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These days it seems that everyone wants things done “an hour ago”. With the pressure to deliver more, and do so faster, sometimes it’s important to think about the “why” behind the rush. When it comes to your cloud PDM solution, there are some very important reasons why getting onboarded faster should matter to you.
Cloud PDM Keeps Your Team Doing What They Do Best, Their Jobs!
A no-brainer reason to get your new software solution, be it PDM or anything else, implemented faster is because the actual onboarding (data transfer, training, ramp time to learn the solution, etc) takes anyone involved away from doing their job. While the benefits, namely increased efficiency, generally outweigh the costs involved in implementation, it is still best to get it over with as efficiently as possible in order to minimize down time and optimize operations as soon as possible.
But How?
Firstly, ask the right questions during your evaluation process. Make sure you know what the onboarding process looks like so you can be prepared going in, if an onboarding process sounds like it is too long, or even too short, ask for a breakdown of what the process entails. Of course, the more organized your data already is, the easier it is to get it into your new solution, but knowing what is expected of your team, and what you can expect from the solution provider, will help to prevent surprises in the future.
Also, make sure you can dedicate the time needed to onboard. We know you’re busy, we know your business is demanding and that your job doesn’t stop just because you decided to invest in a new software. That said, we promise that dedicating a small amount of time now will save you much more time in the future. Just like errors caught in the design phase are much less costly than ones caught during production, investing time to have a dedicated resource assigned to getting your PDM solution implemented effectively will save you from the headaches and rework of a failed implementation.
Faster Onboarding Can Reduce Human Error
We’ve all been there, you’ve looked at the same document, spreadsheet, or design so many times your brain starts to autofill or autocorrect. It’s a big reason why professional writers use editors, it’s hard to see your own mistakes when you’ve been working on a project for so long. Lengthy onboarding and migration programs can have the same effect. Repetitive processes, duplicate efforts and a seemingly never ending series of data transfers can leave those involved mentally exhausted. Ensuring a quick and painless implementation can reduce the mental fatigue tied to implementing new software. Not to mention, the sooner you get all your data in one place, the less transcription errors and typos there are from having to input data into multiple systems.
But How?
Making sure you have the support of a structured implementation program, dedicated resources, and a series of on demand supports helps to expedite this process so you’re not in the weeds for so long. Also, with automations and integrations, manual work and the margin for error tied to it can be drastically reduced, if not completely eliminated. Finally, a strong partner network with specialized support can work wonders for getting you up and running efficiently. While there is a cost involved to using a partner, it is worth it to get their specific expertise. Teaming up with the right implementation partner can end up saving you labor costs associated with a “trial and error” approach and ensure you are getting the most out of your solution. This is especially true if you have lengthy and complicated processes or need significant configuration.
The Bottom Line: Faster Onboarding Gets You ROI Sooner
You’re in business to do business so your bottom line is probably one of your top priorities. You want to make sure you’re getting a good return on your investments and seeing it as quickly as possible. Let’s face it PDM solutions, just like most other software, aren’t free. Investing in software can be one of the best investments you make if done properly, increasing efficiency and reducing time spent on non-value add work, so it’s important to make sure you find a solution that will deliver a strong ROI quickly.
But How?
A structured, guided, self-paced onboarding plan, like Upchain’s Connect the Chain program! This industry proven program is made to help customers get their data into the system quickly and learn the solution efficiently so they can use it to its full potential sooner. Don’t just take our word for it! According to G2 Crowd, Upchain customers see return on their investment in just 13 months, 8 months sooner than the average of 21 months.
If you’re interested in learning more about Upchain and the Connect the Chain program, contact us!
