Shawnna Sumaoang: Hello, and welcome to the Win Win Podcast. I’m your host, Shawnna Sumaoang. Be part of us as we dive into altering tendencies within the office and find out how to navigate them efficiently.

Right here to debate this subject is Carolyn Hoang, the senior director of gross sales enablement and effectiveness at Alight Options. Thanks for becoming a member of us, Carolyn. I might love so that you can inform us extra about your self, your background, and your function.

Carolyn Hoang: I’ve been at Alight for a little bit over a 12 months and I used to be introduced on to assist develop and develop our gross sales enablement perform on the org. My function right now has advanced a little bit bit and proper now I’m targeted on supporting and creating product training and enablement and guaranteeing we’ve got a strong and efficient product coaching and enablement course of as we anticipate upcoming product launches and releases.

As for my background, I’ve been in healthcare, medical insurance, and the PBM house for 20 years. I initially needed to turn into a pharmacist like my sister however discovered my area of interest and pleasure on the company aspect of the enterprise round operations and product methods. So I’ve all the time mentioned my life goal has been serving to others.

So any method that I could make that impression in any function I’m all the time fulfilling my goal and that’s the place it landed me right here in gross sales enablement at Alight. 

SS: We’re actually excited to have you ever with us right now, Carolyn. Now, you probably did point out that one among your specialties is enhancing effectivity in enterprise operations and processes. How do you assist drive effectivity for the enterprise as an enablement chief? 

CH: There are such a lot of ways in which we may also help drive effectivity in any enterprise, however you must begin by understanding how the enterprise operates. So the best way that I have a look at any group as I come into it’s understanding how are they at maturity degree in a present state.

For instance, course of evaluation and optimization, all the time conducting a radical evaluation of present enterprise processes. How can we establish bottlenecks and any inefficiencies, and what are these areas for enchancment? One other space can be working intently with the entire cross-functional groups, guaranteeing that we will streamline or redesign enterprise processes and get rid of any pointless steps.

Or automate any repetitive duties that we will. Meaning establishing these standardized procedures or greatest practices throughout the group.

SS: Now curating the appropriate tech stack can have a big impact on effectivity. And previous to Highspot, you had a number of instruments, together with a distinct readiness platform. What had been a few of the challenges that this led to? 

CH: Yeah, assessing the appropriate instruments and expertise integration or tech stack is so essential for any enterprise. And I can’t stress that sufficient. A few of the challenges I’ve seen most continuously is simply these fragmented workflows, using simply a number of instruments {that a} rep or a vendor wants to change between completely different platforms or accessing data or content material that should on the proper wants on the proper place.

A spot that’s been difficult knowledge silos. So each device has its personal knowledge repository, however after they’re not talking to at least one one other or the programs will not be built-in, that poses additionally an enormous problem. After which, yeah, that lack of integration between platforms that’s utilized by a number of completely different shopper going through groups.

Having that every one centralized in a single place eliminates that. And that’s one thing that I discovered at our group, was that the extent of integration and content material administration wanted to be consolidated and be sure that our reps – all of our customer-facing reps – have the appropriate content material and constant content material, on the proper time.

SS: What was the impetus although, for making the change to a unified enablement platform and in the end to implement Highspot? 

CH: Yeah, in my early evaluation right here, I instantly noticed a necessity only for larger built-in workflows and enterprise processes that will in the end centralize and create that seamless integration knowledge throughout all of our customer-facing groups and the entire varied enablement instruments and tech stacks.

So many components went into in the end making the change to Highspot as our go-to platform. Nevertheless it’s extra concerning the expertise that may assist our group and our group’s, ever-evolving wants and assist us allow our sellers most successfully and effectively.

SS: Implausible. And in your opinion, what’s the strategic worth of consolidating your enablement tech stack right into a unified platform relatively than separate disconnected instruments? 

CH: I might say enhancing effectivity and productiveness throughout a number of enterprise groups. In order that’s, once more, knowledge integration insights are simply so essential, because it helps us inform and higher allow our reps by way of these data-driven insights and choices that we may also help repeatedly enhance our content material, our coaching, our platform, and in addition the improved consumer expertise. So, having that unified platform actually offers a seamless and intuitive expertise on the entrance finish, and the again finish because the consumer, because the administrator, and actually enhance our consumer adoption and satisfaction.

So having a constant interface and navigation throughout all of our enablement capabilities and groups, our reps can simply discover the appropriate instruments, sources, and issues that may result in elevated engagement and effectiveness. 

SS: I like that, the way you guys are fascinated by each an built-in knowledge and expertise perspective, that’s unbelievable. How did you go about constructing the enterprise case along with your stakeholders for making this variation? And I feel numerous our viewers would love to listen to some greatest practices for gaining stakeholder buy-in. 

CH: Participating your varied stakeholders as early as attainable within the scoping course of when constructing your online business case is vital.

So maintaining them repeatedly knowledgeable and engaged all through the method. I all the time say partnership and collaboration; that’s key while you take time to know the assorted stakeholders. How do you establish these companies and groups that you’ll work with on a day-in and day-out course of?

How every of these groups function, what are their ache factors, and the way can we assist clear up these enterprise challenges collectively? Aligning completely different use instances and figuring out what these use instances are. That resonates with every of our stakeholders and guaranteeing that they’re aligned on what our enablement imaginative and prescient targets and enterprise outcomes that we will obtain actually assist solidify the buy-in and perceive the “what’s in it for them” and “what’s in it for us collectively”.

