Context
Over five intense months from April to July 2023, I had the opportunity to lead a significant project in Norway, working with a telecommunications wholesale business that was ready to modernise its operations. The focus was clear: enhance and update their Customer Relationship Management (CRM), e-Commerce, and Self-Care capabilities. The mission was to replace their aging Siebel system with a robust Salesforce solution, a move that would transform the way they managed their sales, customer service, and partner relationships.
How I helped
As the Business Lead, I took on the responsibility of guiding this transformation from the ground up. My role was to conduct a comprehensive Discovery and Design exercise, delving into key business areas like sales, order capture, the partner portal (e-commerce & self-care), customer service, Configure Price Quote (CPQ), and trouble management.
The first step was to perform a detailed As-Is analysis. This involved getting a deep understanding of the current operations and systems, identifying what was working, and more importantly, what wasn’t. From there, I worked on defining the To-Be state, developing Epics and User Stories that outlined the future capabilities we aimed to achieve.
With these clear definitions in place, I then mapped the business requirements and processes to Salesforce solutions, ensuring every aspect aligned perfectly with the technology. My team and I crafted a detailed roadmap for the implementation, covering various Salesforce Clouds—Communications Cloud, Commerce Cloud, Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Experience Cloud, CPQ, and Product Lifecycle Management for Communications Cloud.
Results
Seeing the project come together was incredibly satisfying. We successfully laid a solid foundation for the seamless transition from Siebel to Salesforce. By establishing clear requirements and a comprehensive implementation roadmap, we set the stage for the telecommunications wholesale business to streamline its operations. This transition promises to boost operational efficiency, enhance customer satisfaction, and drive better business outcomes.
Lessons learned
This project underscored the importance of a thorough discovery process. A deep understanding of the current state and a clear vision of the future were essential for ensuring the transformation was effective. Engaging stakeholders early and often was also crucial, as it led to greater adoption and satisfaction with the final solution.
Using an agile approach with clear epics and user stories allowed us to remain flexible and adapt to challenges as they arose. Finally, aligning the business requirements closely with Salesforce’s capabilities ensured a smooth implementation, while a well-structured roadmap kept everyone aligned and focused on the project’s goals.