For our software implementation partners, whether or not their configuration engineers, project managers, business users, or solution architects are well-trained and certified in Pricefx plays a decisive role in how confidently they can respond to their customers’ requirements for the solution and, more importantly, how quickly they can get their projects off the ground.
As Pricefx grows, we’re aware that some customers may feel hesitant to venture into unfamiliar territory and collaborate with a Pricefx partner. Since we prefer to show, not tell you, the level of expertise you can expect from our partners, we’ll go over what the standard training plan of our implementation partners looks like, allowing your company to make a better-informed decision about partner-led implementations.
In this article, Babu Prasath, CEO of Lavendel Consulting, joins Pricefx to break down the training options available to implementation partners, including what exactly is covered in each, before delving into other ways Pricefx supports partners in a successful implementation.
Pricefx Trainings Offerings for Implementation Partners: An Overview
Implementation partners benefit from becoming trained and certified in Pricefx namely by standardizing the approach to implementation across engineers, who each may have a different way of working, and ensuring quality of delivery on every project. After undergoing our trainings, partners should expect to walk out of their training path as a highly skilled and reliable Pricefx resource for their customers.
In general, Pricefx trainings support three different audiences: business, admin, and technical users. Implementation teams will need to have covered all three areas to be fully prepared to implement Pricefx software:
1. Business User Training
Business user training is helpful for the quality assurance (QA) or business analyst teams, as it expands on the core functionalities of Pricefx. This training path covers the modules offered in the Pricefx platform, how to use them, and the value each brings to your customer.
In addition, business users of partners can become certified in Pricefx project management:
Project Manager Certification: This is a non-technical certification for the project managers leading the Pricefx implementation team, and includes topics like pricing and product knowledge, Pricefx implementation methodology, and project management soft skills.
2. Admin User Training
This training serves system administrators who will either offer administrative support after business go-live or run Pricefx projects themselves. The admin user training focuses on how to perform some key administrative tasks such as getting other users set up on the platform or checking whether the data has loaded correctly.
3.Technical User Training & Certifications
The technical user learning paths at Pricefx currently target configuration engineers (CEs) and integration engineers (IEs). Pricefx’s technical certifications stem from these paths and focus on supporting the roles mentioned in Pricefx’s own implementation teams.
Each certification path covers a unique set of topics depending on the role it targets:
Configuration Engineer Certification
In this certification path, the user will become familiar with the Pricefx framework, tools used for development, integration and data management basics, as well as gain a basic understanding of the core Pricefx capabilities (e.g, Quotes, Price Setting). Apart from a certification exam, the configuration engineering learning path includes self- study for product and admin, 5 day of hands on-practice, and a project.
Integration Engineer Certification
This certification path supports integration engineers who will be assisting customers with data integration. The topics covered include both business and admin user training components, implementation methodology, troubleshooting, and other technical topics around data integration such as working with Platform Manager, integrating from scratch, and templates to use. The integration engineering learning path also includes product and admin self-study, 2 days of instructor-led training, and a project.
In both cases, users are prepared twice a week for the certification exam with sandbox Q&A sessions.
Other Ways Pricefx Supports Partners for Successful Software Implementation
Pricefx is here to support partners with the successful roll out of their solution to clients even after the implementation training period ends. Here are a few ways implementation partners can continue to use Pricefx as a resource beyond this point:
Partner Managers
Partner Managers are individuals within Pricefx who are in regular contact with partners to keep them posted on the latest developments at the product or Pricefx level, including supplying release notes, alerting partners about upcoming trainings or webinars they would benefit from attending, and generally advising the implementation partner on how to serve their customers best.
Knowledge Base
The Pricefx Knowledge Base, is a great public resource for technical and non-technical implementation roles alike to learn about the Pricefx platform at their own pace. Technical users especially benefit from exploring the in-depth content on the site, which includes best practices and answers to development questions. They can also check out videos which are module-specific and more technical in nature (e.g, how to configure Pricefx).
Partner Advisory Services
Partner Advisory Services is a team in Pricefx that provides assistance to implementation partners who might be stuck with specific aspects of the implementation process. The team helps partners with issues related to pricing, design decisions, data volume, and problem-solving, as well as ensures they have access to knowledge or anything else needed to support a successful implementation.
Trainings for Customers
Partners might also consider suggesting to their customers to attend some training themselves, like the Pricefx kick-off training (a foundational training that gives them a basic understanding of the platform) to enable more productive discussions on requirements and a better understanding of the information shared with them by partners.
In addition, partners might also encourage their customers to develop more self-sufficiency (i.e., the ability to maintain and modify the solution internally) in solving low-level technical glitches themselves, optimizing the overall cost of solution maintenance. This process lasts at least six months and requires foundational training, passing a certification exam, and completing a mentoring and shadowing program with the Pricefx team.
Software Training Offers Multiple Benefits to Companies – Including Implementation Partners
As you’ve seen, Pricefx’s implementation partners undergo a robust training and certification program that covers all possible bases, ensuring that the teams implementing customer projects on behalf of Pricefx know the ins and outs of the platform and accelerate its time to value as a result.
If an implementation team still has questions after completing the certification exam and learning paths, the Pricefx training team is always available to provide further training on a given topic if needed.
If you’re looking for more on how Pricefx trainings benefit companies and don’t know where to start, consider checking out our article outlining the 7 benefits of Pricefx training below:
Happy Pricing!