At Raven Intel, we research partners who implement Enterprise cloud software to understand the composition of their company–the geography they serve, the type of projects they work on and the profile of consultants on their team. Firmographic data is important, but to really know a firm is to know their customers. The marketing adage, ‘your company’s brand is what customers are saying about you behind your back’ rings true. If you are a business making a decision to entrust a partner to lead you on an Enterprise Software project–knowing this ‘brand’ before you’re knee-deep in a project is critical. Hearing real-life customer experiences are perhaps the most indicative marker of a Consulting firm’s quality and are the easiest way for you to gain confidence that a firm can deliver on the promises made during the evaluation stage.
Expectations v. Reality
We’ve seen a full range of quality when it comes to consulting projects and firms. There are firms that look impressive on the surface and say all the right things–but when you talk to their customers, a different picture of reality emerges. There are others that lack the million-dollar marketing budgets and polish of a larger firm, yet are delivering projects with high satisfaction, ahead of schedule. In addition, change happens over time—a firm who has once struggled may have added new talent or processes to improve the customer experience. Conversely, a firm once known for good quality might have gotten too overloaded with projects and thus now struggles to effectively satisfy customers. Being able to look under the hood and quickly get a sense for the current, authentic customer experience can end up saving your organization a lot of time and money in the long run.
“I’ll just ask my software vendor for recommendations.” Think again.
In 80% of the projects we’ve reviewed, customers chose their implementation partner “because of the recommendation of their software vendor.” It would seem logical that your software vendor knows best when it comes to a partner. Not so. In those projects where the customer felt the decision for the partner was ‘made for them’, project satisfaction averages around 6 out of 10. While it is true that software vendors certify partners to implement their software and get used to working with certain firms, there is inherent bias in the process. Many times the same partners who implement are helping to sell the software engagement or are paying hefty fees for the ability to be walked in the door. In addition, the knowledge that software sales teams have about actual project delivery quality is many times incomplete and won’t provide your organization with options best-aligned with the scope of your project.
The upshot: Whether your software vendor tells you their small, tightly-controlled ecosystem will guarantee you get a good partner or the vast choices available will give you many partners to choose from–you still need to do your own homework. In the end, you’ll live with your partner choice.
Reviews on Raven Intel
Visitors to Raven gain a bird’s eye view–and can look up any Enterprise software consulting firm on our website and read reviews–for free. Raven has over 325 vetted reviews about projects led by partners of SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, Oracle HCM, Ultimate Software, ServiceNow and Cornerstone. We ask customers a series of quantitative and qualitative questions about their project, and that information is then verified for authenticity and published.
– Did the project succeed?
– What was the team like? Did the team stay consistent throughout the project?
– Was the project delivered on-time? On-budget?
– Was it scoped properly?
The answers to these questions are signals for other customers to learn from. (For more on our methodology, click here.) In addition, we verify every review that it was written by a real customer who has gone through a Enterprise software cloud project recently (cloud only). This trust is critical for us as we have thousands of customers who use our information to guide their decision process.
Are you evaluating an Enterprise cloud software? Come see us first.
Raven Intel gives you the ability to look across the major HCM providers to get a sense of how their partners are implementing. In addition, we can help you quickly and easily create a shortlist of the best partners you should be interviewing for your upcoming project to make sure you’re getting a complete picture, and a competitive bid. The earlier you start the search for the right partner, the better. We’re here to help.
About Raven Intel
“Raven Intel was created to help customers make an informed decision about their Enterprise Software Implementation partner. As someone who has been in the HR Technology space for 20+ years, I saw a need to help raise awareness and transparency into project work. While analysis on cloud software features and functions is voluminous, the analysis of the actual project work to get those systems implemented was non-existent…until now. Raven Intel is fulfilling that need, while making the selection process easy & more fun.” – Bonnie Tinder, CEO & Founder
Share Your Story & Help Your Peers
Have you gone through a recent project? Would you be willing to share your experience in less than 5 minutes? If you or someone you know has an Enterprise Software project they’ve recently completed–encourage them to write a review. A review takes less than 5 minutes, will be anonymously posted, and we’ll provide you with an Amazon gift card for your time. Plus–everyone benefits from the lessons learned from your project. Write a review here.