Setting expectations with clients

Post written by Steve J, Project Manager at Ideaca

The Oxford Dictionary defines “managing expectations” as: “Seek to prevent disappointment by establishing in advance what can realistically be achieved or delivered by a project, undertaking, course of action, etc.”

Almost every part of our lives is surrounded by expectations, either ones we set for ourselves or ones that were set for us by others. When it comes to consulting and being on a project, every part of the project experience will be influenced by expectations. There will be expectations around the project as a whole, the deliverables, the time and especially the budget. It is the responsibility of the project team and Project Manager to ensure that the client has a clear and accurate understanding at all times. The overall success of any project will be linked to the expectations of the client, the understanding and efforts of the project team and how well these factors align. At the end of a project, the client’s satisfaction with the delivered project will determine its success.

I have worked on a variety of projects, including those with high expectations from the client. In one project the client as a whole had very little technical and user knowledge of the system that we were implementing for them. They were very much involved in the project and took on many tasks. One of the tasks that was completed by the client was the design and layout of the new system. This task was completed before the project team started on the project and with limited knowledge of the system. The designer was able to design the pages to match that of a SharePoint look and feel without any operational knowledge of the system as a whole. The project team was not a part of this design and the client wanted the end result to look and operate the same as they had designed it. When our project team realized this, we had to pivot our work to align with a more customized solution rather than an out of the box implementation as originally expected. Communication and managing expectations became a critical component of this project, especially since the plans and timelines shifted substantially. Working closely with the client, being honest about timelines and budget and reviewing changes before work continued were very important. Our open communication kept the client informed and the project team on the right track to meeting their needs. In conclusion, the client was very happy with the end product and assured us that we had exceeded their expectations.

Through my experience working with a variety of clients in different situations, I have developed an understanding of how to best manage client expectations. As in the example above, the situation could have turned out with one, or both parties upset about the changes in plans. But by effective expectation management, we were able to explain to the client why things needed to change and what exactly we were going to change. This turned a potentially problematic shift in work into a positive improvement of work.

In my next blog entry, I’ll cover the four key factors in managing client expectations that I have learned throughout my career. Check back next Tuesday, September 17 for more! 

Are you losing count of your employee’s billable hours?

Information taken from Ideaca’s “Revenue Leakage in Professional Services: How to Quash the Silent Killer of Profitability” whitepaper.

Professional services organizations (PSO’s) of all sizes and from all industries struggle to track service hours in a consistent and accurate way. Many organizations use tracking protocols that are inefficient and create challenges for accounting and finance departments. Often these protocols are spreadsheet based and not standardized. As a result, excessive time is spent on consolidation and organization, with hardly any time spent on strategy and analysis.

In many cases, organizations don’t realize where their billable hours are going and that small factors can make a big difference in accurate reporting. The following are examples of some of the small factors that lead to inaccurate time reporting:

• End of month time tracking: Many people have trouble accurately recalling the hours they worked at the start of the month by the time they submit their hours at the end of the month. Not everyone keeps personal records of their hours and those who don’t rely on memory and guesses.
• Time entry is late: When time entry is delayed because of vacation, technical difficulties or other causes, it is not always clear when submission deadlines are postponed to. As a result, employees may neglect to submit their time because they are unaware how and when they should.
• No standardization: Without clearly defined guidelines for tracking time, there may be confusion over what is and is not considered to be billable. Defining ambiguous reporting areas like travel time and administrative work leads to accurate and consistent reporting across the organization.
• Inaccurate manual processes: As with all manual processes, errors can happen unknowingly. Employees may rush through their time sheet or make costly but minor mistakes when reporting.

Many real-time, accessible and centralized time entry systems are available to empower organizations. Not only do they streamline and increase efficiency of accounting and finance departments, but they benefit employees as well. With accurate information about their hours, employees gain insight into how they directly affect the bottom line and they gain access to metrics about their project or personal hours.

View the full “Revenue Leakage in Professional Services: How to Quash the Silent Killer of Profitability” whitepaper here.

Statement of Direction for Dynamics AX 2012 "R3"

Microsoft recently released their latest Statement of Direction for Dynamics AX 2012 R3. This new version of AX will be available by Q4 of 2013 and will come with a number of benefits and new capabilities. These include:

Warehouse Management
Advanced warehouse management capabilities will be introduced including embedded RFID, improved warehouse processing and rate, and route and load planning.

Introduction of Demand Planning
There will be new functionality to support SKU-level demand planning based on the Time Series algorithm of SSAS.

Retail
R3 has a strong focus on retail capabilities, with key areas including mobility, clientelling, ecommerce and social.

E-Procurement
Capabilities for purchasing within complex organizations will be enhanced, specifically in the management and control of the RFX (RFI, RFP & RFQ) processes.

Budget Planning
There will be improvements in budget planning capabilities with a focus on supporting the planning needs of complex organizations.


R3 will offer many new and improved capabilities that AX 2012 R2 does not offer. This new version will benefit large and complex organizations the most, especially those with Distribution and Omni-Channel Retail.

The next major version of AX will be released at the end of 2014 and will be called “Rainier.”


Read the full Statement of Direction here.

Questions? Ask one of our consultants.

Is your website mobile friendly? Here's why it should be.

