How we embraced the new era of User Connect - virtual customer events

There is no doubt the last year has brought unexpected and involuntary change to many organisations, and despite the disruption and negative impact of lockdowns and forced closures, forced change has certainly led to some unexpected improvements at TechnologyOne.

We are pretty big on digital transformation, it’s a crucial step for any organisation aiming to successfully compete in the digital age, so when we had to transform the way we engaged with our customers – we had a pretty good idea of what needed to be done. In saying that, there was no way any business could be prepared for the sudden need to alternate from in-person get-togethers with staff and customers to virtual meetings, training, conferences and roadshows.

At first, we used the tools at our disposal and turned to existing platforms, but we also realised that not every event type easily or effectively translates to an online format. Once the scope and scale of the pandemic became apparent, we recognised that our customers needed immediate access to practical tools and resources, in order to navigate the difficulties presented by COVID-19.

Our first goal was ensuring our customers could provide continuity of essential service delivery to their clients and the wider community, even as the virus caused widescale interruption. By April, we had formed and launched the Together as One initiative, which gave TechnologyOne users access to free remote training sessions and on-demand webinars on topics including payroll processing and workforce management.

Our next challenge was to replicate the success of one of our largest annual events – User Groups. These in-person get-togethers are a massive focal point in our calendar year, bringing a range of TechnologyOne tribes together – typically linked by product, industry or geographic region. While the underlying premise is to get the latest product updates, it’s the networking and interactions our customers get to have with us and each other that can deliver the real value. We needed to go virtual, but make sure we didn’t lose this value and end up delivering static product-focussed ‘tips & tricks’ webinars. 

As part of the Together as One program, we had already developed online industry groups for each of our key verticals, that would prove invaluable in the weeks and months that followed. We had facilitated a peer-to-peer connection, with first-hand experiences shared on how others were using our software differently. We took inspiration from this success and determined a plan that favoured dynamic tribe-based live presentations that were hosted by subject matter experts and made available for viewing at any time…and so our User Connect virtual event series was born.

Launching an interactive digital platform with a short turnaround was never going to be easy in these times. I think one of the greatest benefits afforded to us by the pandemic has been a more forgiving attitude – when the situation calls for a fast response, you can’t get blinded by the idea of ‘perfection’, you need to be agile and keep moving quickly toward the end goal. This methodology allowed us to move ahead effectively and efficiently, remaining focused on the objective without getting too caught up in the temptations of an alternative execution.

Key achievements

·        We streamed and recorded 50+ sessions. Hosted by industry experts, R&D team, business leaders and members of the TechnologyOne team, the sessions uncovered key industry insights, trends and challenges, and helped participants identify how business processes can be simplified to drive their own transformation.

·        We launched with live, real-time industry insights from our Industry General Managers. Each session consistently drew a few hundred registrations and more than double that attended. In comparison to our in-person events that typically attracted 600-700 attendees, the virtual version pulled ~3000 attendees, almost four times that number.

·        The learnings are invaluable. The new digital format means we can easily measure engagement and time-on-site, along with consumption of associated assets like presentation materials, whitepapers, case studies and other downloads. The User Connect platform has also enabled interaction with customers through both live and submitted Q&A sessions, allowing us to tailor presentation content and accompanying knowledge artefacts to meet the specific needs of our user base.

In terms of the future, we see benefit in maintaining both in-person and virtual formats. We’ll obviously only move back into physical meetings when it is safe for our customers and staff, and when it is practical to do so.

While we love the tribal aspect of our User Connect events and recognise that our community thrives on that personal connection, as a SaaS provider I’m also thrilled we’ve had the opportunity to develop a mechanism that supports that bond in a virtual format.

**The first FY21 User Connect will kick off in March, you can register here**