Sandrace Samuel

Elders is a 185-year-old agribusiness with 3,500+ staff in 400+ urban, rural and remote Australia locations. With this level of history and complexity we faced an inability to meet market demands due to fragmented legacy systems, inefficient processes and silos between our internal lines of business. We were also challenged with a failure to keep up with the fast-changing agriculture industry and remain competitive in the market due to outdated manual processes, limited employee digital fluency and inefficient learning & development approaches.

In 2023, we embarked on an ambitious six-year transformation program to modernise our applications and digital adoption approach. This included replacing our 40-year-old core system with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and developing brand new digital processes for staff.

We recognised that a digital adoption strategy was vital to solving our challenges, so we approached this transformation program with both a change management and learning and development lens. The outcomes we were hoping to achieve were reduced complexity and greater productivity through continuous improvement of our operations and processes, as well as driving innovation to improve the employee experience and future-proof the business.

To address the challenges of the scale of this digital transformation and the level of staff digital literacy, WalkMe is used in several ways to achieve a wide range of outcomes.

SWT is used as a Change Management Tool to accelerate the adoption of Dynamics 365, reduce onboarding stress, reduce reliance on support, and ensure that new processes are understood and completed correctly. An example is SWT, which teaches users how to create a purchase order.

Elders also used it as a Learning & Development Tool to reduce training complexity within the face-to-face training environment. We utilise shout-outs, launchers, smart tips and smart walk-throughs to complement manuals / quick reference guides and provide on-the-spot education.

It is used as a Data Governance Tool to ensure data integrity, reduce errors, and reduce the need for rework. We utilise rules-based Auto-Plays and validation SmartTips to ensure users complete mandatory fields for compliance and financial reporting.

It was also an interim Application Development Tool to bridge functionality gaps and facilitate customisations during steady-state/ BAU. An example is using Invisible Launcher and Auto-Play to block users from entering an invalid numerical value.

Overall, we provided Elders employees with a two-path experience, allowing users to choose their support journey depending on digital maturity. One was the “Show Me How” Smart Walk Thru to familiarise users with the new system’s end-to-end key processes. The other was a “Do It For Me” automated Smart Walk Thru for users who were familiar with the process and looking to add efficiency. Every business process supports both paths.

Within the last year we have successfully transitioned 2,000 employees to Dynamics 365 with the following benefits:

• Improved employee user experience by reducing adoption friction, accelerating onboarding and building user confidence “This tool is amazing because it helps me understand how to use the system when I need it and understand the many confusing fields that the system has”
• Improved productivity by reducing time to complete complex workflows. WalkMe enabled us to redesign the uniform ordering process focusing on automation which led to a 40% increase in user engagement with an increase in goal competition from 60% to Make a copy of this document and use this template to draft your award application. 90%.
• Reduced processing time by minimising errors in forms and the requirement for re-work Over the last year. We introduced a single step auto-play Smart Walk Thru on our purchase order details page to ensure that all the narration field was completed to allow finance to reconcile expenses. Over one year, this single SWT saved us roughly 69,400 minutes of re-work by finance staff.
• Enhanced the user experience and fostered a culture of self sufficiency through self-service options and on the spot guidance.

Within the last year, we have realised a 164% ROI on our WalkMe investment for Dynamics 365. WalkMe has helped achieve our goals of reducing complexity, maximising productivity and driving innovation, as well as delivering the following organisational benefits:

• Streamlining 40+ processes and ensuring more consistent and accurate process completion. We introduced a Smart Walk-through and validation SmartTip Set in our procurement expense justification process, which increased completion rates from 60% to 100% and saved employees 2,097 hours.
• Reduce the number of support tickets by providing on-the-spot guidance and the ability to provide self-service. By utilising SmartTip with auto display on a field relating to vendor selection, we reduced support tickets by 80% that deal with this user error.
• Increasing visibility of adoption and engagement metrics via Insights has improved our ability to make data-driven decisions. An example is the re-engineering of our uniform ordering process.

“WalkMe has been a strategic investment for the SysMod program, enabling us to embed just-in-time learning directly into the user experience. Over the past few years, it’s helped us support a blended learning model that empowers users to build confidence with new systems at their own pace, while reducing the pressure on traditional training methods. It’s a key part of how we’re making change stick across the business.” ~Thomas Joffe, SysMod Engagement Manager

We are proud that this wasn’t a top-down initiative, but a genuinely collaborative transformation. WalkMe became more than a tool—a conversation across IT, business, and frontlines. From SMEs recommending new use cases to leaders celebrating improved service outcomes, WalkMe created momentum at every level. It has become the tool of choice for learning, development, and change management, and it is now embedded into Elders’ working methods.

The redesign of uniform ordering into modular, intuitive flows is a standout. It replaced 100+ step walkthroughs with user-driven journeys, which saw goal completion rates jump over 70% in a single month. What makes us proud isn’t just the adoption—it’s the ownership, innovation, and employee impact behind it.

Sandrace Samuel – Digital Adoption Specialist – I am responsible for implementing WalkMe as a strategic solution across the organisation to support people-led transformational change. I unify IT, business, and frontline stakeholders to identify pain points, then develop, test and deploy the solution. Moving forward, I am excited to be able to increase the maturity of digital adoption of Dynamics from a guided end-to-end process to increasing automation and specific ‘time of need’ content and leveraging AI-driven enhancements. I also hope to roll out WalkMe to assist in adopting our CRM and other applications.

WalkMe is also deployed on a cloud-based application called CAAPS, which manages invoicing and payments to our national suppliers. Over 1500 employees in the business use the software. The WalkMe solution supports a self-service model for “learning to navigate” and completing processing tasks. The tangible benefits include a more efficient way of using the software, a lower reliance on training, and a decrease in support tickets owing to incorrect usage of the system.

Elders Rural Services Australia Limited is a leading agribusiness with a 180+ year legacy supporting Australian farmers. With over 3,500 employees across 400+ locations, Elders delivers products and services that drive agricultural success—from real estate and agronomy to financial services. Elders is committed to innovation, sustainability, and building trusted relationships to create a lasting impact on Australia’s farming families and communities.