Many people believe that it is sufficient to only offer desktop computer versions of a website because that’s where people primarily use the internet. However, recent studies by Pew Internet have discovered that this is not the case. Increasing numbers of people primarily use their mobile devices to research or surf the internet. In some cases, these people do not have access to a desktop computer, have to share it, or prefer the convenience of their mobile devices. These mobile-only customers are as valuable as desktop computer users and need access to the same information.

How many people fit into this mobile-only category? A lot, especially young adults between 12 and 29 and low income adults. If your customers fit into either of these categories then it is especially important to make sure your website information comfortably fits onto a mobile screen. Even if your customers do not fit into these categories, more than half of all Americans used their mobile devices to browse the internet in 2012. This means that even if it isn’t your customer’s primary internet method, they may still be accessing your website and information on their mobile devices.

It is important not to force mobile only users to find a desktop computer to access your information. As well, forcing customers to zoom and scroll to navigate a site designed for a much larger screen will only frustrate them and detract from your valuable information and services. The good news is that mobile-only users may access the internet differently but they do not need unique information. The same messaging, content, services and offerings that you share on your website can be duplicated on your mobile site. Even the colors and branding used can and should remain consistent. This means that including a mobile site requires only technical changes and not major messaging or branding shifts.

Embracing customers regardless of the way they browse the internet is the best way to make sure your content is available and accessible. This ensures no potential customers are excluded, no matter the way they choose to browse the internet.

Sources: Pew Internet, Harvard Business Review Blog

Have you adopted mobile and tablet retail technologies?

If you haven’t, you might be falling behind and missing out on valuable opportunities.

Advancements in technology bring changes in retail and the way that people shop. Customers are no longer satisfied with customer service only at the till, promotional offers they don’t relate to and primarily using cash to pay. At the same time, retailers want to save money and gain valuable insight into their customers and how they shop. Retailers and customers can satisfy both of their wants with modern payment technologies.

Retailers face many challenges when considering new payment methods including cost, customer security and the speed of transactions. Growing technologies such as mobile payments improve customer convenience, reduce fraud and help retailers learn more about their customers. As for security, mobile payments offer security levels comparable to EMV, but without the expensive hardware. With the right technology, payments can be made on devices such as tablets. This allows employees to take payments from anywhere in the store without having to move heavy or awkward equipment. Tablet payment technology also offers access to information formerly limited to the till such as available inventory. 

When customers know that providing information leads to an improved shopping experience, they are more likely to provide retailers with their personal data. Retailers can then use this information to learn about their customer’s shopping habits and even customize offers to fit their exact interests. Various technologies are now available to assist in collecting and using this data efficiently. By implementing the right software, you can gain valuable access to your customers shopping preferences and habits, while benefiting customers with customized offers. 

While the future of retail technology is unclear, it is likely that mobile payments and tablet technologies will become more common and the benefits of collecting customer data will become more important. Retailers who adopt modern technologies today will better prepare themselves for the future and coming changes in retail. If you’re interested in learning more, Ideaca has knowledgeable consultants that are happy to discuss what technologies are right for you and your business.

 

The Art of Retail

The Art of Retail event was held on April 17, 2013 at Archeo in Toronto’s Distillery District. This event brought together executives from large Canadian retailers, including Canadian Tire and Shoppers Drug Mart, to educate on how to optimize mobile, social and web technology while growing their businesses. 

Two experienced and prominent speakers offered their insights into the ever-changing world of retail. The first of these speakers was Doug Stephens, a retail expert, founder and President of Retail Prophet, and author of The Retail Revival. Stephens educated attendees on how demographic and technological changes are affecting customer bases, how companies can stay current and how new technologies are transforming how we shop. He also shared his belief in a coming retail revival that is only possible if retailers embrace technology.

The second speaker, Scott Stratten, focused his presentation on the social aspect of retail. Stratten is the President of Un-Marketing and author of the book UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging.. Stratten is also an expert in Viral, Social, and his own style of Authentic Marketing: Un-Marketing. His presentation covered topics such as why people spread some business content and not others, what fractional reaction means, what tools are useful and what are fads, how to improve corporate social media, and how to transform a negative situation into a positive situation. Stratten told attendees that passionate and knowledgeable frontline employees play a larger role in selling than the logos found on the product itself. He also stressed the importance of social media and creating a product that people want to talk about online. 

In addition to the presentations by Stephens and Stratten, Michael Griffiths, Global Managing Director of Retail at Microsoft led a customer panel featuring Longo’s, Microsoft Store, and Ideaca’s longtime client, LS travel retail North America. The three retailers discussed their ongoing journey to become connected through the implementation of fully-integrated Microsoft retail solutions. They shared their experiences with the audience including, what brought the need for them to adopt a connected and agile solution, lessons learned during the implementation and the improvements in their retail operations since go-live.

Positive feedback from the almost 100 attendees confirmed the success of this event. Thanks to Microsoft Dynamics for their partnership in The Art of Retail! For other upcoming Ideaca events visit http://www.ideaca.com/news.

Ideaca's Dynamics AX Tips & Tricks - Product and Production Lead Times

Ideaca's AX experts provide answers to common AX 2012 questions, helping you leverage your Microsoft Dynamics AX investment. This video helps viewers understand how to see lead times on products and production in AX 2012. For more information or to contact us, visit www.ideaca.com

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