In a major achievement for WalkMe, this year’s Everest Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) Products PEAK Matrix® Assessment named us as the leading Digital Adoption Platform vendor for the third year in a row! The Everest PEAK Matrix® Assessment is one of the leading global publications for analyzing global service providers, giving business leaders the insights they need to make critical decisions about vendors, products, and solutions. 

Everest Group’s research team consists of more than 100 people and their coverage comprises over 20 technology sectors, including: cloud computing, digital transformation, data analytics, collaboration and communications, security, digital marketing, and procurement. They are widely recognized as experts in providing actionable, independent research, and advice to help their clients capture more value from IT services. The organization specializes in coverage of new and emerging technology markets.

With the DAP industry now at a tipping point, publications like the Everest PEAK Matrix® Assessment have become critical in helping enterprises determine how to maximize digital adoption to achieve improved business outcomes and accelerate transformation efforts.    

What is the Everest PEAK Matrix® Assessment?

As enterprises continue to expand their digital presence and capabilities, they must evaluate where to best position their resources and what capabilities they need to be successful. The PEAK Matrix® assessment provides the analysis and insights enterprises need to make critical selection decisions about global top services providers, as well as best-in-class products and solutions. 

Leading enterprises around the globe trust these comparative assessments because of their unbiased evaluation of factors such as vision, capabilities, talent availability, market impact, and cost.  Furthermore, providers of these services, products, and solutions, look to the PEAK Matrix® to gauge and calibrate their offerings against their peers.

The Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) Products PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2022 analyzes the competitive DAP landscape, looking at 20 DAP vendors in terms of their products, vision and capability, and market impact to place them as Leaders, Major Contenders, and Aspirants.    

WalkMe is a Leader in Everest Group’s Digital Adoption Platforms (DAP) Products PEAK Matrix® Assessment  

In this year’s report, Everest analysts concluded that among DAP vendors, WalkMe has the highest market impact, the clearest vision, and the most robust suite of capabilities.

More importantly, the report gives WalkMe a nod for more than just product capabilities. Special mention was made of our role in spreading awareness about the DAP market through our extensive partner ecosystem, community, training, and certifications, as well as how we help clients establish DAP Centers of Excellence (CoE).

Everest Group Research’s recognition of WalkMe reinforces our position as the only scalable enterprise-ready DAP solution. Using a data-first approach, we provide for effective software ROI measurement, ensuring you get the most out of your digital investment. Additionally, WalkMe is able to identify underlying software changes and offer a bulk replacement mechanism for existing solutions to address any issues. This is critical for addressing frequent updates to software interfaces. Finally, our pre-built solutions allow you to quickly get started on your DAP journey. 

To learn more about the power of DAP and how WalkMe can help you meet your digital KPIs, tune in on November 16th to our webinar, “Digital adoption: The new imperative for software ROI”.

We surveyed 1,475 senior business leaders from global enterprises in 11 different industries on their digital adoption progress to understand their plans, strategies, and goals. 

What is The State of Digital Adoption 2022-2023 Report?

The second annual report of its kind, The State of Digital Adoption 2022-2023, gives us a peek into how enterprises are managing digital transformation initiatives, including where challenges and concerns are most prevalent. 

Check out the infographic for the statistics that reveal the digital adoption resources and processes enterprises currently have in place. Plus, explore their future digital adoption strategy and investment plans.

Why does digital adoption matter?

Digital adoption is the key to successful digital transformation, and digital transformation is vital to ensuring productive and effective organizations. In the aggregate, companies spend billions on digital assets to improve business outcomes. 

Global IT budgets now measure in the trillions of dollars aimed at driving businesses forward. Enterprises can’t afford to passively adopt new technologies, especially if hundreds or thousands of employees need to adopt the same system.

The cost of failure

Failed digital adoption can be incredibly costly to enterprises. In fact, we found that enterprises are wasting between 32-26% of their digital investments due to unmet KPIs and are losing up to $97M in failed digital adoption costs.

What do the findings mean for digital transformation efforts?

