Stage 5: Go Live
Launch Preparation
This article will cover effective rollout strategies and tips to ensure you have maximum success and engagement when deploying Glean to your users
The time has come to go live and open Glean to your initial batch of users.
Implementing a new tool like Glean across your organization can be a transformative step, enhancing productivity and streamlining information access. However, the success of such a rollout largely depends on how well it is executed.
Pre-Launch Preparation
Checklist
Initial Users Identified
User Survey Conducted
Feedback & Communication Channels Established
Training Materials Prepared
Launch Date & Kickoff Session Scheduled
Office Hours Scheduled
User Communications Sent Out
Glean Browser Extension Deployed
Glean populated with Announcements, Answers, Go Links, Collections, and Document Verifications; ready for initial wave of users.
1. Identify Users
To effectively manage user adaptation and ensure a smooth integration of Glean into your organization, it’s advisable to start with a staggered rollout. Begin by selecting an initial group of approximately 100-300 users. This approach allows you to closely monitor system performance and gather valuable feedback in a controlled setting.Selection Criteria
Choose your initial users from a diverse range of departments or teams. This strategy ensures that you receive a broad spectrum of feedback, reflecting the varied ways in which different departments will utilize Glean. For instance, the engineering team might focus on different functionalities compared to what might be essential for the Sales or Marketing teams. Alternatively, you could consider initiating the rollout within a single department or team. This method allows you to focus on specific use-cases and streamline the initial integration process before expanding to other parts of the organization.Encouraging Organic Growth
Promoting organic growth is essential for the successful adoption of the Glean across your organization. Often, colleagues of the initial users will notice the benefits of Glean and express interest in trying it themselves. Facilitate this process by allowing open access, which can significantly enhance the tool’s acceptance and usage.Ensure that all new users complete an initial survey (see the sections below). This step is vital as it helps capture their feedback and experiences, aligning them with insights gathered from the initial user group.Consider posting an Announcement in Glean that mandates this survey for all new users.
2. Survey Users
Before granting access to Glean, it is important to understand the current challenges your users face regarding data retrieval and internal communications within your organization. Conducting a preliminary survey with your initial wave of users will provide valuable insights into these challenges and how effective Glean is at addressing them. The survey should aim to:- Assess the current difficulties users experience when trying to find data and connect with the right people across various systems.
- Gauge user expectations regarding the potential time savings and efficiency gains from an enterprise search and company-sanctioned Generative AI solution like Glean.
- Collect feedback on desired features and functionalities that users find most critical in such a tool.
Initial Survey Template
Glean offers a comprehensive survey template designed to gather all necessary user insights effectively. This template can be used as-is or can be customized to better fit the specific needs of your organization.- Glean Initial User Survey (Google Forms)
3. Establish Feedback Channels
To ensure the successful adoption and continuous improvement of Glean within your organization, it is essential to establish robust and accessible channels for user feedback. A highly effective way to gather and manage feedback is through dedicated channels on communication platforms such as Slack or Microsoft Teams, as this allows users to engage more collaboratively.- Create a Dedicated Channel: Establish a specific channel on Slack or Teams for all things related to Glean. Name it something intuitive like #glean-feedback or #glean-support.
- Encourage Active Participation: Promote this channel as the go-to place for sharing insights, feedback, questions, ideas, and any issues users encounter with Glean.
- Involve the Glean Team: If possible, include members from your Glean account team and Customer Success Manager in this channel. Their presence can be incredibly beneficial as they can provide expert responses to technical queries, offer solutions, and take action on the feedback provided in a faster timeframe.
If direct involvement of the Glean team in the feedback channel is not feasible, you should ensure that a weekly touchpoint with them is established to go over the feedback collected through the channel.
4. Schedule a Live Kickoff Session
Schedule a 60 minute live session with your initial group of users to ensure a comprehensive introduction to Glean. This session should encompass a range of topics including basic functionality, advanced features, and best practices for using Glean effectively. It should also guide users on how to submit feedback, highlight potential pitfalls (gotchas), and more broadly, explain how Glean aligns with the company’s strategic vision for Generative AI and Knowledge Management.Session Planning
- Executive Endorsement: Begin the event with a pre-recorded message from your CIO or another key executive. This message talk about the impact of Generative AI on the business and the importance of Glean as a strategic tool.