SS: That’s a unbelievable method, all the time put it within the perspective of your viewers, even inner ones like stakeholders. Now, you latterly launched Highspot really at your organization’s gross sales kickoff. Are you able to inform us about that launch and the way you leverage that key second to assist construct up momentum for this variation?

CH: Launching Highspot at gross sales kickoff was simply such an ideal alternative for us to generate buzz, and pleasure actually leverage completely different gamification alternatives to drive that early adoption and early engagement with the platform. So earlier than we developed or kicked off at our occasion we constructed what we name the gross sales kickoff spot in Highspot, in order that’s the place reps can entry all the data they should go to earlier than they attend the occasion, just like the agenda, journey particulars, any pre-work or coaching that we would like them to organize or overview earlier than the periods.

We additionally included this enjoyable Easter egg in our SKO web page the place we use gamification like that launch expertise to incentivize our sellers to finish any pre-recorded raining and get of us driving pleasure and buzz round, what’s Highspot? What can it do?

And to go to our Highspot sales space that we had in our associate expo so what we did is we had the primary three of us who completed coaching, discovered the Easter egg phrase, and went to the Highspot sales space and talked about it, then all of them gained a prize. After SKO, we communicated with the winners and acknowledged their efforts to encourage others to take part in it, but additionally actually sprinkle that delight.

Enjoyable and strategic studying proper all through the platform. And that helps of us from a consumer expertise perspective to study the platform, mess around with it perceive the processes, and once more, assist drive steady engagement and choices post-launch. 

SS: I like that, that sounds prefer it landed properly along with your groups. Now I do know you guys are additionally utilizing Highspot to assist optimize your onboarding program. I do know that’s a key initiative for you all this 12 months. How do you intend to optimize your onboarding program and the way will leveraging Highspot make it easier to to do 

CH: New rent onboarding is so essential to get proper at any group. So guaranteeing our reps are totally enabled with the appropriate product data and know find out how to place and acknowledge the worth of messaging that resonates with the assorted patrons and prospects they’re speaking to is vital. At Alight, we made an enormous effort to prioritize and construct a robust and efficient onboarding program this 12 months.

And that’s one thing that we proceed to give attention to constructing out and repeatedly iterating all year long as properly. 

SS: Superb. Now, I do know that you just guys are simply getting began with Highspot, however what are a few of the key ways in which you’re measuring the impression of your enablement applications on enterprise outcomes?

CH: On the instance of, the onboarding program and the place we’ve been specializing in enhancing our onboarding program is de facto taking that in it and seeing how we will enhance our time to productiveness in our first sale for our reps. Understanding how can we enhance the time it takes for a brand new rent to onboard, study all of our varied merchandise and options we provide and actually be snug and assured in saying, Talking, having that first efficient dialog with their prospect or purchaser and in the end be capable of execute the primary deal. 

In order that’s one thing that we’ve been specializing in, as well as, to pipeline era guaranteeing that we’re in a position to assist our sellers generate extra pipeline, lead conversions, and enhance in win price. 

SS: Superb. And all of the top-line issues the enterprise cares about. Now, trying into the way forward for Alight, what are a few of the key targets you have got for enablement within the subsequent 12 months and past?

And the way do you intend to leverage Highspot to assist obtain these? 

CH: Some key targets this 12 months are centered round driving gross sales effectiveness. I might say, enhancing our buyer engagement and accelerating our enterprise progress. So we plan on leveraging Highspot A1 by optimizing simply our gross sales content material, and our content material technique. To proceed consolidating the place our customer-facing groups are accessing the appropriate content material on the proper time, ensuring it’s related and efficient at any stage of the client’s journey, proper? Enabling them to have interaction their clients and actually drive higher outcomes. Additionally enhancing our sales-readiness.

As we proceed to put money into our gross sales readiness initiatives, we need to ensure that our gross sales groups are well-equipped with the data, abilities, and sources they should succeed. So Highspot and the platform play an important function in delivering personalised coaching, teaching, and a few of these on-demand sources we’re constructing out to assist ongoing studying and improvement.

I might say one other space is simply actually driving that alignment throughout groups, once more, breaking down these silos, guaranteeing that our groups that assist enablement, like gross sales, advertising and marketing, product, and different key capabilities, actually present a seamless buyer expertise. So, we’re planning to deploy some key integrations developing between Highspot and our CRM system and a few of our advertising and marketing automation instruments.

That may assist us streamline that have and people workflows to allow our reps to be more practical in driving income progress. I might say lastly, it’s like scaling our enablement initiative. In order our group grows, we proceed to scale our enablement applications and the way we allow to assist the wants of our increasing Salesforce and gross sales groups.

Highspot’s scalability and adaptability enable us and assist us allow and deploy the applications that we’d like at scale and guarantee constant supply of the sources that we assist throughout our group as properly. 

SS: Fantastic. Carolyn, thanks a lot for becoming a member of us right now. I actually admire it.

CH: Thanks a lot for having me. 

SS: To our viewers. Thanks for listening to this episode of the win podcast. You should definitely tune in subsequent time for extra insights on how one can maximize enablement success with Highspot.