Our findings show that the core element preventing successful digital transformation is the human factor. Employees are overwhelmed with expanding and siloed tech stacks and enterprises are paying for it with broken and inefficient processes.  

The next step

Taking a user-centric approach to digital transformation helps ensure employee digital dexterity, allowing you to maximize ROI on your tech stack. Explore how your digital transformation efforts compare to those of leading global enterprises and how digital adoption can help you meet your organizational KPIs. 

Learn more. Download the full The State of Digital Adoption 2022-2023 report.

A common question from my customers: How would you define a successful digital adoption program? To define success we also have to be aware of what factors could limit success. Here are the 7 potholes most commonly encountered – and avoided – by best-in-class digital adoption programs.

Avoid this #1: Treating WalkMe differently to other softwares

WalkMe is a disruptive product and requires a paradigm shift. However, at the end of the day, it’s a software – and just like any other software, it requires cross-functional collaboration, learning and development, subject matter expertise, a reporting and value strategy, and a change management strategy. 

If you take the “WalkMe” out of it, the shape starts to look familiar. Your organization may not have created a digital adoption Center of Excellence before, but you’ve most likely created and scaled something cross-functionally in the past. And with it, you’ve likely had a strategy to consolidate knowledge in a knowledge base or shared communication platform. 

The American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC) defines primary components to a Knowledge Management (KM) strategy as follows: 

• Embed KM into the systems and processes where people do their work
• Build a network of champions
• Create a rewards and recognition program
• Strengthen relationships with partner functions 

These sound pretty straightforward – because they are. Chances are, you have enablers already in place from your other Knowledge Management initiatives. You can leverage these for WalkMe. And in addition to the what (the knowledge management content) and the where (access point), consider the who: Which department led this initiative? How did they cultivate the cross-functional positioning and respect to make this successful? 

Avoid this #2: Assuming you need a finished program before you can publish WalkMe in-app content

For anyone who has signed a limited or full enterprise licensing agreement for a software, you know: the (virtual) paper is barely off the signatory’s desk before there’s chewy, palpable pressure to justify the spend. Show me the value. Now.

With this comes the pressure of standardization. If we’re going to do it right, we have to do it right from the beginning. The Type A in me is twitching when I say this, but I’ll say it anyway. Not necessarily. 

Consider the Digital Adoption Maturity Matrix, a leading framework to measure evolution of a digital adoption program (pictured). In its definition of stages Emerging through Established, those for Emerging have an undercurrent of ad-hoc. And quick-win, ad-hoc value…is still value. 

Going live with a couple projects first is actually preferred. It helps you understand how WalkMe falls in your ecosystem, how difficult/easy it is to move through red tape, etc. Once you’ve published content on a couple platforms, use those wins to establish a strong framework and get it on the executive agenda. Don’t underestimate the power of starting from the bottom-up. 

Avoid this #3: Thinking you have to go in alone 

One of the most common (and most unwelcome) impacts of the Covid-19 economy on our operational strategies is the need for tighter budgets. And with a financially conservative, “suck-it-in” mentality, thinking about hiring additional headcount to specialize in digital adoption may feel a bit ridiculous.

Since Gartner created the Digital Adoption Platform category in 2019, digital adoption has become increasingly popular as a marketable skill. According to The State of Digital Adoption 2022, the number of individuals listing digital adoption as a Linkedin skill has increased 39% since 2021. Rather than playing tetris with your internal budget, why not leverage the market proficiency as a lower cost option? 

One common example: Your company might already be partnered with a Global System Integrator for another digital initiative – chances are, that GSI might offer digital adoption services. Why not bypass the headache of onboarding another vendor and expand the purpose of your current partnership? 

Start small, start contracted, and get your feet under you. Bonus: If you’re eventually hiring internally for your digital adoption program, you’ll have a much better handle on the ratio of headcount input to content output. Creating a business case for an internal hire just got that much easier.

Avoid this #4: Never saying “no” to a project

After 30 years in Sales, my dad decided to start a Willie Nelson Tribute Band as a retirement project. In year one, they took every gig that was offered to them – county fairs, dive bars, the works. In “leading with yes,” they grew their network and perfected their approach. 

