KPMG UK supports large-scale transformation and reclaims 116,000 hours of productivity with WalkMe

KPMG UK recently undertook its largest-ever digital transformation to date, a program titled “EMpowered” designed to modernize the firm’s entire value chain, from HR and Finance to IT. Building on previous success with their CRM, the firm selected WalkMe to support its transformation across its internal application landscape – including SAP S/4HANA, SAP SuccessFactors HCM, SAP Concur, Coupa, Profinda, and ServiceNow.

With 16,000 employees transitioning to these new applications, KPMG UK needed a way to ensure everyone could navigate new workflows accurately from day one. What began as a solution for system guidance has matured into an integral component of the firm’s change management strategy and associates’ daily ways of working. By establishing a robust Center of Excellence (CoE), the team was able to improve data integrity and proactively prevent errors, reclaiming over 116,000 hours of productivity time in a single year.

The EMpowered program represented a shift that reached far beyond a simple software update; while the move from SAP ECC6 to S/4HANA and SuccessFactors was central to the rollout, the initiative encompassed 10 enterprise applications that redefined the firm’s end-to-end value chain. This massive shift meant that employees had to learn a high volume of new processes, ranging from initial client opportunities to engagement management and financial billing.

With so many moving parts, KPMG UK recognized the potential for change fatigue, where the volume of new information could lead to user friction, decreased data integrity, and a spike in help desk dependency. Traditional training methods simply couldn’t keep pace with the large-scale rollout; there was a clear opportunity to bridge the gap between classroom learning and consistent process execution with a more proactive approach. By implementing WalkMe to serve as a process integrity and error-prevention layer, KPMG UK enabled its employees directly in the flow of work. This proactive approach ensured that employees spent less time troubleshooting software and more time focused on high-value, client-facing activities.

The firm used WalkMe to provide in-app guidance and ensure employees remained supported and compliant without needing to rely on memory or standard operating procedure manuals. “We knew we needed something to help our people through the change. If we didn’t have WalkMe, the level of support calls from our colleagues would have been significantly higher. It has provided that safety net during our most complex transformation to date,” says Alan Davie, Transformation Learning Lead. This proactive focus on the user experience allowed KPMG UK to create a structured, scalable approach to digital adoption that empowered employees from their very first interaction with the new applications.

KPMG UK previously saw improvements in data quality and user efficiency with WalkMe in their CRM application. So when it came time for their full value chain transformation, they leveraged WalkMe once again to assist with training and to provide a framework for overall change management. To support this scale, the team established a CoE and an internal playbook for design and prioritization, allowing them to bridge gaps during complex migrations and long-term stabilization.

During the S/4HANA go-live and hyper-care periods, the team used a data-driven approach to understanding support needs. By monitoring help desk tickets, they identified exactly where employees needed assistance and deployed targeted content in the flow of work. This turned recurring support requests into instant, in-app guidance, allowing users to resolve issues independently without leaving the application.

Beyond reactive support, the team built proactive solutions to simplify complex financial operations. One key solution addressed the process of engagement setup and project coding. Using WalkMe, the team leads their users through required fields and ensures project codes are generated accurately from the start. This prevents misclassified projects that would otherwise require manual intervention from the finance team to correct.

The firm also uses their digital adoption strategy as a communication layer to manage change directly within the applications. While core system updates follow standard enterprise release cycles, WalkMe allows the team to deploy instant alerts in under 10 minutes. For example, during critical data migrations, the team pushes immediate notifications to keep users informed and out of the system during specific windows, protecting data integrity and ensuring a smooth transition.

For SuccessFactors, the team focuses on value-added workflows to ensure HR processes remain seamless. For example, the team uses WalkMe to guide employees through the annual year-end feedback process. This just-in-time support serves as a critical reminder by providing prompts in the moment. By doing so, KPMG UK ensures feedback is captured accurately across the organization and maintains process consistency during important business milestones.

By utilizing segmentation to deliver these solutions to the right employees at the right time, the team has shifted from reacting to issues to proactively enabling the business. “WalkMe empowers us to respond to needs as they arise,” says Lisa Ratcliffe, Head of Internal Change. “By deploying an in-app notification in just 10 minutes the impact was huge.” Alan Davie adds, “It stopped people sending emails and calling the help desk in its tracks. It highlighted so beautifully the power of WalkMe: the right message in the right location at the right time.”

This ability to deploy meaningful support in minutes has fundamentally changed the team’s speed of delivery, ensuring technology remains an asset for their employees long after the initial go-live.

By aligning their digital adoption strategy with their mission of operational excellence, the firm reclaims an estimated 116,000 hours of employee time over a 12 month period. This success is achieved by moving beyond static documentation and providing in-the-moment support for employees directly where they work, providing relevant and accurate guidance that builds user confidence, reduces reliance on support, and increases process accuracy.

For example, the firm estimates saving 81,000 hours through self-service and cutover support. By using WalkMe to provide immediate answers during system downtime or upgrades, KPMG UK ensures employees are never left searching for help or waiting for manual intervention. This flexibility allows the team to solve specific user problems and deliver the right information at the right time.

The team further strengthens process integrity through the prevention of rework in applications like S/4HANA. By placing validation rules and proactive alerts within the application, they guide users to enter data correctly the first time. Additionally, the team accelerates time to proficiency for first-time users by using WalkMe to guide new hires through their first engagement, the firm empowers employees to focus on high-value client work.

“What began as a tactical solution for system guidance has matured into a cornerstone of our business strategy. WalkMe is part of our way of working and our culture – it’s our first-line solution for enabling change.” says Alan Davie. KPMG UK’s digital adoption strategy enables them to support large-scale change and provide a scalable framework that allows the firm to remain agile. To build on this success, the team is now looking to further automate data reporting, providing the business with deeper insights into process health to drive even greater organizational impact.

The KPMG UK CoE is a centralized function within the Transformation Team, supporting 16,000 employees organization-wide. Despite operating with only two builders for the majority of the “EMpowered” program, the team has played a critical role in delivering large-scale change and simplifying complex procedures.

To manage this vast landscape with such a lean team, the CoE adopted a highly disciplined approach to prioritization and reporting. They utilize a strategic framework that maps every solution to a specific business outcome: Productivity Gain, Onboarding Efficiency, or Risk Reduction. This ensures that every build is directly aligned with the firm’s most critical operational goals.

Using WalkMe Insights as the primary data source, the team developed a value dashboard to translate raw interactions into measurable business outcomes. This repeatable framework allowed the team to move from raw activity metrics to strategic insights. As Steffi Babu, Business Adoption Solution Builder, explains, “We designed a model that shifted the conversation. Instead of discussing features, leadership began discussing hours saved and business impact. Moving from ‘feeling’ value to ‘seeing’ value was our most rewarding outcome.”