A Customer Centred Approach from the Outset

NetSuite Direct or a NetSuite partner will most likely introduce you to Shepherd.  At our first meeting together, a 60-minute discovery session, your Shepherd solution consultant will ask you to define your requirements and pain points as you see them.  We have found that it is most valuable to first ask the prospect to speak about what they wish to achieve in launching a CMMS system.  As Shepherd is such a large product, allowing you, the prospect, to state your goals first helps us to better identify which functionality of Shepherd’s software will interest you most.  Once you have identified what you wish to achieve, our solution consultant will dig in on the details of each of your requirements as well as ask about other features that may interest you.  And if you are running your service operation in Excel, don’t be embarrassed.  It is remarkable how many reputable firms still do.

Consultants, not reps

Notice please that we have identified our sales reps as solution consultants.  This is an essential distinguishing point between Shepherd and many or even most other SaaS sales reps.  Our sales reps can implement Shepherd as well as provide support.  No one wants to speak to an empty suit who must call in a technician consultant to answer anything more difficult than how to log in, 😊. Each Shepherd solution consultant trains on Shepherd for several hours per week and builds their own demonstration, which Shepherd refers to as mini proofs of concept.  

Tailored proof of concept

We refer to a demonstration as a proof of concept because we model the demo after your business.  We will build machines, services, contracts, skills, etc. to match your own in order to provide you with a glimpse of what the final implementation might look like.  Including the discovery session, these proofs of concept can take anywhere from 3 -30 hours to build.  The more information and detail that you provide to us with the better we can present to you.  Send us example service report templates, O&M manuals for your equipment, recurring service regimes along with the tasks that constitute each interval,.. send whatever you think will make your demonstration better and we will build it into our account.

Clients decide on their terms, not ours

It may be the case that you are satisfied after your first demonstration, or you may wish for a second.   Roughly one third of prospects request a second demonstration before signing and about one tenth request a third demonstration.  The purpose of each subsequent demonstration is to drive deeper into the detail… to nail your requirements.  

As Shepherd is native to NetSuite, you will find accounting is often a topic during a demonstration.  As we advance from one screen to another, NetSuite counts cost and revenue all along the way.  As such, we do recommend that in addition to having service and operations staff present, you also invite  someone from accounting: a CFO, controller, or in-house accountant.  It is nativity that distinguishes Shepherd from its competition: when accounting is present this benefit is all that much clearer.

If you want to experience that same care and attention in discovering how Shepherd can streamline your operations and reduce your costs, contact us for a discovery session of your own.