Encompass Release Management Team

The rate of change is not going to slow down anytime soon. If anything, competition in most industries will probably speed up even more in the next few decades. -John P. Kotter

The above quote is especially true in our industry. We are seeing rapid change in technology adoption in the direct store delivery business on both the distributor and retailer side. Suppliers are demanding more information faster, employees are looking for more user-friendly apps, and new products and more SKUs demand more efficiency. Encompass strives to stay ahead of the curve in terms of innovation but all of these lead to change. Managing this change smoothly and effectively is important and is exactly why Encompass has a dedicated Release Management Team.Knowledge, Process, and Communication: The Encompass Release Management Team focuses on these factors to deliver the highest level of customer support possible, but what exactly does this Release Management Team do?

Knowledge

The Release Management Team is made up of a select set of experienced Project Managers who have a background in Encompass support, onsite installations, and the direct store delivery industry. The team works closely with the Product Support team to understand product changes, advocate for customer needs, and anticipate the impact of product changes to their customers. Each Release Manager is dedicated to a group of customers and works to not only build and maintain product knowledge but to understand each distributor's unique business processes and goals.

Process

Encompass prides itself on innovation and works to stay ahead of the curve both in product growth and process execution. Encompass provides software releases monthly in order to get new features and fixes to market as soon as possible and provide those updates in a consumable manner. Most Encompass customers work with their Release Manager to schedule upgrades at least once a quarter, if not more often. This means that the Encompass Release Team is facilitating over 200 upgrades per quarter. With this much change management, Encompass is able to deliver consistency for seamless transitions and successful upgrades. Through the upgrade process, the Release Managers are tracking pre and post-upgrade tasks, scheduling testing windows if requested, and tracking support impact to constantly improve the process.

Communication

Communication is a critical success factor when implementing change. Release Managers strive to keep customers informed about changes, impacts, and the planning process. Pre-upgrade communications are done through Release Notes, monthly upgrade webinars, pre-upgrade tasks, and coordinated preparation sessions. In addition, the Release Team has built out an integrated Online Help system. Online Help enables customers to discover features and get quick answers on their own. The combination of Online Help, Support, and the Release Management team offers a well-rounded solution to any and all questions. Finally, after the upgrade, the team is dedicated to assisting customers to smooth out any of the changes, answer questions and share information about new features or opportunities.

Why Encompass

Encompass believes in undisruptive change and incremental innovation. That is why the software is constantly improving and evolving to specifically work for customers. In addition to visible features and fixes, each release includes key enhancements to ensure the security of customer data, optimize performance, and keep support costs low. Encompass' goal is for customers to use the software to its fullest extent so they can stay ahead of the curve. Innovative software allows customers a chance to keep up with changes in the industry, help cut costs, and maintain a dynamic competitive advantage, propelling them to success.

Encompass' purpose is to provide our customers with the software and services to be as efficient and successful as possible. The Encompass Release Management team uses their product and customer knowledge, repeatable processes and personal communication to help our customers navigate change and take advantage of innovation.