Case Studies

Challenge

An alternative energy service provider wanted to update its messaging and positioning, and develop strategic marketing materials that would convey their value proposition to their target markets, while differentiating the company from its competitors. The company faced two primary challenges. They needed to assess and enhance their current messaging and positioning, and also quickly deliver marketing and sales tools that incorporated the new messages. Clearworks assisted the company by conducting focused market research to gain insights, and then used those findings to develop web messaging and marketing collateral.

Key Accomplishments

• Researched the alternative energy industry and learned the energy landscape and its unique vernacular to get up to speed quickly.
• Developed a thorough process and Discussion Guide for customer interviews to learn about their energy expectations, perceptions and what features, benefits and operational environment were important.
• Conducted market research with multiple customers across segments to gain insights and understand how the company could best position itself and its services.
• Analyzed the findings and provided a set of strategic recommendations on how to position the company and its value proposition to inform future marketing and sales material development.
• Implemented messaging recommendations, by developing new content for the entire website, and created a new solutions brochure.

Challenge

A well-known payments company challenged with “being innovative” reorganized its new product development function and created an Innovation Department responsible for front end innovation. Many on the team were new to innovation and the front end new product process. They were looking for expertise to help them “get started”, including developing infrastructure, process and tools and templates. They also needed to secure buy-in from other internal groups skeptical of the new structure.

Key Accomplishments

• Conducted cross-functional process mapping workshop with senior level executives as well as managers and directors across functional teams impacted by the new innovation process. Generated a process built collectively by the team to get buy-in and ownership across groups. Process identified roles and responsibilities for team members as well as key hand-offs and deliverables at each stage. Generated an action plan for roll out and execution.
• Shared a series of Clearworks templates and tools that are used across the front-end innovation process; helped the team customize these tools and templates using a pilot set of ideas and concepts.
• Facilitated ideation session, the output of which exceeded the idea generation target; ideas were then prioritized into smaller group for follow-up and evaluation.
• Consulted and advised on innovation practices, vendors, tools, methodologies.

Challenge

A European-based software development and application management company was preparing to enter the US market. They faced several challenges including overly complex messaging, a lack of credibility as a newcomer to the market, and an undifferentiated value proposition. To assist with their US entry, the company engaged Clearworks to craft a positioning strategy, identify the key messages, articulate the value proposition, and integrate messaging into their US marketing collateral.

Key Accomplishments

• Conducted a series of interviews with key internal staff as well as global customers to understand marketing and sales challenges, customer needs and pain points, and perceptions of the software products including key benefits, differentiators, descriptors, value propositions, and positioning relative to competitors.
• Reviewed and analyzed competitor positioning to understand how client could best position itself in the market vis-à-vis its competitors.
• Crafted positioning strategy with key messages and value proposition to be used as a blueprint for all marketing collateral moving forward.
• Advised client on integrating strategy into current collateral and sales materials including data sheets, websites, sales presentations, and other product literature to capture their compelling value proposition and ensure new, enhanced messages were presented in a consistent manner across all materials.

Results

• Leveraging Clearworks’ expertise in both messaging and the enterprise software market, the client was able to gain a clear picture of how its products were perceived in the market and understand the confusion around their original messaging.
• The client now has revised messaging and positioning, a clearly articulated value proposition and simple, compelling messaging. Additionally, they have a blueprint for marketing collateral moving forward and enhanced messaging and positioning in the current marketing collateral.

Challenge

A code search company was building a new enterprise version of their successful online product. The product management team was lean and did not have bandwidth to support the requirements effort for the new product. The company engaged Clearworks to provide product management services and get the requirements gathered and documented.

Key Accomplishments

• Quickly got up to speed on new product and new technology. Engaged with the software architect to understand capabilities as well as limitations of the new product.
• Interviewed internal team members about features and functionalities they thought should be in the system based on customer interviews and interactions.
• Designed and facilitated a customer summit with pilot customers to generate rich feedback on requirements and the product.
• Wrote comprehensive PRD in a timely fashion that reflected true customer needs rather than best guesses from the company.

Challenge

A security software company wanted to initiate and formalize a Customer Advisory Board (CAB) for their enterprise customers. They were bringing in large customers from all over the world, and were using this initial two-day meeting as the kick-off for the larger Enterprise CAB (ECAB) program. They engaged Clearworks as outside objective facilitators to design and lead the work sessions.

