KHS creates global enthusiasm for new customer processes

Starting position

For a long time, KHS had been using a conventional e-commerce solution with which customers could request and order replacement parts via an online shop.  Over the years, this system had come against various limits. For one thing, its functional scope was no longer up to date. Furthermore, the legacy solution was limited to customers that had contact with KHS GmbH in Germany. As a result, the company’s objective to provide all customers with a state-of-the-art experience – particularly its international customers – could no longer be realised. Consequently, KHS decided to replace the shop that was purely for replacement parts with a holistic, global customer and service portal based on SAP CX Commerce. In parallel, they chose to also implement SAP CX Service, a system that supports the portal’s functions. As a result of this connection, above all, many internal processes and daily routines would change, especially for the Order Management team at KHS. These far-reaching process changes were one of the main reasons that KHS decided to implement the projects with Sybit and have the change fully supported by change management.

Another key reason is the company’s structures and the complex hierarchy levels with some 5,000 employees. KHS has five branches in Germany and around 70 worldwide. Accordingly, when performing a digital transformation of this scale, it is particularly important to take into account the cultural differences and different needs of the employees. Sybit's change management aims to reach the various stakeholders of the project, actively integrate different employees into the still ongoing change process and successfully accompany the change using proven techniques. The company realises: Implementing digitalisation projects worldwide can only be successful if the people who use the tools are involved as closely as possible and communication is transparent and consistent. KHS does not want to leave all of this to chance and chose to proactively support the transition from the start with change management. 

Project details

• After almost a year, both solutions SAP CX Commerce and SAP CX Service are live in the German organisation
• Step by step, each company will be equipped with the two components
• Parallel set-up of Commerce and Service components and key users in both areas
• Iterative procedure using Scrum methods until go-live
• Before starting the implementation phase, national and international change management teams were set up 
• For each legal entity, 1–4 Change Agents accompany the project in the foreign subsidiaries and approximately 20 in Germany

Results and highlights

• High acceptance achieved in a challenging environment: Acceptance, understanding and employee involvement were successfully initiated and supported through change management even before the software went live. 

• Tandems of key users and Change Agents a crucial success factor: Thanks to the key users and Change Agents, users have a contact person at all times, which noticeably fosters trust and transparency. The proactive integration of key users at an early stage allows faster implementation and high acceptance for the system. Key users regularly perform tests in small groups, allowing an optimised system to be presented to the broader user group.
   

• Change management ensures noticeable results: Thanks to very close cooperation, KHS and Sybit achieve much more than the simple implementation of SAP CX Commerce and Service. They create broad acceptance at global level for the software and process changes and for change management as an integral component of digitalisation projects.

• Entire range of measures employed: Stakeholder analyses, communication plans, documentation, FAQs, interactive workshops, Change Agent Teams for every branch of the company, mood barometer, feedback interviews, change calls and much more.

• Significant advantages thanks to external partner: Sybit’s experience in IT projects and change management, the corresponding transfer of knowledge and, above all, concrete structural specifications meant that the project not only achieved short-term success, but established changes that were met with an ongoing positive response.