In year two, the band got more than double the inquiries and had to start saying “no.”  What was their “brand” and which gigs aligned with that image? Which options were financially and geographically most desirable? 

Your Digital Adoption Program is a dad band. Lead with yes, and know there will be a time where you can’t (and shouldn’t) give an immediate yes to everything. With the groundswell of knowledge comes a need to be selective so you can preserve your strategic alignment. If you’ve scaled to the point where you’re losing brand cohesion and people are suffering from burnout, you’ve gone too far. 

As your program grows, the robustness of your intake process should grow as well. Don’t be afraid to put the onus on your Lines of Business to pitch you – Why should you play their gig? Make sure they put in the time to create a good business case, baseline metrics, etc.  You’ll inevitably get some pushback, but remember – a program that says “no” is infinitely more respected than one that doesn’t. And the foundation of a successful program is, ultimately, respect. 

Avoid this #5: Not incorporating maintenance into resource scoping 

If building new content is the yin, maintenance is the yang. Building new content without maintenance ultimately lands you in one of the following scenarios, all contributing to a subpar end-user experience: 

• Content breaks
• Content is strategically misaligned (all engagement, no impact) 
• Workflows are oversaturated with visible in-app guidance 

On the flip side, you don’t want your skilled builders to be spending all their time  maintaining the status quo with no room for growth and innovation. To keep content fresh and reduce maintenance time, conduct regular health scans to reassess and remove outdated and irrelevant content. Less (high precision) content = less resources to build new content. 

So, how long should I budget for maintenance? Similar to the point in Avoid This 3, be kind to yourself with forecasting in Year 1 of your digital adoption program. Just as you’re not going to know your exact headcount/output ratio from the get-go, you won’t know exactly how long WalkMe maintenance takes until it’s a part of your workflow. The sooner you start maintaining content and filtering those actuals back into your forecasting, the more accurate your forecasts will be. 

How to start: The next project you scope, tack on a + 50% multiplier for maintenance over the next 2 quarters. Revisit at the 2-quarter mark and look at your delta. Wait! Require my employees to track their time? No thanks. If this brings up friction for you, do some discovery into how your product teams forecast and manage without time-tracking software (story points, anyone?). 

Avoid this #6: Assuming you know the value story your executives want

We’ve all had a situation in the past where we thought we knew exactly what someone wanted…only to be dizzily disoriented in finding out we missed the mark. 

Earlier in my WalkMe career, my champion and I were dually-presenting an executive business review to a newly appointed CIO. We had a beautiful presentation and air-tight engagement data. But as the meeting got underway, we knew something was off. 

I then realized my mistake – though the prior CIO had taken WalkMe engagement data at face value, this new CIO had some aggressive KPIs for compliance risk reduction. Basic engagement numbers weren’t interesting to her. She wanted to pull up PowerBI dashboards and talk through the movement in data quality metrics in the last quarter (a leading success indicator for her KPIs) because the board was breathing down her neck.

The moral of this story: One size does not fit all when talking about WalkMe’s value. Leadership in your digital adoption program is leading with curiosity (and not only when new executives are hired). 

How to start

Find 20m for a more informal meeting with your executive prior to your next WalkMe business review or status update. Similar to Avoid This 1, take WalkMe out of the picture for a minute. Reframe the leader not as the recipient of your message, but as a human with needs, fears, goals and preferences of their own. 

What is this person’s style? What are their motivators? What are their most intense pressures and where/who are they coming from? What are they measured on? What “wins” would make them look like a hero? 

Treat your executive like the individual they are. Confirm the language they want to speak and you can guarantee they’ll be engaged. 

Avoid this #7: Set it & forget it

By now, you know optimizing your content is important (if not, see Avoid This 5). To be a best-in-class program, you have to be iterative with your process as well. 

