Leading the Customer Experience Team in an ERP Implementation
Client Overview
A global enterprise organization undergoing a large-scale ERP implementation to unify systems, streamline operations, and improve efficiency across departments. The customer experience (CX) team was at the center of adoption risk — their workflows touched almost every client interaction, but processes were fragmented, undocumented, and inconsistent.
The Challenge
Before this project:
Complex processes: 87 sales and service workflows existed, most scattered, manual, or redundant.
Inefficient tasks: Many processes were patchwork “band-aids” that extended task time unnecessarily.
Onboarding drag: New hires required six weeks to ramp up due to outdated systems and complex processes.
System risk: Without CX rigor, the ERP rollout risked creating confusion, missed requirements, and long adoption timelines.
Sales/service immaturity: Errors were common because workflows were nonlinear; reps could complete steps out of order and get stuck without resolution.
The organization needed a strategic, accountable, and fully participatory approach to redesigning CX processes for the new ERP environment, ensuring minimal disruption and maximum benefit.
My Role & Approach
As the leader of the CX team’s ERP integration, I designed and executed a multi-phase change management strategy to ensure every team member was accountable, engaged, and empowered throughout the transition.
Actions Taken
1. Process Inventory & Measurement
Cataloged 87 processes that touched a system and identified those that didn’t but should.
Measured each process by the number of steps and completion time to create benchmarks for post-implementation wins.
2. Ownership & Accountability Framework
Assigned individual team members ownership of specific processes to redesign in the new ERP.
Enrolled other team members as process auditors to review redesigned workflows and provide team-wide feedback.
Designated documentation leads responsible for creating and maintaining process guides.
Implemented a peer-to-peer training model to distribute knowledge and ensure redundancy.
3. Future-State Process Design
Eliminated unnecessary manual processes and streamlined existing workflows.
Integrated system capabilities into redesigned processes for greater automation and efficiency.
4. Change Management & Post-Go-Live Support
Implemented a two-week post-launch triage process for rapid escalation of system issues.
Categorized issues by severity to prioritize fixes and minimize business disruption.
Achieved operational stability for the CX team within one month — while other teams were still struggling.
Results
Onboarding reduced: 6 weeks → 7 business days (3 new hires onboarded within first 3 months).
Efficiency gains: 11 redundant processes eliminated; task times cut from 7-1 minutes to ~3 minutes; manual steps down on average by one-third.
Error reduction: Nonlinear, “stuck” workflows eliminated through governance and linear sequencing.
Customer experience: Ticket resolution times dropped from 5 days → 2 days.
Organizational contrast: CX team stabilized in one month while other teams floundered — earning executive praise.
Eliminated multiple manual processes, freeing up staff time for higher-value work.
Created clear ownership and accountability across the team for both process improvement and system adoption.
Enabled rapid post-launch stabilization, minimizing downtime and improving early adoption.
Key Takeaway
ERP success isn’t just about technology — it’s about enrolling people into the process and making them accountable stakeholders in the change. By strategically mapping, measuring, and assigning ownership for each process, the CX team became an active driver of transformation rather than a passive recipient.