Criteria for Selecting a Systems Integrator for Your SPM/ICM Deployment
We identify ten key areas we find critical to completing this effort.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING A SYSTEMS INTEGRATOR FOR YOUR SPM/ICM DEPLOYMENT
INTRODUCTION
Implementing a Sales Performance Management (SPM) solution is a strategic endeavor with significant implications for sales effectiveness and revenue growth. The choice of a Systems Integrator (SI) partner is one of the most critical decisions in this process. Selecting the wrong partner can lead to costly delays, misaligned configurations, and a failure to realize expected return on investment (ROI). This whitepaper outlines key considerations for choosing the right SI for SPM deployment, along with an overview of the potential challenges organizations face when they do not engage the optimal partner.
1. FIRM EXPERIENCE IN SPM
• Consider the number of years the firm has worked in the SPM field and the number and size of the projects they’ve completed.
• Determine if the firm specializes solely in SPM or has a broader consulting focus, which might impact its expertise depth.
• Confirm if the firm has experience in industries similar to yours, which may affect how well they understand your unique requirements.
• Look for specific case studies or projects in relevant sectors (i.e. technology, pharmaceuticals, financial services, etc.).
• Does the firm have specific knowledge on the solution you are deploying?
• Does the firm have experience across all aspects of SPM, (i.e. compensation management, modeling, sales incentives, and territory management)?
2. DEPTH OF SOLUTION KNOWLEDGE AND RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SOFTWARE PROVIDER
• Does the firm maintain a certification program and/or have a formalized partner agreement with the relevant SPM vendor(s) being considered?
• Assess if the firm has vendor support channels or access to vendor resources (i.e. a working relationship with vendor’s technical support or engineering teams).
• Does the firm have relationships with the executive team to ensure executive engagement when/if needed?
• Does the firm collaborate on deployments by including vendor resources as active participants on the project or at key checkpoints (i.e. design reviews)?
3. RESOURCE/CONSULTANT LOCATIONS
• Are their consultants trained/certified and focused solely on SPM or are they responsible for working across different types of applications such as CRM?
• Identify where the consultants are located and approach to working with client teams (i.e. onsite, remote, or offshore) to understand the feasibility of in-person support.
• Consider time zone compatibility for project coordination if resources are distributed globally.
4. CONTRACTING/RATES
• Assess the pricing model (i.e. hourly, fixed, or retainer) and transparency in rates for various services.
• Ensure clarity in billing practices and any extra charges related to travel or out-of-scope work.
5. SPM TESTING EXPERIENCE
• Look at the firm’s methodology and track record in testing SPM solutions.
• Determine if they offer end-to-end testing, from functional to user acceptance testing, and if they have a structured testing process.
• Does the firm maintain a dedicated testing team to ensure adequate expertise within this area?
• Has the firm developed content or automation specific to SPM to support the testing practice (i.e. best practices, testing automation tools, etc.)?
6. TRAINING/KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER EXPERTISE
• Evaluate the firm’s approach to training client teams on new systems.
• Check if they have training materials, structured programs, or certifications for knowledge transfer to end-users.
• Does the firm maintain a dedicated training team to ensure adequate expertise within this area?
• Has the firm developed content or automation specific to SPM to support the training practice (i.e. best practices, testing automation tools, etc.)?
7. DATA INTEGRATION/MANAGEMENT
• Consider the firm’s experience and ability to integrate SPM tools with existing CRM, ERP, or other systems.
• Look into their experience with data migration, data quality management, and security.
• Does the firm maintain a dedicated data integration team to ensure adequate expertise within this area?
• Has the firm developed content or automation specific to SPM to support the data integration practice (i.e. best practices, testing automation tools, etc.)?
8. BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT EXPERTISE
• Assess the firm’s experience with process redesign to optimize sales performance.
• Look at their methodology for identifying inefficiencies and providing actionable insights.
• Can the firm provide case studies and examples of content as evidence of previous business process improvement engagements?
9. ON-GOING SUPPORT OPTIONS
• Review support models offered, (i.e. configuration support, operations management, and data/process management).
• Does the firm provide formalized approaches to client support (i.e. 24/7 helpdesk, dedicated account managers, and service-level agreements)?
• How many clients are currently being supported under post-go-live contracts?
• Can the firm provide references and case studies detailing their experience in this area?
• Evaluate flexibility for scaling support based on changing business needs.
• Review the firm’s ability to provide international support or offshore options.
• Evaluate the types of support being provided (i.e. business process, configuration, or data/system management).
10. REFERENCES
• Request client references specific to SPM engagements to validate the firm’s track record.
• Where possible, seek client testimonials, case studies, or documented outcomes from similar projects.
CONCLUSION
Choosing the right SI partner is a critical step in achieving a successful SPM implementation. By carefully evaluating potential partners based on experience, platform expertise, support models, and alignment with your business, you can mitigate the risks of delays, misalignment, and inefficiencies. The right partner will not only guide your implementation but also support your team for long-term success.