One of my customers has a “Program Retrospective” cadence for one hour, once a quarter. Two weeks prior to the meeting, they release an optional survey to their primary points of contact from the Lines of Business, asking for anonymous input using the Start, Stop, Continue framework. Each quarter, they publish “Program Release Notes” in their KB, citing specific feedback and noting changes they will incorporate to address said responses. Two examples from this most recent quarter: 

• Feedback: We heard radio silence after submitting our intake form and weren’t sure when the CoE was going to get back to us.
  • Response: Adding an SLA for a time expectation between Date of Intake Submission and Date of Project Approval 
• Feedback (from multiple stakeholders): Translations elongated the time of the project and it took 2+ weeks longer than originally scoped 
  • Response: Adding a question to the Intake Form about a) Number of languages required for translations and b) Language priority

In conclusion 

The most successful digital adoption programs draw from historical context, but don’t get caught up in it; they reflect on the past (see Avoid This 1), but aren’t bound by it. 

In a complex business ecosystem, digital adoption should be a fresh breath of fluidity. Because of its uniqueness, it can simultaneously draw on institutional practice and find wiggle room to be nimble. 

So stay nimble out there – and watch out for those potholes!

Dreamforce 2022 is fast approaching and WalkMe is going to be there! As the world’s biggest software conference, Dreamforce has something for everyone. From networking opportunities to sessions by business leaders, celebrities, environmentalists, and athletes, not to mention amazing concerts, and afterparties, you’re sure to have a blast at this one of a kind event. 

But don’t worry if you can’t make it to San Francisco to enjoy all of the festivities – this year’s event will be an in-person and virtual hybrid conference. You can join the virtual Dreamforce experience on the company’s streaming platform, Salesforce+.

With hundreds of exhibitors, sessions, and speakers, it can be easy to get lost at Dreamforce. That’s why we put together our top 5 tips for getting the most out of your experience. And while you’re there, be sure to stop by booth #339 in the expo to learn about WalkMe’s latest data innovations for:

• CRM project planning and prioritization
• Finding and eliminating friction in the data collection process
• Executive reporting on successful digital adoption projects

You also won’t want to miss your chance to win exclusive WalkMe prizes!

Tip #1: Learn something new to help drive business success 

Dreamforce is the ideal platform for you to learn how to grow your business. During last year’s event, 87% of attendees reported learning something that helped accelerate business growth while 83% discovered a new tool or product that helped them or their business. 

This year’s Dreamforce includes plenty of sessions designed for CRM and sales tech professionals, including:

• Elevate Your Reporting with CRM Analytics
• How CRM Analytics Drives a 360-Degree Customer View
• Analytics Architecture Strategy for Intelligent Experiences
• Boost Customer Experience: Einstein Discovery AI in Service Cloud
• CRM Analytics: Roadmap for the Intelligent CRM  

Tip #2: Get inspired by celebrity stories

With sessions from the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Bono, Al Gore, and Jane Goodall, Dreamforce is definitely more than just a software conference. Get inspired  as these cultural icons tell their stories and detail how you can help contribute to creating a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous world. 

Tip #3: Network, network, network

Dreamforce has seen tens of thousands of attendees in previous years, making it the ideal place to meet your next client, find your next job, or discover your next certification opportunity. To prepare for the amazing networking opportunities, be sure to:

• Have your personal and company elevator pitch down
• Research and attend the sessions where you’ll meet like-minded professionals
• Connect with people who you aspire to work with or who will push your professional boundaries

Tip #4: Don’t miss Red Hot Chili Peppers!

Dreamforce is known for their legendary afterparties and concerts, with past headliners including Metallica, Fleetwood Mac, U2, Lenny Kravitz, and Foo Fighters. This year, Red Hot Chili Peppers promise to deliver another unforgettable show, so don’t miss out!

Tip #5: Discover how AI and data can boost your sales with WalkMe!

Join Tim Hanrahan, WalkMe’s Director of Sales Excellence, on September 21st at 4:00 PM at Moscone South, Campground, theater 2 for his session, Stepping into the Future: How AI & Data Work for Sales. There, you’ll learn about how WalkMe experimented with AI and forensic data from Salesforce and the sales stack to make reps more productive.