Learn how Plytix’s personalized managed onboarding for new customers works, what to expect in terms of a timeline, and available resources both during and after the onboarding process!
We know choosing the right PIM for your company is an important step for the effective day-to-day management of your product data. The ideal PIM would essentially be a resource to assist in your daily product management, simplify collaborative work, level up your data optimization, and allow for multichannel syndication of this data. We also know that getting this all set and ready to be up and running can be overwhelming at first sight. This is why we want to make sure you are aware of what to expect right after you make the decision to go with Plytix — whether you’re already considering moving forward with Plytix, or are on the fence about which PIM solution is the best fit for you! In this article you will learn what Plytix’s Purple Onboarding (also known as Managed Onboarding) looks like. Spoiler alert: you won’t be left hanging on your own.
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What is Managed Onboarding?
We don’t sell ourselves as mind readers, but if we take a guess, you’re probably currently wondering what this is all about; and you’re in the right place to find those answers!
First things first, let’s define our terms. We like it simple and clear 😎
Our Goal
The goal of the onboarding process is to provide clients with a configured and prepared PIM account, along with comprehensive training of how to use and manage Plytix autonomously. This means that upon completion of the onboarding, clients get to start using their PIM account without any additional major setup or configuration.
In other words, by the end of the onboarding, you’ll be all set up with a PIM that meets your most important needs; and you’ll be free to customize it and add on to it as you go! The benefit here is that we’ll get that first major setup out of the way for you by walking you through the whole process, so you don’t have to worry about being puzzled by what to get started with when you first enter Plytix.
Managed vs Traditional Onboarding
In a nutshell, throughout our managed onboarding process, you will be assigned a designated Implementation Specialist: a Plytix PIM expert that will import your data into Plytix and get it all set up with the most important features that will meet your needs.
They’ll create the attributes you need with the right attribute types, import your assets and link them to your products, create workflows for your team, organize categories, create product lists… just to name a few.
Does this mean you’ll be off the hook until it’s all set up and the account is handed to you? Not at all! You’ll have frequent meetings with both your Implementation Specialist and Account Manager to go over the data, discuss your needs, and review the PIM together (we’ll go over the step-by-step below). The benefit is that you won’t need to worry about dedicating a tremendous amount of time doing that first import and set up, and risk making mistakes or messing up your data because we have a specialist to support you in these steps!
Do you prefer to be more hands-on in the implementation of your data? No worries! While we offer managed onboarding to all clients, we are here to help with whatever way works best for you when setting up your PIM. If you prefer to set up your PIM yourself, you can choose to follow the traditional onboarding process; you will still have access to an Implementation Specialist who will always be happy to help you if you come across any issues or questions!
What if you already have done an initial data import and are feeling stuck? Your designated Account Manager and Implementation Specialist will provide an account health check, and will be there to support you if you would want us to do the optimization portion of your data, if you see it fit.
You get the gist, right? We’re here to help you get your PIM up and running, following the approach that works best for you.
Timeline
You may also be wondering how long it takes to get your PIM up and running. We get it, it’s only natural to be itching to get started already 😊
There is no specific timeline for the onboarding process, as it all depends on what your main goals are and what your data looks like. Overall, the onboarding process can range from 2 to 3 months to make sure you’re well trained and ready to get started on your own afterwards!
Throughout this time, we establish milestone check-ins to keep track of our progress and make sure it aligns with your expectations — and they also serve to celebrate goals achieved together 😄
To give you an example, one of our common goals is to have at least one live output (i.e. Channels or Brand Portals) set up within the first month of the onboarding; so within just the first 30 days with Plytix, you’ll already have a tool to share your Plytix data!
How does Onboarding Work?
Before diving into the overall step-by-step, let’s give a brief overview of the roles of your Account Manager and Implementation Specialist in your onboarding:
Account Manager:
- Reviews your data to best assess your needs and sets goals accordingly
- Sets a strategic plan of what the implementation will look like
- Determines milestone checkpoints
- Assists in troubleshooting
- Assesses account admin factors, including billing
- After onboarding, they will be your go-to person for any assistance you need with your Plytix PIM account — for as long as you’re using Plytix!
Implementation Specialist:
- Reviews and imports your data
- Uploads assets
- Optimizes your PIM account data
- Trains different team members to use Plytix
Now that you you know who will be walking you through your onboarding, let’s get a sneak peak of what the process could look like:
ℹ️ The specific tasks covered in each step may vary depending on the client’s needs, data type, and goals.
1. Pre-boarding:
Before you hop on the onboarding, you will have a first kickoff call with your Account Manager and Implementation Specialist.
In this first call, you’ll all discuss your PIM goals, share information about your business processes, the products you have, and where you need to send your data. You’ll also agree on deadlines for the objectives you have and define who will be the key contacts in your team for the onboarding process.
After that, you’ll send over a CSV spreadsheet with your data for the Implementation Specialist to assess and follow-up with you about.
2. Strategy Meetings
After that first call, your Implementation Specialist will have reviewed your CSV file and have a strategy meeting to discuss the technical aspects of setting up your PIM. Based on the data you have shared, you’ll discuss things including: what kind of attributes and attribute types you’ll need, review the taxonomy (categories) you have, what are the data formats you’ll need depending on where you want to send your data, etc.
Depending on the amount and type of data you have, you’ll probably have a few of these meetings to make sure it’s all nailed down! Afterwards, the team will create an implementation plan to get it underway.
3. Account Build:
This is where your Implementation Specialist will start working their magic ✨ aka importing your data into Plytix ✨
In this step, the Implementation Specialist will import the first group of data, optimize any existing data, upload assets, and set up the required outputs.
They will meet weekly with you and the Account Manager to check in on the work and have you review it and share any feedback.
4. Training
Your PIM is all set up and ready to go live 🎉 — now what?
Now you’ll be trained on how to navigate through your PIM and use the different features to both add more data and optimize existing data.
Some of the things you’ll learn are:
- Importing data into your PIM
- Optimizing existing data through attribute groups, setting up workflows, and more
- Sharing your data through exports, creating feeds, or setting up your e-catalog
You’ll know your onboarding is complete when you have reviewed your initial goals and objectives with your Implementation Specialist and Account Manager, feel good about how your PIM is set up and give us your seal of approval ✅, and feel ready to use Plytix and manage your data more autonomously.
By then, you’ll be fully onboarded and ready to be up and running with Plytix!
After Onboarding is Complete
What’s next? Don’t worry, our team support isn’t limited to just the onboarding phase; you won’t be left hanging on your own afterwards either 😉
The following are some of the resources you may want to take advantage of upon completion of your onboarding:
- Training of different staff members that will have access to the PIM: you’re feeling good about how to navigate the PIM and now want your team to be on the same page? We got you covered. Give us the green light, and we’ll hop on a call to train any staff members that will be using your PIM on how to navigate through Plytix.
- PIM certification: If you want to become a PIM expert yourself, you may be interested in becoming PIM certified ✅ We offer a 100% free course offer by our Plytix Academy to teach you the foundations of PIM – whether you have prior knowledge of it or not! Oh, and you can take the certification free of charge, whether you’re an existing customer or not 🥇
- Endless access to support from your designated Account Manager: We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – with Plytix, you get a go-to person that will handle any concerns or issues that come up along the way! We offer assistance in 3 different time zones so that our help is timely and personalized 🌍
Ready to get started? Book a demo here or contact us by clicking on the chat icon below to learn more!
What's Next?
- Learn how to prepare your CSV for import
- Learn how to import product data in Plytix
- Learn how to upload assets
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