Key Accomplishments

• Developed program, agenda, pre-session survey, and materials for the meeting.
• Facilitated several exercises designed to understand the customers’ environment and requirements; utilized individual and group exercises.
• Tested new product concepts in a focus group format.
• Documented all output into comprehensive report that was distributed widely within the client company and also sent to all the customers who attended.

Results

• In the post session survey, 100% of the attendees reported overall satisfaction with the ECAB, 100% would attend follow on ECAB events, and 100% said they would recommend these ECAB events to others.
• Output of the ECAB session was fed into product requirements, product roadmap, and process improvement initiatives.
• Retained to develop and facilitate future ECAB sessions.

Challenge

Large telecommunications infrastructure company was launching a new line of business. The organization needed to understand how this line of business would impact existing Quote to Cash business processes. They also needed to also map out the unique Quote to Cash processes necessary to support the new line of business. The company engaged Clearworks to facilitate a multi-day cross-functional process mapping session.

Key Accomplishments

• Conducted cross-functional process mapping workshop with managers and executives from across the organization.
• Documented a streamlined process to support the new line of business, with links into existing processes.
• Recorded actions, issues and risks; made recommendations based on meeting output.

Results

• Cross-functional cooperation was enhanced and relationships forged which helped speed progress; kick-started initiative and associated communications within the company.
• Documented processes used as basis for tool and template development, training materials, job descriptions, and internal service level agreements.
• Documented actions, issues, risks used to create project plan and schedule.

Challenge

A telecommunications infrastructure company looking to be more solutions-oriented decided to build a new services business. The Director of New Services did not have a team of product/service managers in place and yet needed to launch 2 new services within a short timeframe. The company engaged Clearworks to fill-in as the new services development team and help execute a launch.

Key Accomplishments

• Wrote business cases for new services.
• Interviewed cross-functional teams and sales force and surveyed VARs to determine market need and requirements.
• Wrote MRDs for 5 new services.
• Conducted cross-functional process mapping sessions to determine launch roles and responsibilities as well as infrastructure needs to support the new services. Created launch plan and marketing materials for the first 2 pilot services; deliverables included cross-functional project plan, and marketing data sheets.
• Streamlined and documented the service delivery process for the first service being launched; developed tools and templates to support the process, and created the customer-facing materials including a customer handbook.
• Developed training materials and delivered pilot training class.

Challenge

An alternative energy service provider wanted to update its messaging and positioning, and develop strategic marketing materials that would convey their value proposition to their target markets, while differentiating the company from its competitors. The company faced two primary challenges. They needed to assess and enhance their current messaging and positioning, and also quickly deliver marketing and sales tools that incorporated the new messages. Clearworks assisted the company by conducting focused market research to gain insights, and then used those findings to develop web messaging and marketing collateral.

Key Accomplishments

• Researched the alternative energy industry and learned the energy landscape and its unique vernacular to get up to speed quickly.
• Developed a thorough process and Discussion Guide for customer interviews to learn about their energy expectations, perceptions and what features, benefits and operational environment were important.
• Conducted market research with multiple customers across segments to gain insights and understand how the company could best position itself and its services.
• Analyzed the findings and provided a set of strategic recommendations on how to position the company and its value proposition to inform future marketing and sales material development.
• Implemented messaging recommendations, by developing new content for the entire website, and created a new solutions brochure.

Challenge

A well-known payments company challenged with “being innovative” reorganized its new product development function and created an Innovation Department responsible for front end innovation. Many on the team were new to innovation and the front end new product process. They were looking for expertise to help them “get started”, including developing infrastructure, process and tools and templates. They also needed to secure buy-in from other internal groups skeptical of the new structure.

Key Accomplishments

• Conducted cross-functional process mapping workshop with senior level executives as well as managers and directors across functional teams impacted by the new innovation process. Generated a process built collectively by the team to get buy-in and ownership across groups. Process identified roles and responsibilities for team members as well as key hand-offs and deliverables at each stage. Generated an action plan for roll out and execution.
• Shared a series of Clearworks templates and tools that are used across the front-end innovation process; helped the team customize these tools and templates using a pilot set of ideas and concepts.
• Facilitated ideation session, the output of which exceeded the idea generation target; ideas were then prioritized into smaller group for follow-up and evaluation.
• Consulted and advised on innovation practices, vendors, tools, methodologies.

Challenge

A European-based software development and application management company was preparing to enter the US market. They faced several challenges including overly complex messaging, a lack of credibility as a newcomer to the market, and an undifferentiated value proposition. To assist with their US entry, the company engaged Clearworks to craft a positioning strategy, identify the key messages, articulate the value proposition, and integrate messaging into their US marketing collateral.

