What business problems did your organization/project face, and why did you choose a digital adoption strategy to help you solve it?
Imagine waking up one day, getting ready for work, and knowing that everything familiar about your job is about to change. You pour your coffee, go through the usual routine, but there’s a weight in the back of your mind: today’s the day. You sit down at your desk in the Customer Service department, log in, and the system you once knew is gone. Overnight, the familiar screens and workflows you relied on for years were replaced with something new. The next thing you know, you’re getting your first customer call — it’s go time. In many ways, that was the reality for 1,200+ of our service team members as we moved from Oracle Service Cloud (OSC) to Salesforce Service Cloud.
Our customer service teams are the heart of Pella’s commitment to exceptional customer care and Pella Passion. From answering questions to solving issues on the fly, they keep our customers happy and our brand strong. This transition had to be smooth, and users couldn’t afford to waste time figuring out the new platform. Beyond learning the tool, they also needed to adjust to new processes and methods for delivering service.
This implementation marked a pivotal milestone in our company’s digital transformation journey. While we spent months preparing users through learning modules, live trainings, and UAT practice, we knew the real test would come the moment they logged into Salesforce on day one. As one of our Senior Digital Product Managers put it, “Digital adoption is not an option,” and in this case, it really wasn’t. This is where WalkMe came in.
We knew WalkMe would be a cornerstone of our digital adoption strategy because it allowed us to extend support beyond traditional training and into the flow of work. When our users logged in on day one, facing a completely new interface, WalkMe was there to guide them through it. Even as we worked through the inevitable challenges that come with a go-live of this scale, WalkMe played a critical role in helping users find answers on their own and minimize disruption. As you’ll see in the rest of this application, WalkMe helped turn what could have been a painful transition into a meaningful step forward in our digital transformation journey.
How did you use WalkMe, in conjunction with other strategies and technologies, to address your challenges?
WalkMe was a central part of a much larger, layered change management strategy that blended live training, digital learning, consistent communication, and in-the-moment guidance. We didn’t treat WalkMe as an add-on to training but made it the connective tissue between all our enablement efforts.
Months before go-live, we embedded WalkMe directly in the user acceptance testing (UAT) environment, giving our users a chance to get familiar with both Salesforce and the on-screen guidance they’d have at their fingertips. It wasn’t long before users started asking, “Will this be available in production too?” That kind of early validation helped us know we were on the right track. In tandem with our broader learning strategy — which included live webinars, knowledge checks, and a structured onboarding path — WalkMe helped bring it all together. We used Launchers in UAT to help users find the Learning Center (where they took their knowledge checks) and the registration form for upcoming live webinars.
With one WalkMe Builder, we built and deployed more than 200 WalkMe solutions across 12 major workflows, each designed to guide users through their most critical tasks. We also ensured our entire knowledge base was just a click away. Through an organized Library tab in the WalkMe menu, users could instantly access over 100 job aids and videos, all without leaving Salesforce.
WalkMe also became a tool for listening, not just teaching. We embedded feedback surveys within key Smart Walk-Thrus to measure their helpfulness and understand why users exited early. These insights helped us make continuous improvements — not only to the walkthroughs themselves, but also to the underlying Salesforce experience.
WalkMe insights added a layer of intelligence to our entire change management approach. By analyzing where users dropped off, how long it took to complete steps, and which resources were being searched and viewed the most, we were able to spot friction points and areas of confusion in real time. While we’re still in the early stages post go-live, we anticipate that over time, this data will help us continuously iterate on our support strategy and make informed decisions about future enhancements and training needs.
How does your digital adoption strategy, especially with regard to WalkMe, impact or benefit your end users (customers and/or employees), your team, and leadership?
Our digital adoption strategy was built with the end user at the center — in this case, our employees. WalkMe played a critical role in bringing that strategy to life. For our service team members, it meant faster onboarding, real-time guidance, and immediate access to over 100 job aids and videos without leaving Salesforce. It also meant fewer barriers and less confusion during high-pressure moments. Post go-live, less than 10% of all support cases were “how-to” related — a direct reflection of the thoughtful, embedded support strategy that met users where they were and answered questions in the flow of work.
This kind of support didn’t just benefit our end users. It also gave our leaders and stakeholders visibility into what was working and where users needed more help. One of my favorite examples is when we noticed users were having trouble scheduling multi-tech appointments because they were clicking the wrong button. While we had covered this process in training, we knew that scheduling multi-tech appointments can be complicated, so it made sense that some users struggled. We quickly deployed an invisible launcher that, when clicked, redirected the user down the correct path using a Smart Walk-Thru. In just three weeks, it successfully prevented 130 unique users from making the same time-consuming mistake a total of 587 times. This was a testament to WalkMe’s ability to quickly deliver value and address pain points in real time.
