Discover why the journey doesn’t end at go-live and explore the pivotal role of post-go-live support.
The successful implementation of a new software system, such as an ERP or CRM, is a monumental achievement for any organization. It signifies the culmination of extensive planning, significant investments, and the collective effort of teams across the organization.
However, what happens after the exhilarating go-live phase is often just as critical, if not more so, than the implementation itself. This is where the importance of post-go-live support becomes abundantly clear.
The Importance of the Post-Go-Live Phase
The post-go-live phase in the lifecycle of any software implementation process is often underestimated. This phase marks the transition from implementation to everyday operations, and it’s where the true value of you new system begins to unfold.
During this critical period, you need to ensure that the new system is not only functioning as intended but also aligning with your business’s evolving needs. Post-go-live support is essential for several reasons:
📀Ensure a Smooth Transition: Post-go-live support allows you to address any unforeseen issues, optimize processes, and provide user support to safeguard against disruptions and maximize the benefits of the system.
📀Mitigate Disruptions: Proactively identifying and addressing potential issues in the post-go-live phase is crucial to ensure the continued stability and reliability of the system as well as your business operations as a whole.
📀Minimize Downtime: Support in the post-go-live phase helps to minimize downtime by swiftly addressing any unexpected interruptions. This avoids costly productivity losses and maintains business continuity post-implementation.
📀Increase User Adoption: By providing on going training, support, and feedback mechanisms, you can empower your employees with the knowledge and skills they need to fully embrace and utilize the new system. Don’t underestimate the potential impact of user buy-in on organizational efficiency and productivity.
📀Maximize ROI: Maximizing ROI on a new software platform involves continuous improvements, proactive issue resolution, and constant realignment of the systems functions with evolving business needs and industry trends. Collectively, these adjustments ensure that your organization realizes the full potential of your software investment.
Ultimately, the post-go-live phase is the linchpin that bridges the gap between software implementation and long-term success.
Goals and Challenges of the Post-Go-Live Phase
The post-go-live phase is characterized by specific goals and challenges that you must address to ensure the new system’s success. The main goals of this phase are to stabilize and drive adoption.
✔️Stabilize: One of the primary goals during the post-go-live phase is to stabilize the system, ensuring that it operates smoothly and without significant disruptions. This requires continuous monitoring, proactive issue resolution, and timely software updates and patches.
✔️Drive Adoption: Software implementation success largely depends on how well employees embrace and utilize it. You can drive adoption through ongoing training and support to empower users with the necessary skills and confidence to make the most of the tools available to them.
In addition to working towards goals, it is also important to work towards mitigating challenges such as:
❌Resistance to Adoption: Employees may resist changes to their established workflows and processes. Addressing this challenge involves ongoing user training, effective communication, and demonstrating the tangible benefits of the new system.
❌Data Inconsistencies: Data inconsistencies can lead to errors, confusion, and inefficacies that can affect not only the new system but your entire workflow. Implementing data validation processes, data cleaning activities, and proven data governance strategies will help you tackle these inconsistencies and maintain the integrity of your data.
❌Resource Constraints: Your organization may face limitations in terms of support personnel and budget. Working with a dedicated software implementation partner can help free up your own employees for crucial tasks and keep your budget on track.
Success in the pos-go-live phase will depend largely on your organization’s ability to balance these goals and challenges.
For more on implementation challenges to be on the look out for:
The Role of Support After Go Live
Support after go live serves as the backbone of the system’s long-term success. Post-go-live support is primarily responsible for ensuring a smooth transition from implementation to daily operations. This includes:
📀Monitoring System Performance: Support teams play a pivotal role in proactively identifying and resolving potential problems to minimize downtime and prevent costly operational disruptions.
📀Maintaining Communication with End Users: the support function serves as a bridge between the technical aspects of the software and its practical day-to-day use within the organization. They ensure that the system continues to align with evolving business needs and industry best practices.
