Hippo CMMS Uses Planhat for Successful Customer Onboarding

By Reena Sommer

Hippo CMMS is a fast-growing SaaS (Software as a Service) company located in Winnipeg, Canada. Since its launch in 2002, the company has earned its place as one of the top 20 computerized maintenance management software (CMMS) in a highly competitive market with over 200 products. Hippo services businesses across a broad spectrum of industries including manufacturing, hospitality, higher education, healthcare and more. Starting out with only four staffers, today, Hippo employs more than 20 people, and they currently have over 750 organizations using its cloud based CMMS system and expects to finish 2017 with more than 900. Their customers include Prada, Rolls Royce, Mountain Equipment Coop, and Kettering University, to name a few.

A critical aspect of implementing any new system within organizations is to ensure that it will be used as it is intended. This is especially true when introducing robust and sophisticated computerized maintenance management software systems,like Hippo’s. Successful CMMS implementation can best be achieved through effective onboarding, a process that involves setting up a company’s software to ensure that it is ready to use by all designated users. In Hippo CMMS operations, onboarding is critical for a successful implementation because it increases the understanding of software features and capabilities, boosts software adoption and buy-in from users, and establishes a better relationship between the customer and Hippo’s team. Because the process of onboarding involves regular consultations, data integration, software configuration, and tailored customer training, Hippo CMMS is now using Planhat and its excellent playbooks feature to fast track these activities and standardize the customer’s journey. Therefore, as part of their commitment to helping their customers succeed over time, Hippo CMMS has partnered with Planhat to ensure that customers are getting the right onboarding and are on the track to long-term success and satisfaction.

Planhat is a customer success SaaS platform that helps companies gather relevant customer data to create insights for churn prevention, accelerating upsell and improving the customer success team's productivity. Planhat’s playbooks ensure that all Hippo’s onboarding steps are completed for every customer across all industry sectors. It also provides Hippo CMMS with excellent statistical feedback pertaining to customer software usage. Such data allows the Hippo team to identify customers that need additional training and support. Because low system usage is generally related to user problems, it is important to Hippo that these problems are identified and remedied quickly. The issue of system underuse was also noted in a report by MRO Today magazine which stated that approximately 80% of CMMS users in the US do not use all the available functions of their systems.

The Planhat Customer Success Platform ensures that Hippo’s onboarding team can easily identify which features customers are using and which they are not; empowering Hippo to intervene and act when and where it’s needed. In instances of feature underuse, further training can be suggested. It also opens the door to upsell opportunities. The result is a much better user experience and return on investment (ROI) for Hippo’s customers. Planhat also plays an important part in customer retention which is critical for Hippo’s long-term success. Simply put, if customers are using the Hippo system appropriately and realizing its benefits, then there is every expectation that they will continue using it.

Customer success is Planhat’s mission but is also Hippo CMMS’s goal. By partnering together, both software companies are driving comprehensive user adoption to CMMS systems by facilitating effective onboarding. Thanks to Planhat’s various features, Hippo CMMS customers can now enjoy increased efficiency and a greater ROI. Investing in this process leads to increased user adoption which in turn, leads to customer success. This is a definite win-win for all involved.

About the author...

Reena Sommer originally hails from Winnipeg, Manitoba and currently resides in the Houston, Texas area. In 1994, she graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Ph.D. in Psychology, Sociology and Family Studies. Over the years, she's had diverse careers as a researcher in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba, a mental health consultant to First Nations communities and as a self employed trial consultant. Now retired, Dr. Sommer spends her time traveling, visiting her Winnipeg family and providing content writing for Hippo CMMS.