EBARA Corporation

Situation: The “SaaS Wall” and On-Site Confusion Ebara Corporation is accelerating DX to realize our “E-Vision 2030.” A key initiative was the SAP Concur rollout, but we faced a serious dilemma. Our group comprises diverse subsidiaries with essential workers and unique employment rules. Fitting these complex requirements into a standardized SaaS framework created a complicated UI and a mountain of manuals. Furthermore, our rollout coincided with Concur’s major “New UI” update. The combination of unfamiliar workflows and a changing interface made widespread confusion, a deluge of support tickets, and productivity loss due to “digital friction” inevitable.

Reason: Choosing Adoption Over Customization We adhered to a strict “Fit to Standard” policy, prohibiting system customization. However, we needed “digitalization that leaves no one behind” for a workforce with varied IT literacy. A Digital Adoption Strategy was the sole solution to this contradiction. Instead of altering code, we used WalkMe to overlay a “digital guide.” This intuitively navigates users through complex rules, ensuring correct operation without manuals. WalkMe was chosen to protect Employee Experience (EX) and ensure DX ROI without massive development costs.

Technical Action: Eliminating Friction Across 50 Systems To dismantle the “SaaS Wall,” we deployed WalkMe across 50 web-based systems (e.g., SAP Concur, Salesforce, SAP Ariba, LYSITHEA). We used WalkMe not just as a guide, but as a UI modification layer, bridging the gap between “Fit to Standard” SaaS and complex business rules without altering code.

1. Navigation for Complex Rules (Smart Walk-Thrus): In Concur, regulations vary by employment type. We implemented Smart Walk-Thrus to intuitively navigate users through these intricate rules. This ensures compliance and reduces cognitive load, allowing users to complete tasks without rulebooks.
2. Logic & Validation (SmartTips): For workflow systems, we implemented advanced logic. Guides display requirements—like attachments—conditional on user input. We also deployed SmartTips with validation logic to flag format errors in real-time, preventing incorrect data entry and significantly reducing rework.
3. “Pseudo-Customization”: In Salesforce, standard features allowed users to make critical errors. We used Launchers to physically hide or mask these buttons. This made error-prone actions impossible, effectively enforcing governance through the UI layer.

Strategic Execution: Agile CoE Crucially, we established an internal CoE. Instead of relying on vendors, this team iterates agilely, instantly reflecting user feedback into guides to ensure the “Run” phase of adoption.

Quantitative Impact: Proven ROI WalkMe has delivered measurable business value beyond support.

1. Efficiency & Support: In our attendance system (LYSITHEA), plagued by complex rules, proactive guidance reduced monthly inquiries by 80% (17 to 3.6). For our workflow system, inquiries dropped to zero. In Salesforce, preventing button mishandling reduced errors from 14 to 0/month, saving admins 380 minutes/month in correction time.
2. Cost Avoidance & Agility: When a document system needed UI fixes, a vendor quoted 3 million JPY and 3 months. Our internal team solved it with WalkMe at zero additional cost and immediate release. This proved to leadership that DAP drives cost containment.
3. Team Impact: Deployed across 50 systems, WalkMe is our DX infrastructure. Led by the “Business Acceleration Section,” we successfully internalized development. This cultivated a mindset of “If it’s hard to use, fix it with WalkMe,” transforming employees from passive users to active DX participants.

Team Impact: Led by the “Business Acceleration Section,” we successfully internalized development, transforming employees from passive users to active DX participants.

Alignment with “E-Vision 2030” Ebara’s “E-Vision 2030” targets global growth through “Talent Development” and balancing “Offensive & Defensive DX.” However, complex legacy systems acted as a barrier (“The SaaS Wall”).

Technical Action: Strategic Platform We positioned WalkMe to bridge this gap. By embedding “Universal Design” (videos/diagrams) into systems like SAP Ariba, we shifted employee time from “learning operations” to “creating value.” This directly supports our core materiality of “Talent Activation.”

Result: Management Commitment The impact was significant enough to be featured in our “Integrated Report 2025” as a core DX enabler. Furthermore, by chairing the JSUG WalkMe Subcommittee, we are leading the industry’s shift from “Walk” (adoption) to “Run” (full utilization), aligning our corporate value with industry-wide progress.

Situation: Disconnection and Anxiety in Onboarding What makes me proudest is the transformation of “Digital Onboarding for New Hires” using Workstation. Previously, onboarding procedures were chaotic, involving Excel checklists, PowerPoint manuals, and logins to multiple SaaS platforms (HR, General Affairs, etc.). New hires faced their first day with anxiety, not knowing where to start.

Technical Action: Workstation as a “First-Day Partner” To address this, we implemented WalkMe Workstation (Desktop) to build a dedicated onboarding task list. Upon opening their PC, Workstation launches and displays a “First Day To-Do List.” When a user clicks a task, the target Web system automatically opens, and Smart Walk-Thrus navigates them through to completion. Once finished, the item is checked off. We seamlessly connected this entire flow across disparate systems.

Result: Creating an Overwhelming Sense of “Welcome” In the trial, approx. 60% of eligible employees voluntarily installed it, giving high ratings in feedback. By transforming tedious administrative procedures into a “frictionless digital experience,” we provided new hires with the assurance that “this company welcomes me.” This is the essence of “Employee Experience” beyond mere efficiency, and it is my greatest pride.

Role & Vision: “Walk” to “Run” As CoE leader, I drove deployment across 50 systems and established the “WalkMe Subcommittee” at JSUG (Japan SAP Users Group), serving as its first chair. We share insights to move the Japanese market from mere adoption (“Walk”) to full utilization (“Run”).

Next Step: Autonomous Adoption We launched WalkMe Discovery to realize true “Run.” Beyond optimizing costs, we aim for “Autonomous Digital Adoption” where AI analyzes operational data to automatically suggest improvements. My vision is to maximize system investment value through data and AI, realizing this “Run” landscape for both Ebara and the market.