If you’ve made it this far in your quest for a document automation solution, you already know that automating your business-critical documents can help you execute a successful day-to-day strategy by accomplishing more in less time.  

Technology changes so fast that it can be difficult to keep up, but that also means that there are more solutions available than ever before. As companies struggle to hit goals and impact revenue, many teams may find themselves working longer hours and taking on more work.  

Implementing a document automation solution is a big investment—and company leadership may not fully understand the challenges your team is facing. So how do you get your managers to buy in on document automation?   

Toolkit for securing document automation buy-in 

Adopting new technology can be daunting because so many processes and people are involved. It takes careful planning and demonstrating the needs of many to the decision makers. Sometimes the hardest part of this process is knowing where to start. That’s why we’ve developed this easy-to-follow toolkit to guide your quest toward management buy-in for document automation.  

In this article, you will find:   

• A guided roadmap for identifying key decision makers and shaping the conversation   

• A templatized presentation deck to streamline your pitch preparation    

• A checklist of steps to take prior to meeting with your leadership   

• Research, resources, and information on Conga’s offerings to help you make the case 

5 milestones on the path to securing management buy-in 

Milestone 1: Map decision-makers and their priorities 

Understand whom you need buy-in from and their main concerns. Are you pitching to IT, finance, or operational leadership? Identify their goals and challenges, such as reducing costs, increasing efficiency, or ensuring compliance. Tailor your message to demonstrate how document automation addresses their specific needs. Check out 12 benefits of Document Automation to dive into common challenges and solutions.  

Milestone 2: Engage stakeholders and select a project champion 

Involve the teams that will be affected by or contribute to the solution. Collaborate early to gather their input and secure alignment. Appoint a project champion from leadership who can advocate for the solution, act as a liaison, and reinforce its importance during decision-making. 

Milestone 3: Clearly define the pain points  

Document the key challenges you’re solving. Common pain points include: 

• Time wasted on manual document generation.
• High error rates leading to rework or compliance risks.
• Disjointed processes impacting revenue and team productivity.
• Inefficient use of resources across departments. 

Milestone 4: Build a data-driven business case 

Use numbers to connect these inefficiencies to broader business objectives, like revenue growth, compliance, or customer satisfaction. Examples: 

• Time spent creating or fixing documents
• The error rate and its financial or reputational impact.
• Operational delays caused by slow document processes.
• Articulate the costs of maintaining the status quo and how automation can resolve these inefficiencies.

Check out our customer success stories and the improvements they saw in their businesses. 

Milestone 5: Prepare for implementation success      

Anticipate challenges to ensure a smooth rollout. For example: 

• Are integrations with existing systems (CRM, ERP) required?
• Is there bandwidth to support implementation?
• Are there any compliance or security requirements specific to your industry? 

Proactively outline how to address these concerns, such as highlighting vendor support or planning for phased rollouts. 

Build and present your case   

Once you have completed each milestone, you’re ready to build your case for onboarding a document automation solution. For this step, Conga has created a templated pitch deck to help you prepare your presentation. 

Pitch deck    
You can use our templated deck to easily plug information into a presentation supporting your pitch for document automation. Make the deck your own, rearranging and deleting as necessary to customize the presentation. We’ve left several notes to help guide your case development. 

Project checklist    
Following is an example of a checklist you can use to ensure a robust pitch. 

You can download the project checklist here.

Additional resources

Here's some research and supporting data from Conga to get you started:   

• How digital document management can increase sales and revenue
• What to look for in Document Automation software 
• Conga Composer data sheet 
• Conga vs. other Document Automation solutions  
• Composer accolades and customer reviews
• Research report: unlock the keys to revenue growth
• Whitepaper: The power of revenue lifecycle management  

Conclusion    

Don’t waste another day on tedious, manual work. Start winning that time back! The right document automation solution can improve productivity for your entire organization and restore your work-life balance.