Cisco – Unica Implementation
Integration of Demand Generation 2.0 — Cisco’s largest marketing infrastructure overhaul in a decade.
AWARDS
Situation
Cisco had consolidated a majority of its marketing functions into a Global Demand Center (GDC) running traditional and digital marketing with the support of a Marketing Automation platform, comprising nearly 40 integrated marketing applications.
Its outbound campaign tool, responsible for email and call center campaigns, was no longer keeping up with demand. Cisco was deploying approximately 5,000 tactics a quarter and had over 100 campaign execution specialists running selection, segmentation, nurturing, offer management, lead qualification, lead routing, etc. on ePiphany – a technology past its prime.
To handle what was deemed to be a very large volume of campaigns, Cisco had selected and purchased Unica three years prior from IBM (now, Unica is an HCL Software). At that time, Unica was the leading technology, especially when it came to large volumes of campaigns, contacts, and offers. The implementation project, however, was far behind schedule and over budget.
Solution
To bring the Unica implementation/integration project back on track, Cisco looked for a true expert with both the Unica technology and implementation of marketing platforms in general.
Transiris rebooted the entire Unica implementation project from scratch, this time with clear requirements, an expertly devised architecture, and solid project management methodology.
Transiris experts devised separate tracks for the technical (re)implementation, the data integration, the changeover procedures, and the training of personnel with the new technology. Each track was managed based on the assumption that the other tracks will succeed, and progress and backlog was monitored closely, shifting expert resources to the areas in need.
As the Cisco marketing organization is global, a change management team (or “tiger team”) was formed to assist with support and ramping up post-implementation in each geography with a concentration of marketing personnel: North and South America, EMEA, India, China, and APAC.
Outcome
Even though the original project, prior to engaging Transiris, failed repeatedly for three years, we were able to complete the implementation and go live globally within 6 months. This implementation created the largest known implementation of IBM Unica ever, for which Transiris was awarded an excellence prize at the Monaco Marketing Automation Summit the same year.
Anecdotally, the implementation was so successful that most people in the GDC wondered if it really went live, as nobody was “seen running down the corridors with their hair on fire.” As a matter of fact, for the next six months after go live, only one bug was submitted to the support team.