Key Accomplishments

• Conducted a series of interviews with key internal staff as well as global customers to understand marketing and sales challenges, customer needs and pain points, and perceptions of the software products including key benefits, differentiators, descriptors, value propositions, and positioning relative to competitors.
• Reviewed and analyzed competitor positioning to understand how client could best position itself in the market vis-à-vis its competitors.
• Crafted positioning strategy with key messages and value proposition to be used as a blueprint for all marketing collateral moving forward.
• Advised client on integrating strategy into current collateral and sales materials including data sheets, websites, sales presentations, and other product literature to capture their compelling value proposition and ensure new, enhanced messages were presented in a consistent manner across all materials.

Results

• Leveraging Clearworks’ expertise in both messaging and the enterprise software market, the client was able to gain a clear picture of how its products were perceived in the market and understand the confusion around their original messaging.
• The client now has revised messaging and positioning, a clearly articulated value proposition and simple, compelling messaging. Additionally, they have a blueprint for marketing collateral moving forward and enhanced messaging and positioning in the current marketing collateral.

Challenge

A code search company was building a new enterprise version of their successful online product. The product management team was lean and did not have bandwidth to support the requirements effort for the new product. The company engaged Clearworks to provide product management services and get the requirements gathered and documented.

Key Accomplishments

• Quickly got up to speed on new product and new technology. Engaged with the software architect to understand capabilities as well as limitations of the new product.
• Interviewed internal team members about features and functionalities they thought should be in the system based on customer interviews and interactions.
• Designed and facilitated a customer summit with pilot customers to generate rich feedback on requirements and the product.
• Wrote comprehensive PRD in a timely fashion that reflected true customer needs rather than best guesses from the company.

Challenge

A security software company wanted to initiate and formalize a Customer Advisory Board (CAB) for their enterprise customers. They were bringing in large customers from all over the world, and were using this initial two-day meeting as the kick-off for the larger Enterprise CAB (ECAB) program. They engaged Clearworks as outside objective facilitators to design and lead the work sessions.

Key Accomplishments

• Developed program, agenda, pre-session survey, and materials for the meeting.
• Facilitated several exercises designed to understand the customers’ environment and requirements; utilized individual and group exercises.
• Tested new product concepts in a focus group format.
• Documented all output into comprehensive report that was distributed widely within the client company and also sent to all the customers who attended.

Results

• In the post session survey, 100% of the attendees reported overall satisfaction with the ECAB, 100% would attend follow on ECAB events, and 100% said they would recommend these ECAB events to others.
• Output of the ECAB session was fed into product requirements, product roadmap, and process improvement initiatives.
• Retained to develop and facilitate future ECAB sessions.

Challenge

Large telecommunications infrastructure company was launching a new line of business. The organization needed to understand how this line of business would impact existing Quote to Cash business processes. They also needed to also map out the unique Quote to Cash processes necessary to support the new line of business. The company engaged Clearworks to facilitate a multi-day cross-functional process mapping session.

Key Accomplishments

• Conducted cross-functional process mapping workshop with managers and executives from across the organization.
• Documented a streamlined process to support the new line of business, with links into existing processes.
• Recorded actions, issues and risks; made recommendations based on meeting output.

Results

• Cross-functional cooperation was enhanced and relationships forged which helped speed progress; kick-started initiative and associated communications within the company.
• Documented processes used as basis for tool and template development, training materials, job descriptions, and internal service level agreements.
• Documented actions, issues, risks used to create project plan and schedule.

Challenge

A telecommunications infrastructure company looking to be more solutions-oriented decided to build a new services business. The Director of New Services did not have a team of product/service managers in place and yet needed to launch 2 new services within a short timeframe. The company engaged Clearworks to fill-in as the new services development team and help execute a launch.

Key Accomplishments

• Wrote business cases for new services.
• Interviewed cross-functional teams and sales force and surveyed VARs to determine market need and requirements.
• Wrote MRDs for 5 new services.
• Conducted cross-functional process mapping sessions to determine launch roles and responsibilities as well as infrastructure needs to support the new services. Created launch plan and marketing materials for the first 2 pilot services; deliverables included cross-functional project plan, and marketing data sheets.
• Streamlined and documented the service delivery process for the first service being launched; developed tools and templates to support the process, and created the customer-facing materials including a customer handbook.
• Developed training materials and delivered pilot training class.