The integration with the Salesforce opportunities has eliminated unnecessary delays and provided continuity within my commercial conversations. Most importantly, this process has helped to increase the speed of the sales cycle since commercials and services can be negotiated, and executed together.
Contracting is how business gets done. A strong conviction in that belief is why we built Ironclad CLM, and it’s why we use it for our own contracting needs. As builders and users, teams across our organization have unique perspectives on making the most of the Ironclad platform. We want to share those perspectives with you in our new Ironclad Blueprints series.
In the fourth installment, we dive into how our team leverages Ironclad to efficiently manage the creation and execution of statements of work (SOWs) for our Professional Services engagements.
The objective: Balancing standardization with customization
Creating statements of work (SOWs) for Professional Services engagements is a delicate balance. Lean too far towards standardization and you risk not meeting the unique needs of each client. But try to excessively customize every individual SOW and you might introduce inefficiencies and potential risks. This is the challenge Ironclad faced as our Professional Services processes evolved alongside our expanding customer base.
We knew we needed a scalable solution that would allow us to create consistent, high-quality SOWs while still maintaining the flexibility to tailor to client requests. We also wanted to improve visibility and collaboration across teams, from sales to implementation.
Key priorities
In designing our SOW workflow, we identified several key priorities:
Standardize service delivery
We needed to define our services through a standard SOW format, ensuring clear communication of deliverables and alignment of expectations between customers and our Professional Services team delivering the implementation projects.
Improve efficiency and accuracy
By pulling account and deal data from Salesforce and outlining specific approval processes, we aimed to streamline SOW creation and only involve people when necessary, while ensuring that we had the most up-to-date and accurate information.
Increase visibility
We wanted to provide better visibility to ensure our Professional Services team had a clear understanding of in-scope services for each implementation project, including hours, workflow types, and integration solutions, so they could assign resources efficiently. We also expanded visibility to our finance team for any non-standard payment terms in a more efficient manner.
Enable scalability
As our business grew, we needed a process that could scale with us, maintaining consistency while allowing for necessary customization.
The solution: a custom Ironclad workflow for SOW creation
To address these priorities, we created a custom “New Customer Statement of Work” workflow in Ironclad and set guardrails to adhere to during the process. Here’s a closer look:
- The workflow is launched from the Salesforce Opportunity to ensure consistency of Company Legal Name, any commercial-related information, as well as the approved pricing for the services.
- The standardized launch form collects key information about the engagement, including those listed below.
-
- Additional customer context
- Customer-specific workflow requirements
- Selections of add on services
- Private training requirements
- Implementation staffing requirements
- Business terms, such as project timeline, fees and payment terms
- The workflow aligns to the “Package SOW Terms” housed in the Ironclad Legal Center, where applicable, ensuring consistency in language across all Professional Services offerings.
- The workflow follows a predetermined approval structure, ensuring reviewer time is used efficiently. Upon submission, the services engagement manager (SEM) is notified as an approver. They are responsible for confirming the draft is complete and processing any redlines. Upon the receipt of any redlines, the team is able to trigger additional approvers as needed. For example, if any changes are made to the language of the document manually, Legal is automatically looped in. All other approvals, including those sometimes required from the implementation team, like an expedited timeline or a customized cutover plan, are still managed on an ad-hoc basis.
- The signing structure is set up based on total fee amounts, governed by our internal policies and, via our native e-sign tool Ironclad Signature, sent to the Controller, the CFO, and the CEO as necessary.
Key Ironclad features:
Workflow Designer: Allowed us to create a custom workflow tailored to our SOW process, and update language and structure of the workflow as quickly as our business needs changed.
Salesforce Integration: Ensures consistency between opportunity data and the SOW while allowing the sales team to remain in their preferred system.
Legal Center: Houses our standard Package SOW terms for easy incorporation into each Order Form.
Dynamic Approvals: Facilitates the right approvals based on SOW content and value.
Conditional Logic: Enables customization of the SOW based on selected options in the launch form.
The results: improved efficiency and scalability
The implementation of our SOW workflow has yielded significant benefits across the organization:
Increased standardization
By documenting the custom SOW’s standardized language and terms in our Legal Center, we’ve improved consistency across our SOWs while still allowing for necessary customization. And because the Professional Services, Legal, and SEM teams are already aligned with the standardized language, the reviews and negotiation of the custom SOWs are that much faster.
Improved efficiency
The time to generate the initial, shareable version of the SOW has reduced by 50%, thanks in part to the workflow sync that pulls in data the delivery team needs efficiently, allowing our team to focus on higher-value activities than hunting down project information manually.
Enhanced collaboration
The workflow has improved collaboration between sales, services, and delivery teams. As Lauren Kasner, Director of Professional Services, notes: “In streamlining our custom SOW process, we’re not just refining the document; we’re crafting an outline for success. Empowering our PS team with clarity and efficiency ensures they can deliver every project with precision and purpose.”
Accelerated sales cycle
The integration with Salesforce and the ability to negotiate SOWs alongside commercial terms has sped up our sales process. Ironclad Enterprise Account Executive Christine Vittorio shared: “Implementing the SOW process has been a game-changer for our sales team. It provides visibility and clarity into the negotiating process, allowing us to navigate discussions in partnership with our SEM counterparts.”
Scalability
As our company continues to grow, this workflow provides a scalable solution that can adapt to increasing demand without compromising quality or efficiency.
What’s next?
In streamlining our custom SOW process, we’ve empowered every involved team to move quickly and confidently. “[The Professional Services team is] bolstered by the sense of security that comes from knowing that PS leadership has pre-approved the language,” says Kasner. “The SEM team has partnered closely with us to continue with our pipeline and forecasting efforts for staffing, along with clear guidelines in terms of activities our team can take on.”
As we continue to refine our SOW process, We’ll also explore additional enhancements, including:
- Implementing linked workflows to better connect SOWs with commercial agreements
- Improving milestone payment tracking and visibility
- Further leveraging AI and automation to streamline the drafting and review process
By continuously improving our SOW workflow, we’re not just creating better contracts – we’re laying the foundation for smoother project delivery, improved client satisfaction, and sustainable growth for our Professional Services offerings.
