Are you struggling with the Discovery phase in tech advisory?
It’s more common than you think — we’ve heard from countless accountants, tech advisors, and tech implementors that the Discovery process simply takes too long.
It makes sense, though, because Discovery is that critical part where you get to know your client better and gather mission-critical info about their tech stack, usage, and software spend.
In this blog, you’ll learn some tips, tricks, and tools that can help cut down your Discovery process from days to minutes.
Why the discovery phase is crucial
A smooth discovery process is crucial for tech advisors because the information gathered here is what steers the entire project. It also helps ensure accurate quoting, client alignment, and successful project outcomes.
An inefficient or incomplete process, on the other hand, can cause costly errors with manual processes that slow you down and block you from scaling effectively.
Discovery: Please, tell me more
During the discovery phase, you’ll want to find out as much as you can about your client. This includes detailed information about their existing software, usage, and performance, along with all the user pain points (i.e. complaints) they have about their tech stack
The discovery phase is also a great chance to practice active listening, which has the added benefits of building trust, collaboration, and empathy — all of which are especially important if it’s a new client. And if your client says something interesting that makes your ears perk up, don’t hesitate to ask them to elaborate. Because it’s those kinds of questions that often lead you down the path of discovery to truly meaningful insights into what makes your clients and their tech stacks tick.
The purpose here is to get a clear picture of the state of play so you can begin planning the tech stack to deliver what your clients want.
While discovery is the second major step in the Tech Advisory process (the first step being finding the right clients), we can break down discovery into the following series of smaller, more manageable steps below:
- Client consultations to define their challenges, needs, and goals
- Identifying the apps and integrations within the client’s tech stack:
- Gathering key insights relating to software use, expenditure, and performance
- Detecting inefficiencies, risks, user frustrations, and missed opportunities
4 common challenges that slow down discovery
Many firms lack the automated tools for an efficient and scalable discovery process, especially if they’re new to tech advisory. Here are a few of the most common and relatable challenges advisors face in discovery:
1. Manual data collection
This slows everything down and it gets worse as tech stacks get more complex. It’s like trying to put the pieces together of an incomplete puzzle as you spend too much time digging through multiple apps, software, and integrations
2. Inefficient feedback gathering
Without the right processes, getting insights from end-users can be a huge bottleneck. For example, you may be spending weeks doing too many 1:1 employee interviews when a simple mass survey could get similar results. So it’s not just about asking the right questions, it’s about picking the right methods, too.
3. Incomplete or inaccurate information
If you don’t have all the required data, you can overlook critical client system details, leading to missed deadlines or unforeseen project costs
4. Poor visibility over client tech stacks
Without clear, real-time visibility over client tech stacks, you risk project misalignment because you might be missing the full story.
Legacy systems, fragmented data, and the attempts to either reconcile or migrate them to new systems or platforms are key reasons many digital transformation projects run into trouble. Forrester revealed that just 0.5% of data is harnessed for analysis, so just think of all that precious untapped potential that just sits there, or worse, gets lost.
Streamlining discovery with automation
Now, you’re probably wondering how you can avoid those challenges and improve tech advisory discovery.
Automation is an effective way to streamline your discovery process as it helps advisors quickly identify the apps in a tech stack. It can also speed up data collection data.
How automation speeds up discovery
By automating the manual processes that slow you down, advisors can focus on drilling down into the data and using the insights to drive strategy and decision-making.
Here are some key benefits of applying automation in tech advisory:
- Faster processes and workflows that are scalable and efficient
- Minimize typos and other human errors
- Simplify the audit, solution design, and scoping phases of tech advisory
AppVentory makes automation easy for tech advisors
AppVentory was built for accounting firms, system integrators, and anyone else considering tech advisory, whether as a new service line or new career path (we’re looking at you, accountants).
Most of us have suffered from inefficient processes and inaccurate data at some point, and that’s why we created AppVentory to streamline the tech advisory discovery process through automation.
How to pick the right software to implement, improve, and replace
Here’s how an automation solution like AppVentory helps you quickly identify the apps in a tech stack, analyze usage and performance, and gain the insights you need for fair and accurate quotes (which is the next step after discovery).
1. Looking for the data in the tech stack
During discovery, getting the tech stack details can be a long, tedious process as you go through a seemingly endless series of interviews and emails.
How AppVentory helps:
AppVentory dramatically reduces discovery time, streamlining processes that used to take days into hours instead. From data collection to information gathering, AppVentory simplifies processes and seamlessly integrates with popular tools like Xero and QuickBooks, plus Google and Microsoft Workspaces for a unified view of client app usage.
2. Find out who’s using what and how often
Knowing the apps in your clients’ tech stack is just the first piece of the puzzle.
That should be paired with other data such as key software performance metrics, which include app adoption/usage rates, software expenditure, employee satisfaction, and operational efficiency.
How AppVentory helps:
By automating app usage/performance analysis, AppVentory is able to compare existing app data against industry benchmarks and client goals, which helps advisors quickly detect underutilized or problematic apps, and other bottlenecks. AppVentory’s intuitive dashboard aggregates data in one place, allowing for real-time data analysis. Monitoring the data over time also makes it easier for tech advisors and system implementors to demonstrate the impacts of the solution design post-implementation.
3. Gathering feedback: Survey says…
During discovery, you cannot underestimate the importance of employee feedback — especially from those who use the software daily. They often offer invaluable context that can reveal issues you might have otherwise missed, arming you with greater insights from the people who will use your solution design the most.
How AppVentory helps:
AppVentory has an automated survey feature that makes it easier for tech advisors to gain actionable insights directly from end users. Their answers can help you identify gaps in software training, issues experienced when using certain apps, and other common complaints that you can include in the project scope.
Elevate tech advisory with faster discovery
The discovery process is when tech advisors dig deep into what’s happening in client tech stacks and ask the right questions to find out what’s working and what isn’t. AppVentory helps advisors streamline the process, improve data analysis, and speed up tasks like collecting information, scoping, and quoting.
To learn more about this exciting app audit and health check tool, apply for early access and you’ll see how AppVentory can transform your tech advisory processes.
