Charles Drayson

Feb 22 · 5 min read

Why Sales?

If you have an automation or digital transformation agenda, a Sales project is an excellent place to start. Here’s why.

The first automation project in your organization needs to deliver demonstrable benefits. You want to get off to a good start and have the best chance of success. Organizations might want to do more with automation, but invariably it comes down to just a few individuals who take the initiative and get started. If you are one of those people, there will be talk of ‘low hanging fruit.’ Your first project needs to be at the lower end of complexity: you will be learning as you go, and you want something you can deploy quickly. 

…If there’s any team in your organization that will appreciate a quick deployment of a simple solution that adds fast results, it’s Sales…

The revenue machine has to keep turning – no stoppages, focus on results, and be ready for the next cycle. That’s the source of the impetus you need. Change will still generate challenges, but sales teams tend to be interested in things that will give them an edge. Freeing-up time, minimizing procedural and document overhead will be appealing because it allows sales execs to apply their efforts where they see fit. This is important because the first project needs hearts and minds. Sales teams have no incentive to over-complicate their requirements and will give candid and quick feedback.

Sales teams invariably want everything (and everyone) to move faster. That means Sales teams are ideal candidates for using self-service tools – give them access to what they need on demand. Self-service options are particularly impactful during busy period-end procedures, when sales teams are trying to close deals before the end of the month, quarter or year.

Aim your first solution at tackling the tedious document-related tasks that need to be done right but are perceived as adding unwelcome overhead to the sales process. Generating NDAs, producing bids and proposals, distributing technical materials, and creating contracts – I have yet to meet a salesperson who enjoys those tasks. Often, you can deliver immediate value merely by automating the production of those documents and making them available through self-service. That kind of automation is at the heart of Legito, and it has the extra advantage of setting you up well for the next step.

The Use of Worfklow

Documents are artefacts of a broader business process, internal or external. They are the means of communicating information, permissions, and status from one team to another. In short, documents must flow, not merely exist. They require collaboration, approvals, and feedback loops. Documents are associated with time limits, and overlayed with procedures and compliance requirements. In complex sales, the sales team has to coordinate inputs from several internal teams and meet the demands of several customer teams. After the first step enabling easy production of documents, expand the solution by overlaying workflows, especially approvals. Sales execs often say: “It’s easier to get forgiveness than permission.” It’s time to make it easier to get permissions. That is what automated workflows provide.

The problem with legacy document automation systems (including some of solutions still prominent in the market) is that they do a good job of automating the production of documents but forget that documents don’t exist in a vacuum.

Digital Signatures

If the document authorizations are in place, make it easier for customers to close deals with digital signatures. Digital signature tools are embedded in Legito. It’s becoming increasingly rare to see documents signed with wet ink, and organizations that still use legacy signature processes risk looking outdated. Wet ink signatures take time, are difficult to monitor, and are a nuisance for people who work remotely. It’s helpful to have digital signature capability within Legito because you don’t have to embark on another project to integrate with a separate digital signature tool. The facility is ready for you when you are. This is the philosophy of Legito – we know you won’t use all the tools at the start, but we want them to be ready when you need them without having to leave the solution.

An Overview of Deals

Moving on from workflows, you have the data needed to provide an overview of deals-in-progress (for the Sales teams and other stakeholders). The data will be extracted automatically from the documents, so the reports will be reliable. As well as providing information for sales managers, the data used for reporting can also drive alerts and reminders.

After you’ve automated the documents, workflows, reporting, and signing, you can start thinking about the next step from Sales: delivery and contract management. Data can flow to where it’s needed for other teams (operations, finance) using the same solution.

There are precautions to take, as with any automation project. We don’t like to generalize because we know each organization is different, but we have discovered trends associated with successful projects. This article has already proposed a one-step-a-time approach. It’s easier to manage iterative improvements successfully. Don’t build too much at each step. Leave your colleagues wanting more.

Organizations, procedures, teams, and priorities are prone to change. Automation solutions must facilitate change. Refrain from creating unnecessary obstacles to change by automating to such a low level that the system becomes rigid and complex. Moreover, some organizations have procedures that only work because humans know how to mold them – highly prescriptive procedures might be an illusion. Automating a rigid procedure might have unintended consequences. Legito is a human-friendly solution, so leave space for humans to exercise their skill and judgement. Automate only the tasks that are ill-suited to humans. The objective is to augment, not replace, human input. Some industries have compliance or regulatory requirements that demand 100% adherence to a rigid procedure – make those the exception.

