’ve said it before. We’ll say it again. The world has changed a lot this year.
One big change:
Many of us have been working from home exclusively…and it might stay that way for a while.
As a matter of fact, the Associated Press reported that more than one-fifth (1.5 billion) of the world’s population was ordered or urged to stay home. That is a lot of folks working from home!
This probably leads you down a path of concern, especially when it comes to business projects that would normally be completed by a bunch of people in a traditional office environment.
With the rise of the newly-remote workforce, cloud software solutions that increase collaboration, visibility and business outcomes are even more important. Trade SaaS solutions are able to be implemented remotely and are in a unique position to help CPGs manage, monitor and optimize their spending strategy.
In a world where sudden situations arise, having a tech stack that is purely SaaS enables companies like us to shift our workforce from office to remote in just a few hours.” – Jami Rahman, Solutions Architect, Bynder
You might wonder:
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How will the remote work dynamic impact my ability to transform and grow my business?
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Remote implementation of trade spend software is going to be impossible, right? Especially from my daughter’s desk.
Thinking about taking on a software implementation project during all this uncertainty (and from your home) is scary. But we’ve talked with our experts, and we have some great news:
Your worries can be put to rest.
Remote implementation of Blacksmith’s TPM & TPO solutions isn’t a challenge for your business.
It’s a win.
Add that trade promotion management improvement goal back on the top of your list!
What’s different and what’s the same with remote software implementation?
Implementing Trade Promotion SaaS Remotely: What’s Different?
Of course, we’d prefer to see your office, meet your team in person, and become physically ingrained in your culture.
But, for now, video calls with your virtual conference background of choice will have to do.
And you know what?
It does quite well.
We’ll have enough conference calls that you’ll feel like you’ve known us for years.
We can still put faces to names and deeply understand your needs without actual face-to-face interaction.
To start your virtual trade promotion software implementation, we need to get a deep understanding of your current master data and help you build a path to get that data to the trade systems and back again. We need to discuss the way data impacts the application and transaction postings within your ERP.
Since this is normally an in-person, full-day meeting. You might ask…
How are we replicating these critical conversations remotely?
Because no one wants to sit on one conference call for 8 hours straight (trust us, we don’t do full-day meetings without breakfast and lunch provided either), we will break this up into 1-2 hour meetings across a few days.
This allows you (and us) to keep clear, focused minds as we tackle this crucial step.
A similar situation presents itself at the end of remote implementation: System training.
Typically, training would be a full day meeting in person. For now, we will break this into some smaller sessions over video conference with our dedicated team.
What’s the Same?
✅ We will still configure your trade solution instance based on best practices and your specific requirements to ensure we meet all of your needs.
✅ We will spend as many hours as necessary to help you cleanse data, test the application and interfaces thoroughly, and ensure a successful implementation.
✅ Your staff will have the attention of our professional services team making sure that you get the most from your investment in Blacksmith’s trade technology.
✅ Data will be sent back and forth exactly as if all parties were in the office (thank you, cloud software!).
Your business goals are still important.
Resources have shifted away from things like traveling, but they can shift towards focusing on improving the bottom line, through actions like implementing trade management and optimization software.
While some priorities may have changed within your business, profitability and sales should never be compromised.