We also used engaged elements to track behavior within Salesforce and identify areas of abnormal engagement. For example, we noticed a specific button being clicked repeatedly — a button that could only be clicked if users were about to create a duplicate account. This raised a red flag that there might be a larger issue. As a result, we collaborated with the Salesforce team to enhance the system and rolled out additional training and communication to help correct the behavior. These efforts led to an approximate 41.3% decrease in duplicate account creation in just two weeks.
How has your digital adoption strategy, especially with regard to WalkMe, helped your organization better achieve its mission, goals, or values?
→ Reached 100% Engagement and 32,000 Interactions in One Month
Our digital adoption strategy — with WalkMe at its core — helped us empower our customer service employees across more than 90 branches in the U.S. and Canada during the transition from OSC to Salesforce Service Cloud. Out of 550 service users exposed to WalkMe, 100% interacted with at least one WalkMe feature in the first month. This led to more than 32,000 total interactions, with approximately 12,000 of those tied to “how-to” content designed to deliver guidance when users needed it most.
–> Saved ~100 Hours of Support Time in One Month
While it’s difficult to calculate exact time savings, a conservative estimate highlights WalkMe’s value. Assuming 1 out of every 25 interactions prevented a support case, email, or “tap on the shoulder,” that would equate to roughly 480 avoided interruptions. At an average of 10–15 minutes per support touch, that translates to an estimated 80–120 hours saved in just one month.
–> Empowered Users with Self-Service
WalkMe also surfaced external content from our LMS directly within Salesforce. In the first month, users accessed LMS videos and job aids 671 times via WalkMe, accounting for 12% of all LMS views of Salesforce Service content — allowing users to get help without leaving their flow of work.
What about your implementation or success makes you most proud? Why?
Too often, digital adoption is treated as an afterthought. At Pella, we approached it differently, guided by our pillars: Inspired Design, Exceptional Detail, and Pella Passion. These principles extend beyond our products into how we support our people.
–> Inspired Design: We used WalkMe to reimagine how our teams interact with technology. Just as our innovations bring customer visions to life, WalkMe empowered our users to work confidently and efficiently.
–> Exceptional Detail: Every content asset — from job aids and videos to Smart Walk-Thrus and ShoutOuts — was crafted with care, precision, and the user in mind.
–> Pella Passion: Our change management strategy was a key driver of success. With leadership backing and months of planning, we built excitement and alignment across teams to ensure WalkMe was fully embraced.
What makes us most proud is the human impact. As one of our service coordinators put it, “WalkMe is life over here. I’ve advised our team that WalkMe is their new best friend, and everyone seems to be using it a lot. I use it for everything.” That sentiment says it all.
Please share any additional information about your role in the project, your results, and/or your vision for the future that supports your submission.
Storm Wagner, Digital Adoption Specialist: As Pella’s Digital Adoption Specialist, I currently serve as a team of one — both WalkMe evangelist and builder. I design and build content, analyze usage metrics, and position WalkMe as more than a training tool — it’s a solution engine.
While our Digital Adoption Program (DAP) is still maturing, we aim to expand our reach across Pella’s digital systems. Our first two implementations — Salesforce Sales Cloud in August 2024 and Service Cloud in March — demonstrate our ability to scale quickly. By year one, we anticipate using WalkMe in three to four additional systems.
This progress shows what’s possible when we invest in digital adoption. As we continue to grow, we’ll focus on branding, storytelling, and metrics to showcase DAP’s impact company-wide.
If you're using WalkMe outside of the project described in this submission, please share additional examples.
In addition to Salesforce Service Cloud, we also launched WalkMe in Salesforce Sales Cloud — our first implementation — serving over 2,600 users across four business segments. Since going live in August 2024, we’ve deployed over 300 WalkMe solutions across 13 workflows.
Our strategy focused on onboarding new users and improving access to LMS resources. WalkMe also supported feature adoption as Salesforce evolved. In total, the Sales Cloud implementation has generated over 123,000 content interactions, reflecting strong engagement and support value.
About your organization:
Founded in 1925 and celebrating 100 years of innovation, Pella Corporation is a family-owned leader in window and door manufacturing. With over 10,000 team members, Pella is rated #1 by homeowners for quality and innovation. Headquartered in Pella, Iowa, the company fosters a culture of excellence and continues to deliver premium products that enhance the lives of homeowners across the U.S. and Canada.