On the second day of Deloitte’s Shared Services and Outsourcing conference last week, Deborah Kops, Managing Partner at Sourcing Change, talked about the crucial role marketing plays in rolling out and managing shared services. It’s a topic people don’t often associate with internal functions or projects, but relying on a build-it-and-they-will-come approach is fraught with risks.
Listening to her presentation, the parallels with the implementation of an e-invoicing project soon became apparent. Just as a new SSC needs changes in behaviour and working practices, a successful e-Invoicing project needs to engage with people across the business and at supplier organisations. Until now they’ve been happy with their existing tools and processes, so the ‘what’s in it for me?’ needs to be clear.
As Deborah said, a marketing process will give you a robust value proposition and a thorough understanding of your target market. Building a brand around your project ensures you deliver consistent messaging and a service promise. Brands also give people comfort and create a prominence that will combat rogue projects or messages.
None of this is new to us at OB10. We have people dedicated to supporting customers with their e-Invoicing change management and internal communications. We also work closely with suppliers to help them join our network and benefit from more predictable payment and faster invoice delivery.
A few more take aways from Deborah’s presentation include:
- Keep your messages simple and fact based, and avoid using technical language
- Build on corporate initiatives that will help sell e-Invoicing for you
- Harness the power of influencers and find your marketing ambassadors
- Understand why people are worried and be honest about the risks. It’s how you mitigate them that creates trust
- Develop collateral and train your team in how to use them
Marketing and change management are often thought of as softer, nice-to-have activities. Our experience shows that integrating them into a project, whether it's a new shared services organisation or P2P automation tool, is critical to success.