Solving the unsolvable: How flexibility helps our consultants rise to the task

At WNDYR, we work to deliver successful human-focused training solutions by relying on a structured onboarding process. While our trainers plan and prepare for their deployments, things don’t always go as planned.

The difference between good onboarding and great onboarding lies in a deployment consultant’s ability to be adaptable and come up with solutions that meet the client’s needs, even if the needs are not apparent at first. Let’s take a closer look at three unusual deployment cases to discover the unique approach the WNDYR team uses to deliver customer success.

Testing the waters

Our first example was a Swedish customer who wanted our deployment consultant to deliver a “Proof of concept” example before they decided to commit to using the platform. The customers were confident in their knowledge of the platform and tasked WNDYR to create a fictional working space to demonstrate the platform’s capabilities.

However, many clients often don’t realise that knowing how a system functions is not the same as being able to implement and run a system. Oftentimes, clients can only see and understand the value of a platform once it is applied directly to their working world. However, since we’re working with hypothetical examples, an alternative strategy to prove value was required.

During the early training sessions, the consultant identified that the customer required a custom solution that would assist their team in identify and deal with blockages and risks. Having identified a client problem he could solve, our deployment consultant tactfully shifted the conversation away from simple task management and towards demonstrating that the platform could assist their team as a risk management tool.

Due to the flexibility that we were able to provide them, we could offer them a solution that nobody else could. By keeping the “proof of concept” close to the reality of the organization, through employing individual agency as well as identifying what the people in the organization needed, WNDYR was able to identify needs that they weren’t even aware of.

Ensuring the wheels stay on

We turn to an architectural firm in New York, that managed a complex network of stakeholders, legal entities, a large number of employees and suppliers. While the client’s instance was already well established, they tasked us to review and offer our expertise to improve and streamline their processes.

Due to their size, logistically and pragmatically they wished to undertake the training of their staff internally. They called on WNDYR from a consultation perspective and to design a training curriculum which they could implement – not a straightforward deployment.

In this case, the client required a fair amount of technical information. because the client needed a lot of technical information, the deployment consultant needed to research and learn skills not traditionally associated with the job description. Here the consult applied individual agency to investigate the system in order to find a solution.

The consultant immersed himself in the system to learn and get answers, instead of passing the responsibility onto someone else –  such as a developer. By doing so, our consultant was able to open up more possibilities for the client. Like a chef discovering a new ingredient, the consultant became aware of new possibilities and ideas, and was able to not only design better solutions, but also transfer this new found knowledge to other clients.

The student becomes the master

A well organised Japanese organisation had identified and mapped all their internal processes but faced a blockage in communicating internally about the new platform. This blockage resulted in growing anxiety that despite their hard work, the organisation would struggle with adoption.

Our deployment consultant had an additional complication to work with; as the client did not speak English, they relied on bringing in a translator to assist during sessions. The stumbling block was to convey and allow the team to process the knowledge, not just simply translate the words. We understood the client needed an individual that would act as an example for the whole, to best come to grips with the platform.

As our deployment consultant, Claudio Mennecozzi put it: “ I realised that the key to success was to get the translator to understand the system and get him to be enthusiastic about the platform which unlocked the platform’s value to the rest of the organisation”. Claudio adapted to the client’s challenging situation and converted the translator into an ally, who became a co-trainer and Champion for the platform as the team successfully onboarded into the system.

The secret to our flexibility: The Thinking Framework

The Thinking Framework is a change management methodology used by our team to make informed decisions from multiple angles. More importantly, when pushed out of a comfort zone, the framework helps us deliver innovative and unique solutions.

By relying on the Thinking Framework, WNDYR consultants are able to adapt and go above and beyond the scope of the work. With the case in Sweden, the consultant was able to view the problem through an individual lens. In New York, Claudio employed the framework in relation to process and systems to unlock the real value to the customer. In Japan, the team was able to identify risks in advance, make plans to solve them accordingly by addressing the risks with leadership and receiving the resources needed.

The real champion here is the WNDYR Thinking Framework, our change management tool. Want to know more? Read more about the Thinking Framework here. 

Do you want to know more about our flexible human lead onboarding services? Our solution designers and implementation consultants can help you rethink the way your organisation does work. Contact Prasoon Ranjan, our Head of Customer Success to find out more.