Christi Rosa

The biggest issue we faced was the overall adoption of Salesforce. It doesn’t seem like it should be a monumental task to get associates to use a software program, but it definitely is! Here at W.L. Gore, we have several divisions using one Salesforce instance in completely different ways. With frequent process changes and new features being added on a two-week agile sprint cadence, it was difficult to not only communicate these updates, but also train the end users on how best to use the tool for their specific role or division. Communications were a struggle. Email blasts were not resulting in the desired outcome, because users wouldn’t then log into Salesforce to see the changes. We needed something to help us with effective, segmented, internal communications.

Gore is a very large company, and we have many different user roles in place. It was paramount for us to have a way to segment in-tool communication, so as to not disrupt the masses with blanket communications. If everyone sees every announcement, they ultimately block it all out as a nuisance and pay attention to none of it. Live trainings proved to be difficult, time consuming, and ineffective. Being a global company, scheduling live trainings for each time zone was not easy, and as per company policy, we could not force people to attend. Even those end users who did attend the trainings would later contact the trainers with questions that were covered in the live sessions. Training materials were also very difficult to manage and maintain. When users tried searching for help guides on their own, they found outdated content. This is because the tools were changing faster than our training team could keep up. It was hard for our development team to determine next steps for different features, because it was difficult to know if Salesforce was being used, and equally important, how it was being used. Salesforce simply did not have the capability to provide the metrics and user data that we were looking for at a granular level. Lastly, there was a huge disconnect in how our case management team was handling their tremendous caseload. It was time consuming, no set process existed, and as a result, our reporting suffered. We desperately needed a way to automate repetitive processes in order to streamline the team’s daily workflow and let them focus their energy in a more productive way.

Now our entire digital adoption strategy is in WalkMe, and the change in our organization has been remarkable. Communications are done with a clear in-app messaging strategy. We use ShoutOuts leading up to new feature releases and changes, as well as post go-live. The ShoutOuts link to Resources or open the WalkMe Menu directly, so users have the information they need when they need it. Live trainings have been eliminated completely. Rollouts are now 100% through WalkMe, consisting of ‘tour’ style Walk-Thrus, showcasing new features, as well as key SmartTips and Launchers that help users get the answers they need quickly and in the flow of work. Each digital rollout is tracked through Insights and Behavior Based Segmentation is then used to send targeted follow-ups. Gathering feedback is now easier than ever. Users now have a direct channel to our development team during the hypercare phase through buttons that link to Smartsheets, which development uses to easily evaluate and prioritize new requests. After seeing poor participation in our regular NPS surveys, I added a Launcher that only disappears once the user has taken the survey. Through NPS survey data, we have had a 92% increase in Salesforce user satisfaction since starting with WalkMe! DAX and Tracked Events have helped our development team and leadership gain the visibility needed to make important decisions, which is key in forming our ongoing adoption strategy for Salesforce.

Our strategy and success have become contagious! Many different people reach out to me from all different teams to discuss expanding to develop training for other areas and processes in Salesforce, as well as even adding WalkMe to different programs. Lastly, our case management automations have been a huge success! We started with just two processes, and now have a whopping 53 in place! We also started in one Gore division, but once the buzz started, the second division also worked case automation into their daily routine. After speaking with so many users, they have really learned how to detect which processes will work well for automation and frequently reach out to get their new ideas added to our mini menus, which are used as a starting point to run each automation. The feedback has been amazing. We’ve saved well over A WEEK AND A HALF of time per user!

This has been one of the most amazing transformations. Due to our company’s vision and values, we have many associates that have been here for 20+ years…which means they are very capable of doing their jobs without CRM. The speed at which they adopted this new strategy is staggering. We were expecting more of a pushback or to see many concerns arise, but it was exactly the opposite. Now, users have come to expect the in-tool messaging and have even asked ‘So the next rollout will be the digital way again, right?’. They really enjoy being able to train when it fits best into their schedule.

The time savings have been tremendous as well. Previously, they would have attended a 60 to 90-minute live training session, but now it takes about 15 minutes to go through the content, which leaves them a lot more time to get back out and keep selling. We have effectively saved 75 training minutes for one group of 260 users, equaling a savings of 325 training hours in sales and 10 hours for our trainer to host the sessions, just for one feature! Users have come to appreciate taking the time to put their data into the software correctly, so they can then benefit from all of the reports, dashboards and sales tools available to them.

When developing the automations, I found out that it took users 15-27 repetitive clicks to set up a Salesforce form to disposition cases! We have so many cases that we have a dedicated team that just manages them all day. A process that used to take 3.5 minutes manually now takes 30 seconds automated. Since launching across two divisions, we have saved user fingertips 1.5 million clicks and saved the company 3,450+ hours, which is over $165,000! Talk about ROI. To date, creating our automated solutions through WalkMe, instead of through our development cycle, saved an incredible $357k in development spend! It was discussed and sized, and each automation would require 10 story points, which are priced at $674 per point. In 2024, we had 24 new automations go live, saving $162k in dev spend! That, combined with our annual per-play WalkMe content and automation savings of $277k gave us a combined value realization total of $439,000 for 2024…conservatively! Another big win was, due to standardizing processes, our data quality and reporting are now impeccable! Aside from monetary gains, our users just love the automations! They frequently reach out to thank me, or even better, they mention it in their survey comments. It makes me happy to help them enjoy their work days a little bit more…and maybe sneak in a few more sips of coffee in their newly found down time 🙂