The author’s automation experience began with a sales project (working in-house, not as a vendor). The project yielded quick returns, won an industry award, and endured for many years. Behind that project, there was a bargain with the sales team: they had to agree to use the system, but the system had to be useable. It’s a fair bargain to make with colleagues.

Start your digital transformation with Sales, get positive results, and have the ideal base expand and help other teams deliver.

Why Sales?

If you have an automation or digital transformation agenda, a Sales project is an excellent place to start. Here’s why.

The first automation project in your organization needs to deliver demonstrable benefits. You want to get off to a good start and have the best chance of success. Organizations might want to do more with automation, but invariably it comes down to just a few individuals who take the initiative and get started. If you are one of those people, there will be talk of ‘low hanging fruit.’ Your first project needs to be at the lower end of complexity: you will be learning as you go, and you want something you can deploy quickly. 

…If there’s any team in your organization that will appreciate a quick deployment of a simple solution that adds fast results, it’s Sales…

The revenue machine has to keep turning – no stoppages, focus on results, and be ready for the next cycle. That’s the source of the impetus you need. Change will still generate challenges, but sales teams tend to be interested in things that will give them an edge. Freeing-up time, minimizing procedural and document overhead will be appealing because it allows sales execs to apply their efforts where they see fit. This is important because the first project needs hearts and minds. Sales teams have no incentive to over-complicate their requirements and will give candid and quick feedback.Sales teams invariably want everything (and everyone) to move faster. That means Sales teams are ideal candidates for using self-service tools – give them access to what they need on demand. Self-service options are particularly impactful during busy period-end procedures, when sales teams are trying to close deals before the end of the month, quarter or year. 

Aim your first solution at tackling the tedious document-related tasks that need to be done right but are perceived as adding unwelcome overhead to the sales process. Generating NDAs, producing bids and proposals, distributing technical materials, and creating contracts – I have yet to meet a salesperson who enjoys those tasks. Often, you can deliver immediate value merely by automating the production of those documents and making them available through self-service. That kind of automation is at the heart of Legito, and it has the extra advantage of setting you up well for the next step.

The Use of Worfklow

Documents are artefacts of a broader business process, internal or external. They are the means of communicating information, permissions, and status from one team to another. In short, documents must flow, not merely exist. They require collaboration, approvals, and feedback loops. Documents are associated with time limits, and overlayed with procedures and compliance requirements. In complex sales, the sales team has to coordinate inputs from several internal teams and meet the demands of several customer teams. After the first step enabling easy production of documents, expand the solution by overlaying workflows, especially approvals. Sales execs often say: “It’s easier to get forgiveness than permission.” It’s time to make it easier to get permissions. That is what automated workflows provide.

The problem with legacy document automation systems (including some of solutions still prominent in the market) is that they do a good job of automating the production of documents but forget that documents don’t exist in a vacuum.

Digital Signatures

If the document authorizations are in place, make it easier for customers to close deals with digital signatures. Digital signature tools are embedded in Legito. It’s becoming increasingly rare to see documents signed with wet ink, and organizations that still use legacy signature processes risk looking outdated. Wet ink signatures take time, are difficult to monitor, and are a nuisance for people who work remotely. It’s helpful to have digital signature capability within Legito because you don’t have to embark on another project to integrate with a separate digital signature tool. The facility is ready for you when you are. This is the philosophy of Legito – we know you won’t use all the tools at the start, but we want them to be ready when you need them without having to leave the solution.

An Overview of Deals

Moving on from workflows, you have the data needed to provide an overview of deals-in-progress (for the Sales teams and other stakeholders). The data will be extracted automatically from the documents, so the reports will be reliable. As well as providing information for sales managers, the data used for reporting can also drive alerts and reminders.

After you’ve automated the documents, workflows, reporting, and signing, you can start thinking about the next step from Sales: delivery and contract management. Data can flow to where it’s needed for other teams (operations, finance) using the same solution.

There are precautions to take, as with any automation project. We don’t like to generalize because we know each organization is different, but we have discovered trends associated with successful projects. This article has already proposed a one-step-a-time approach. It’s easier to manage iterative improvements successfully. Don’t build too much at each step. Leave your colleagues wanting more.