- Duration and Format: Aim for a length of 60 minutes for the session. It should ideally be a hybrid of in-person and virtual/livestreamed.
- Topics:
- Explore the home page and how it aggregates company content.
- How to search across company apps using both keywords (like a traditional Google search) and natural language.
- E.g. “expense policy” vs “what’s the maximum I can expense on a hotel when travelling?”
- How to use Glean Assistant to find answers and generate content.
- “Who do I talk to about X?”
- “Write an email to X about Y”
- “Generate me some python code to do X.”
- People Profiles and the Organization Chart.
- Using Announcements, Answers, and Collections.
- How to create and use Go Links.
- The importance of Document Verification.
- Where to get help and submit feedback.
Instead of relying on static slides, conduct the entire session in the live Glean environment. This shows real-time usage of the tool and will help train your users on how to effectively leverage the platform.
Set expectations
Make it clear that while Glean is powerful, it will not be able to surface content from apps or data sources that it is not yet connected to.Consider creating a specific Answer in Glean that lists the company apps that Glean is currently connected to, and encourage users to submit feedback with the apps/datasources they would like to see added.
Encourage Feedback
Stress the importance of each user providing feedback during the kickoff. You should explain how their insights and suggestions are crucial for refining Glean and enhancing its functionality within the company. Remind users about the established feedback channel in Slack/Teams, and encourage them to use it to share ideas, questions, and/or issues.5. Schedule Office Hours
Scheduling weekly office hours is an effective strategy to provide ongoing support, address any issues, and discuss specific features with your users in detail.- Set a Regular Schedule: Choose a consistent time each week for the office hours. Communicate the time during the kickoff and consider posting an Announcement in Glean with the details.
- Weekly Focus Areas: Each session should focus on general Q&A, and discussion on feedback and improvements, however you should also plan a deep dive into a specific Glean feature each week. This will help ensure regular attendance from your users.
- Participation Reminders: Actively encourage users to participate in these sessions. Ensure the meeting invite is recurring, that you have posted an Announcement in Glean, and that you are reminding your users weekly in the feedback channel.
6. Send Comms to Users
Refer to below email template below for a company-wide communication to inform of a managed Chrome/Edge install.Email Template
Subject: Introducing Our New Tool: Enhance Your Productivity with Glean! Dear [NAME], We are thrilled to introduce Glean, a transformative tool designed to boost your productivity and streamline your workflow. As part of our commitment to enhancing your efficiency at work, Glean combines the power of search and Generative AI to simplify how you access information across our company apps. What is Glean? Think of Glean as a blend of Google and ChatGPT, tailored for our company’s ecosystem. It serves as a central hub for all key company content, enabling you to effortlessly locate documents, find answers, and generate content across all our tools, including [APP LIST], and more. This integration means less time switching between applications and more time focusing on what matters. Key Features:Launch Details: Starting from [LAUNCH DATE], Glean will be automatically installed on your browser. This update will set Glean as your default new tab page, enabling you to seamlessly access search across all company apps. For a detailed guide on how to leverage Glean effectively, please visit the Glean User Guide. We are confident that Glean will significantly enhance your daily productivity by minimizing the time spent searching for information and maximizing the time spent on achieving your goals. We look forward to your feedback and are excited to see how Glean will support your success at [COMPANY NAME]. Best Regards, [DEPARTMENT]
- Unified Search Interface: Seamlessly search across [APP LIST], and other tools directly from your browser.
- Your New AI Assistant: Glean assists by providing instant answers, generating content, and automating repetitive tasks, all within seconds.
- Easy Access: Setting Glean as your new tab page makes accessing any company resource faster and more intuitive.
7. Deploy the Glean Browser Extension
If you have not already deployed the Glean Browser Extension to your user’s managed devices, you should do so now. The best way to drive Glean adoption at your company is by deploying the Glean browser extension and apps. Once installed, the user’s new tab page in their browser is updated to the Glean home page ensuring that search and generative AI features are immediately at their fingertips when they need it. Without the Glean extension, a user must access Glean by explicitly typinghttps://app.glean.com into their browser, or by clicking the Glean tile in your company’s SSO App Library. Both of these options have significant friction to them, and on their own, lead to poor adoption of Glean.