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OpenSymmetry enables clients to achieve greater operational efficiency and get better sales results. We are a global consulting company specializing in the planning, implementation, and optimization of industry leading technology suppliers of sales performance management solutions.
CONSIDERATIONS WHEN REPLACING YOUR SPM TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION
Understanding the challenges companies face when migrating Sales Performance Management (SPM) technology solutions can be a significant undertaking. This paper is designed to provide high-level guidance to stakeholders who carry this responsibility. As OpenSymmetry has helped many companies evaluate and effectively migrate to new technology solutions, we are sharing seven key areas that we find critical to completing this kind of effort.
1. CURRENT STATE ASSESSMENT & FUTURE STATE PLANNING
A critical initial step before migrating to a new SPM solution is understanding how well your current program is performing across people, processes, and technology. From there you can devise a future state vision for how your SPM program should operate. By understanding both current state gaps and what your future state needs look like, you can effectively begin defining requirements while also clearly articulating success criteria. It’s important to recognize that your previous or initial SPM implementation may not have gathered all necessary processes/requirements, so it’s vital to take a fresh, holistic view in this first step.
2. DATA INTEGRATION
One of the most complex and time-consuming requirements is determining how to best leverage current source data feeds to support the new platform. Within the context of your current state assessment and future state planning, the team should review what their reporting, analytics, and any future state compensation elements needs are to ensure a meaningful inventory of data requirements are defined. SPM solutions vary in terms of how data is gathered, translated, and uploaded into the system. Some solution applications may have a standardized format requiring additional configuration, whereas others may have the ability of data field mapping, which provides additional flexibility. The ability to own the data translation from your source systems to the SPM platform is key. Another focus point is to ensure that you evaluate all manual feeds to incorporate automation, as well as any additional error validation processes.
3. HISTORICAL DATA
Migrating historical data is an often-overlooked requirement when moving from one SPM platform to another. To keep costs down and minimize complexity, clients may want to ID only the data that is needed to ensure ongoing management of comp (e.g. payment history) and then transfer detail-level data into data storage to be referenced at a future date. It is important to consider what historical data is needed for the new system for reference on future payments
4. PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
Each SPM solution may require users to interact with the system in different ways. This area may need additional attention, especially as it has the potential to improve processes currently employed to manage sales compensation. Understanding the impact a new system will have on current processes, as well as those who manage the processes, is critical to ensuring a successful launch and ongoing management of core processes. As an example, two of the leading solutions in the market have very different expectations regarding the skills users need to possess to effectively maintain compensation plans and reports and, in some cases, execute the day-to-day activities. Defining expectations of your staff related to the new technology, prior to the project, will ideally give your organization the necessary time to introduce training that ensures effective ongoing management of the program.
5. WORKFLOW
SPM solutions vary widely in their ability to support automated workflow. As a result, there are significant challenges for sales compensation teams related to an SPM migration. Capabilities can range from templates to existing documentation, levels of routing, and even implementation of a stopgap for a payee to accept plan documentation prior to payout. Within the context of your future state definition, capturing and defining areas where automated workflows can be leveraged is a necessary part of the core requirements. Before a new system is deployed, it is important to map these processes out to drive user adoption, leverage the SPM system as an auditable repository, and minimize email management.
6. REPORTING & ANALYTICS
It is critical to develop a holistic vision of information distribution to the various stakeholders and tools used to deliver this content (i.e. static pages vs. dashboards). Similar to workflows, different vendors have various capabilities related to reporting for the end users. Assessing these capabilities against your business requirements is imperative to the success of the roll-out. For example, some vendors require more robust configurations in the system (e.g. crediting logic) to enable specific analytics capabilities, while some solutions, architected specifically for reporting and analytics, have much more robust capabilities. Another area for consideration is the use of the vendor’s reporting solution against your in-house technology stack. Some solutions make it easy to port data into new environments, which could be a consideration in helping to keep the number of reporting tools requiring management to a minimum.
7. DEPLOYMENT
The implementation of a new solution should be designed to minimize the impact on payees and managers. One of the most critical aspects of your effort is assessing how all stakeholders will be impacted and how to mitigate any disruption. It is important to identify upcoming changes for your sales organization, administrators, and other internal partners with a plan in place to offer the steps needed to ensure the best chances for solution adoption.
The first step when considering a new SPM platform is an assessment of your current program and the development of a future state vision. OpenSymmetry offers a no-cost workshop to help you gain an understanding of how your current SPM program performs against your needs and industry best practices, as well as a readout on current solutions in the market.
Leveraging the OpenSymmetry assessment methodology and knowledge of the leading SPM providers, you will be equipped with:
• A current state analysis scorecard
• The framework for a business case to support change
• Contemporary intel on the SPM market and SPM vendor capabilities
• High-level deployment and license cost estimates