Organizations, procedures, teams, and priorities are prone to change. Automation solutions must facilitate change. Refrain from creating unnecessary obstacles to change by automating to such a low level that the system becomes rigid and complex. Moreover, some organizations have procedures that only work because humans know how to mold them – highly prescriptive procedures might be an illusion. Automating a rigid procedure might have unintended consequences. Legito is a human-friendly solution, so leave space for humans to exercise their skill and judgement. Automate only the tasks that are ill-suited to humans. The objective is to augment, not replace, human input. Some industries have compliance or regulatory requirements that demand 100% adherence to a rigid procedure – make those the exception.

The author’s automation experience began with a sales project (working in-house, not as a vendor). The project yielded quick returns, won an industry award, and endured for many years. Behind that project, there was a bargain with the sales team: they had to agree to use the system, but the system had to be useable. It’s a fair bargain to make with colleagues.

Start your digital transformation with Sales, get positive results, and have the ideal base expand and help other teams deliver.

More Industry Insights

Charles Drayson

Feb 9 · 5 min read

Through a series of coincidences, I’ve been a close spectator of the workings of HR teams, small and large. I had a fun time as General Counsel for one of the large global outsourcing service providers serving the HR sector. Subsequently, I never seemed far away from projects that directly or indirectly interacted with HR processes.

Of all the back-office functions, HR functions at the confluence of regulation change, procedure and business need – but remains vitally (and ironically dependant on humant input).

Too  much procedure with too little human involvement will fail business needs. Failure to reflect regulatory requirements, or inability to roll with change, leads to the same dysfunction. It’s difficult enough to blend all the requirements in just the right mix, but then you have to add volume.

Some HR tasks require specific solutions. Nobody operates the payroll without a payroll solution, for example. Many HR teams also use more generic HR applications for wider matters like absence management, maintaining HR records, and staff appraisals. Where does an application like Legito fit?

Benefits of Legito Deployment

Legito is an enterprise application – Legito’s strength is the ability to span the needs of the whole organization without loss of utility. Enterprise adoption requires a rich feature set (simple, not simplistic), intuitive use without big change management projects, and the ability to customize the solution for the needs of each team. The HR team’s organizational view is oriented around employees and their place within the enterprise – very different to, say, a finance team or a procurement team. In stark contrast to more specific solutions, we designed Legito to be flexible, to serve the wider audience. Flexibility gives HR teams access to a solution tailored for HR. More than that, the same flexibility has two more benefits: flexibility to reflect your desired way of working within HR, and flexibility to integrate the HR workflows with procedures and teams external to the HR department.

Recruitment

Consider a new joiner process, for example. A good new joiner process begins and ends outside the HR team. At one end of the process, hiring managers need to initiate recruitment. At the other end of the process, you need to pass a new joiner’s records to the IT team to provision user accounts and systems access. The handover between the HR team and other back-office teams ought to be integrated. True integration across department boundaries is harder to achieve with disparate systems. It’s harder when those disparate systems evolve, as they must.

Let’s talk about the human dimension for a moment. It’s a rare HR workflow that can be fully automated without adverse consequence. Legito exists to augment the work of back-office professionals, not replace them. Leave space for humans to do what they do best. Legito empowers people in two contexts. Before your first colleague interacts with a Legito solution, someone needs to build it to meet your needs, leveraging the flexibility we mentioned. Cue the citizen developer (we recommend the Gartner definition if you are unfamiliar with the concept).

Legito is built on the premise that the best people to configure solutions are those who know your organization and your needs – your HR professionals, not developers. They are also best placed to ensure your solution keeps up with the pace of change.

Implementation Process

Adoption should be facilitated, not imposed. The demand for human-friendly applications is increasing because we have colleagues who consume technology, and they have high expectations. If a solution is awkward, cumbersome or mimics legacy analogue processes, it will disappoint. Use the opportunity to create something you would want to use. Optimize your chances of success by starting with small projects and seek feedback. Legito customers report that adoption is best achieved when colleagues like what they see and ask for more.

Legito case studies tell us that the success of their implementation derives from deploying a solution that is a pleasure to use.

Use of Workflow

HR matters are document-orientated, which makes them ideally suited to the Legito platform. Use rich automation templates to create documents of any complexity, and render them accessible to colleagues who might not have the inclination or knowledge to create them manually. It’s frequently necessary to make sets of documents from one data set with consistency and efficiency. Many Legito implementations will begin with a project based on document automation, often with a positive ROI for simple use cases. Document automation is a solid foundation on which to build.

