Onboarding Steps To Success

Welcome to Ascend! We look forward to building a long-lasting partnership.

This article is a guide to your customer onboarding experience, which consists of remote training sessions and consultations to make sure we achieve your organization's goals.

What's covered in this article

 

Touchless Processing

Intro & Kick-Off Discovery & Configuration Training & UAT Go-Live Post Live

Project Introduction & Kickoff

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Ascend Team 

Our team of experts is focused on delivering the best results for your organization and reducing the time to value.

 

Onboarding Project Manager

Your dedicated guide and primary point of contact throughout the onboarding project. They provide project oversight and schedule team meetings, training, working sessions, etc.

 

Solutions Engineer

Ensures the system fits your specific use case. They will learn your business processes, train your power users, and confirm that the configurations selected are a good fit for your business needs. Your Solutions Engineer also makes recommendations to help you get the most value from our solution.

 

Customer Success Manager (CSM)

Customer Success Managers will drive product best practices with a focus on recognition improvements that positively affect automatic entry adoption.

 

Support Team

We have a team of individuals who are here to help no matter the need. Support is available Monday through Friday, 4:30 AM – 5:00 PM Pacific Time. To contact them:

 

Your Core Project Team 

These are the key contacts within your organization who take leading roles in implementing Ascend's products and services. Throughout our time together, we will refer to these as resource personas. 

 

Project Lead

Manages the team and resources required for this project and serves as the main point of contact during the onboarding process. Their responsibilities include, but are not limited to assigning team member roles to establish project-level of engagement, determining weekly meeting cadence, instituting project tool/product access, and approving the project timeline. This individual may be a Project Manager, AP Manager, or Business Transformation Manager. 

AP Administrator 

Imparts management-level feedback and insight into departmental business processes throughout the project. Designates an owner for providing sample invoices necessary during the discovery phase. Their responsibilities include, but are not limited to: sharing insight into supplier records, communicating with suppliers when needed, actively engaging in training sessions, leading efforts throughout the training & user acceptance testing phase, and answering clarifying questions from the Ascend team. This individual may be an AP Manager, Finance System Manager, or Accounting Supervisor.  

 

AP Processor(s)

Provides feedback throughout the project and actively participates in training and user acceptance testing. Their responsibilities include, but are not limited to: actively engaging in training sessions and the UAT phase. This individual may be an AP Officer, AP Specialist, or AP Associate.  

 

ERP Integration SME

Supplies ERP connection information during the Discovery & Configuration and Production Migration phases. Assists the project team with troubleshooting issues as needed. Their responsibilities include, but are not limited to: ensuring Ascend has the correct credentials for Sandbox & Production tenant (prior to configuration and go-live), creating the necessary Ascend functional or ISU user with the required permissions, and providing the Workday timeline (if implementing). This individual may be an Implementation Partner, Workday Technical Lead, or System Architect.  Please reference the ERP Integration Consultant FAQ article as it will help you get acclimated with Ascend.

 

ERP Business Process SME

Provides guidance regarding client processes, procedures, and ERP configurations. Their responsibilities include, but are not limited to: advising on Tax and Freight, Custom Validations, and Supplier Invoice Worktag Usage (Standard and Custom). This individual may be a Business Analyst, Implementation Partner, or Finance System Manager. 

 

Network Operations Administrator

Collaborates on the security and email details needed during the discovery and configuration phases. Their responsibilities include, but are not limited to SSO setup and creating email accounts (as necessary). This individual may be a System Architect, Security Administrator, or Technical Architect.  

 

Executive Sponsor

Serves as a point of contact for escalations to ensure stakeholder alignment. Their responsibilities include, but are not limited to: change management approvals throughout the project's lifecycle, and feedback on the onboarding process. This individual approved the contracts for this project.  

 

Project Phases & Milestones

There are five milestones in your onboarding project. Your Onboarding Project Manager will track progress toward these milestones to make sure all requirements are met and the project stays on track and on schedule. In addition, we have provided an estimate for potential resources required (by week) for each roll associated with the project. Click the chart below to enlarge it. 

Important: images below are examples of a standard timeline and clients will work with an Ascend Project Manager to identify proper roles for the project and solidify the timeline during the kick-off call.

 

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Breakdown.PNG

Project Introduction & Kick-Off

Full details: Onboarding Phase 1: Project Introduction & Kick-Off

An in-depth session with the members of your team who will be directly responsible for completing each phase's goals and objectives. We'll discuss the onboarding project in detail including the project timeline and objectives and what to expect during each phase.

Discovery & Configuration

Full details: Onboarding Phase 3: Discovery & Configuration

During this phase, we will gather data and insights to tailor the system to your unique business processes and ERP configurations. We will complete the initial system setup and verify a successful connection during our Configuration Walkthrough meeting.

Training & User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

Full details: Onboarding Phase 4: Training & UAT

During this phase, Ascend will provide access to our eLearning curriculum, "Ascend Academy". Ascend will host Academy working sessions for the duration of your Ascend Academy access. Following the completion of Ascend Academy, we will facilitate a live tailored working session based on your requested used case scenarios.

Production Migration

Full details: Onboarding Phase 6: Production Migration

We will connect to your ERP production tenant and get the system ready for go live, confirm successful invoice smoke testing, and confirm the email cutover date and time. 

Project Close

Full details: Onboarding Phase 7: Project Close

Complete Go Live and meet with your Onboarding team for two weeks.  As the onboarding project concludes, we will monitor/review/discuss Ascend AP adoption and review the priority level for all open tickets before we close the project. 

 

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