WalkMe has filled a huge void for leadership. Previously, it was very hard to track both training initiatives and overall software adoption, as well as to know who is doing what. For us, success is not just taking the training provided and engaging with WalkMe, but actually using the tool. We want our users to adopt new features and updates, which development has put so much time, effort, and money into creating. Our champion division has an amazing 97% WalkMe interaction rate (our highest ever!), and our other two divisions are not far behind at 87%. Having 164 Tracked Events in place allows leaders to know exactly what everyone is (or is not!) doing. They no longer schedule endless one-on-one meetings (one feature saved 400 meeting hours!), now they quickly look to Salesforce for the data that they need, as they are confident in its accuracy. After each digital rollout, weekly engagement stats are sent out, which have been gathered through Insights, allowing leaders to quickly follow up with key members of their teams. Many leaders even reach out to me directly, asking for stats on this or that, now that they know we have this tracking capability on an individual user level. In addition to per-feature metrics, monthly stats are also shared out….via my favorite, a newsletter! One of Gore’s core values is communication, in addition to building your lattice network of coworkers. My monthly WalkMe Memo is frequently forwarded to other users and departments, who then reach out with all kinds of questions about basic functionality, to discuss successes that we have already realized and how they can use WalkMe for their team. I have met so many amazing team members along the way, just because of sharing stats!

My proudest moment simply has been helping the company realize their digital adoption goals. I have been able to unite the three separate divisions, with a clear message and consistent strategy. We now have a 100% digital approach for new features and updates, and live training has been eliminated – a savings of 10+ trainer hours and 75 minutes per associate per feature. Introducing the tracking capabilities of Insights has been key in the decision-making process across teams. I continually listen to user feedback to improve their daily Salesforce experience… our automation success started accidentally when I heard someone complain on a meeting! I’m like the problem whisperer, I can sniff them out and love to offer solutions before people tell me they have an issue! I have built great relationships with each division, and very much feel like an integral part of this team. I pride myself in being technically knowledgeable about WalkMe and what it has to offer, as well as being reliable and delivering fast solutions for my team.

I am the WalkMe Administrator, sole builder and am currently live on four systems, three internal and one customer-facing. I know that 2025 will be a year of growth! We have already signed for licensing on SAP for the initial division, that is being set up as we speak. Once that goes live, the other two divisions will stagger their go lives. As if that wasn’t enough to keep me busy, we also just signed a contract to put WalkMe on our proprietary inventory app. I’m very excited to build on a mobile app, previously I have only built on mobile web. I’m already dreaming about the awesome metrics that we will be able to share! Sharing our successes through data storytelling is always top of mind and gives me joy. This might sound like a lot for one person, but I’m very organized and slightly (very) OCD…which means I don’t like people touching my stuff! I’m completely happy to be the only one in my editor. I continually think about how I can secure my job, by both proving my worth as a dependable teammate, and the importance of having a tool like WalkMe in place, by consistently providing concrete metrics and staying in constant communication with the various teams. As far as personal results go, I have two published WalkMe blogs and a customer story, have spoken at Elevate, presented at numerous WalkMe webinars and attended live events. I’m a consecutive 3x WalkMe MVP, 3x DAPP Top 100, and a 3x Realizer finalist. I’m still chasing that dream, and hope to add that title to my list one day.

I’m loving the higher character count on the new submission form, I was able to put all of my examples in the previous sections, but can use this area to maybe sum everything up in a simple statement. Our company slogan is ‘Together, improving life’, which also describes exactly what we have done through our WalkMe partnership. The company has decided to make a shift to go digital, both for our customers and also for our internal associates. They are investing in and rolling out iPads, have upgraded our company websites, and WalkMe is bringing this all together for us internally. Now users can just log on and get everything they need, including being made aware of any pressing issue with in-tool announcements. They can quickly conduct their business, and if they have questions or need help, have learned to become self-sufficient and use the help menu to find what they need, as well as find quick tips and buttons on key pages. They no longer need to take time to ask someone or open time-consuming support tickets for user how-to questions, which has really streamlined their daily processes and is exactly what the company was looking to achieve. Previously, user satisfaction with Salesforce was low, as well as Salesforce adoption overall. In my experience as a long-time software trainer, people that don’t know how to use something go into shut-down mode, mainly because they are afraid to make mistakes that could affect their business and bottom line. Many people were struggling with how to use Salesforce, and in turn, just didn’t. They kept on using their own separate methods. Since going full steam with our digital shift, Salesforce user satisfaction has gone up 40 NPS points, and Salesforce utilization is the highest it’s ever been. We are so proud of how the associates listened and gave it a real effort, streamlined their business practices, and are now seeing the value in using a tool like Salesforce.

W. L. Gore & Associates is a global materials science company dedicated to transforming industries and improving lives. Since 1958, Gore has solved complex technical challenges in demanding environments, from outer space to the world’s highest peaks to the inner workings of the human body. With more than 11,500 Associates and a strong, team-oriented culture, Gore generates annual revenues of $4.8 billion. We innovate to enhance everyday experiences, repair hearts, explore space and so much more.