When you are ready to expand from the first project, the Legito platform supports the end-to-end process. Use workflow to get approvals. Use digital signatures to execute documents. Use document management to store completed documents. Use automatic data extraction to power reminders. Build custom reports for management oversight. All these features are available within the platform without the need to integrate with other applications.

We promote Legito for enterprise-wide adoption, but organizations have to begin somewhere, and the HR team is invariably a good place to start.

Through a series of coincidences, I’ve been a close spectator of the workings of HR teams, small and large. I had a fun time as General Counsel for one of the large global outsourcing service providers serving the HR sector. Subsequently, I never seemed far away from projects that directly or indirectly interacted with HR processes. 

Too  much procedure with too little human involvement will fail business needs. Failure to reflect regulatory requirements, or inability to roll with change, leads to the same dysfunction. It’s difficult enough to blend all the requirements in just the right mix, but then you have to add volume.

Some HR tasks require specific solutions. Nobody operates the payroll without a payroll solution, for example. Many HR teams also use more generic HR applications for wider matters like absence management, maintaining HR records, and staff appraisals. Where does an application like Legito fit?

Benefits of Legito Deployment

Legito is an enterprise application – Legito’s strength is the ability to span the needs of the whole organization without loss of utility. Enterprise adoption requires a rich feature set (simple, not simplistic), intuitive use without big change management projects, and the ability to customize the solution for the needs of each team. The HR team’s organizational view is oriented around employees and their place within the enterprise – very different to, say, a finance team or a procurement team. In stark contrast to more specific solutions, we designed Legito to be flexible, to serve the wider audience. Flexibility gives HR teams access to a solution tailored for HR. More than that, the same flexibility has two more benefits: flexibility to reflect your desired way of working within HR, and flexibility to integrate the HR workflows with procedures and teams external to the HR department.

Recruitment

Consider a new joiner process, for example. A good new joiner process begins and ends outside the HR team. At one end of the process, hiring managers need to initiate recruitment. At the other end of the process, you need to pass a new joiner’s records to the IT team to provision user accounts and systems access. The handover between the HR team and other back-office teams ought to be integrated. True integration across department boundaries is harder to achieve with disparate systems. It’s harder when those disparate systems evolve, as they must.

Let’s talk about the human dimension for a moment. It’s a rare HR workflow that can be fully automated without adverse consequence. Legito exists to augment the work of back-office professionals, not replace them. Leave space for humans to do what they do best. Legito empowers people in two contexts. Before your first colleague interacts with a Legito solution, someone needs to build it to meet your needs, leveraging the flexibility we mentioned. Cue the citizen developer (we recommend the Gartner definition if you are unfamiliar with the concept).

Legito is built on the premise that the best people to configure solutions are those who know your organization and your needs – your HR professionals, not developers. They are also best placed to ensure your solution keeps up with the pace of change.

Implementation Process

Adoption should be facilitated, not imposed. Invariably, Legito case studies tell us that the success of their implementation derives from deploying a solution that is a pleasure to use. The demand for human-friendly applications is increasing because we have colleagues who consume technology, and they have high expectations. If a solution is awkward, cumbersome or mimics legacy analogue processes, it will disappoint. Use the opportunity to create something you would want to use. Optimize your chances of success by starting with small projects and seek feedback. Legito customers report that adoption is best achieved when colleagues like what they see and ask for more.

Use of Workflow

HR matters are document-orientated, which makes them ideally suited to the Legito platform. Use rich automation templates to create documents of any complexity, and render them accessible to colleagues who might not have the inclination or knowledge to create them manually. It’s frequently necessary to make sets of documents from one data set with consistency and efficiency. Many Legito implementations will begin with a project based on document automation, often with a positive ROI for simple use cases. Document automation is a solid foundation on which to build.

When you are ready to expand from the first project, the Legito platform supports the end-to-end process. Use workflow to get approvals. Use digital signatures to execute documents. Use document management to store completed documents. Use automatic data extraction to power reminders. Build custom reports for management oversight. All these features are available within the platform without the need to integrate with other applications.

We promote Legito for enterprise-wide adoption, but organizations have to begin somewhere, and the HR team is invariably a good place to start.

More Industry Insights