Case Study
Phase One: VoIP Rollout
One of America’s leading financial institutions partnered with JPW to launch a company-wide project to modernize its existing telecommunications base. The firm selected JPW’s change management specialists to work with its financial advisors and client associates, and JPW identified the project’s central objective: working with personnel during all stages of the transition in order to ensure high levels of adoption of the new VoIP system.
The start of the deployment support and training process positioned JPW as business analysts, capturing data that would be used by all the other project partners. The role afforded JPW the opportunity to share information and feedback in real time, as we developed a customized change management plan geared towards maximizing adoption of the new system.
Preparing for the conversion of multiple telephone systems to the chosen VoIP solution required us to accurately assess the needs of tens of thousands of financial and client associates across the country. After comprehensive end user data gathering, we deployed several methods of training to meet both individual and company needs. Each office’s transition program typically included web based familiarization prior to rollout, on-site group sessions, and deskside one-on-one assistance. From Sacramento to Boston, JPW’s change management specialists worked with hundreds of personnel each week across multiple cities, utilizing as many as 100 specialists at any given time.
Phase Two: Salesforce.com Integration
Salesforce.com programs provide a distinct advantage that can separate an organization from its competitors. Knowing this, the client returned to JPW for its transition needs in integrating salesforce.com with their financial workstation. We worked closely with the firm and a third-party conversion company during the data migration to understand the users’ transition needs. We then developed a flexible, tailored transition program to provide accurate, relevant information and provided answers to individual personnel questions in a very short time period without disrupting daily activities or the client’s business purpose.
Our team prepared preparatory information to end users and conducted preliminary surveys to evaluate end users’ needs and expectations. We then delivered essential information via group sessions, desk-side support, and best practices implementation to accommodate the very fast paced nature of business and the users’ busy schedules. In addition, we delivered topic specific programs and live Q&A sessions weekly via the Internet (over WebEx). As software updates and enhancements occurred, we immediately incorporated them into our change management strategies and communicated them to client teams.
In order to synchronize the lessons learned from running 15 sites simultaneously, JPW then created a collaboration portal for its change management specialists. This tool, which became the project’s Knowledge Database, keeps all specialists apprised of the most commonly encountered issues, ensures standard messaging across the enterprise, and is shared between JPW, the client’s help desk, and all other stakeholders.
Additional Workstation Training and Writing
The ongoing project — the largest telecommunications rollout on Wall Street – combines cutting edge VoIP technology with Salesforce’s powerful Customer Relationship Management applications and the latest release of Microsoft Office. JPW has worked extensively with the client to understand the company’s inner workings and develop superlative training. The JPW “high tech, high touch” model resulted in a blended approach that effectively and efficiently met end users’ needs. Over 26,000 end users – from beginners to system administrators to company executives – took part in a critical transition program that prepared them to utilize the new software and systems. The company has since requested additional sessions for other areas of the organization and in regions around the world. JPW has made change management and adoption program materials available to all personnel over the web through the company’s online university.
Business analysis, data analysis, and change management are critical to the success of the project. Our technical writing team works with both the client and the project partners to capture all of the necessary details. We have created a large body of work that included manuals, reference materials (both live and web based), process and system documentation, project reports, and many other types of technical writing. The program that utilized these materials achieved the highest user satisfaction rating of any part of the project. As a result, JPW’s role has expanded into other phases of this project and has further been commissioned for work beyond at the client’s organization. Notably, most of the initial materials have been repurposed and are being used on other facets of the project.
Ongoing Change Management
To coordinate the rollout’s multiple phases, our project managers developed a comprehensive plan to assess, document and transition over 26,000 users across more than 400 sites nationwide. We coordinated efforts with 17 other project partners and developed a comprehensive, automated invoicing system to ensure that project participants accurately assessed external resource costs and satisfied budget requirements. A wide range of managers and directors utilized reports from the invoice database to illustrate the successful completion of project goals – under budget. End user evaluations and user satisfaction surveys show that JPW efforts ranked the highest of the 17 project partners involved in this rollout. Because of our successes, we are in our third year of the rollout and continue to excel.