📀Facilitating Ongoing Training: Continuing training and skill development, empowering users to harness the full potential of your new system.
The post-go-live support team acts as a safeguard, helping you drive maximum value from your software investment while keeping your operations running smoothly.
Effective Support Strategies
During the critical post-go-live phase of software implementation, effective support strategies are paramount to maintaining system integrity and ensuring its alignment with business objectives.
Best Practices
Implementing best practices in post-go-live support is essential for the long-term success of any software implementation project. These include:
✔️Continuous Monitoring: Establish a system monitoring process that tracks performance, user activity, and data accuracy. Real-time monitoring allows for early issue detection and swift resolution, reducing system disruptions.
✔️Proactive Issue Resolution: Rather than waiting for problems to arise, adopt a proactive approach to identify potential bottlenecks or system anomalies. Implement regular health checks and diagnostics to ensure the system operates at its peak performance.
✔️Feedback Integration: Encourage users to provide feedback on their experiences and pain points. Use this feedback to inform system improvements and updates, ensuring that the new system remains aligned with evolving business needs.
✔️Documentation and Knowledge Sharing: Maintain comprehensive documentation of system configurations, customizations, and workflows. Facilitate knowledge sharing among the support team to ensure that everyone is well-equipped to address issues effectively.
Leveraging Support Tools
Modern software systems, like Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365, offer a range of support tools and technologies that can significantly enhance the efficiency of post-go-live support efforts. Here’s how to make the most of them:
📀Support Tools Overview: Familiarize your team with the full suite of support tools available within the system itself. These may include reporting and analytics tools, issue tracking systems, and knowledge bases. Understanding these tools is crucial for effective troubleshooting.
📀Automation and Integration: Explore automation options for routine tasks such as data backups, system updates, and security checks. Additionally, integrating your new software with relevant support and ticketing software can help streamline issue reporting and the resolution process.
📀User Self-Service Portals: Leverage self-service portals within your system to empower users to find answers to frequently asked questions and resolve minor issues on their own. This not only reduces the support team’s workload but also enhances user satisfaction and adoption.
📀Predictive Analytics: If available, consider using predictive analytics tools to anticipate potential issues based on historical data. This proactive approach allows you to address problems before they impact operations.
By implementing these best practices and making the most of the support tools already available to you, you can establish a sturdy post-go-live support framework that ensures your system continues to serve as a valuable asset.
Common Mistakes After Go Live
In the aftermath of a software implementation’s go-live phase, it is possible to fall prey to several common mistakes that can hinder the system’s effectiveness and potentially disrupt operations.
❌Complacency: One of the most prevalent errors is complacency, where organizations assume that once the software is live, their work is done. This misconception often leads to neglecting essentials tasks such as those listed in the previous section.
❌Not Enough Training: Failing to prioritize user training and support can result in resistance to change and poor system utilization, rendering the software less effective than intended and diminishing your ROI.
❌Incomplete Documentation: Organizations sometimes overlook the importance of documenting system configurations and processes, which can lead to confusion, inefficacies, and increased support overhead.
❌Inadequate Communication: Inadequate communication both within the organization and between you and your implementation partner can lead to misunderstandings and a lack of clarity regarding the new software’s capabilities and benefits.
Avoiding these common pitfalls demands a proactive approach, continuous vigilance, and a commitment to ongoing support and improvement long after the initial go-live excitement has subsided.
For more on why you should be working with an implementation partner:
Get Custom-Tailored Support from Kwixand Solutions
Having the right support during and after implementation is essential to a successful ERP, CRM, or other software implementation. The best way to ensure that you are getting the support you need to facilitate a smooth transition is to work with an experienced software implementation partner. As a certified Microsoft Partner, Kwixand Solutions has helped businesses in a wide range of industries successfully implement standard and even custom software to help our clients achieve their goals. Start with a free consultation and see why Kwixand is the software solutions partner you've been looking for.
