Let’s Talk Base Jumping

At Referential, the size of our clients range as much as their needs. Over the years, we have provided services for enterprises in the Global 500, as well as projects for start-ups. For some, we assist with asset management and development; for others, we oversee reference requests and fulfillment. While the requirements often vary, what ties them all together? They are prioritizing the needs and voices of their customers. 

This blog is the latest in our Partner Platform Overview week, and you can find the previous entry here discussing Point of Reference’s ReferenceEdge, but today we’d like to walk through a recent experience we shared with a global enterprise client! 

---Migrating Away From Their Previous Customer Advocacy Platform (CAP)

To that end, one of our enterprise clients recently decided to migrate away from their existing CAP (Customer Advocacy Platform) software onto another. The reasons were numerous, but the most pressing issue was the contract renewal was fast approaching. With less than a month in which to work – and with almost ten years of data to migrate – we had to double-down! 

Full disclosure: at Referential, we’re 100% vendor and platform agnostic. While we very much enjoy fostering positive working relationships with all platforms in the Customer Marketing and Advocacy space, we don’t try to steer our customers one way or another without a clear understanding of the goals they’re trying to achieve. Even then, we’ll present information and let our client make the final decision. We offer expertise across every vendor on the market, so are prepared to walk on the roads they map out. 

---Experiences as Referential 

In this case, the vendor our enterprise client chose to go with was Base.ai. Buoyed by the confidence of the team at Base and the demos our client received, the Referential team immediately began to gather all the data from the previous platforms to migrate into the new environment.  

There were dozens of reports that needed to be designed and executed, to comprehensively capture all the data needed from the legacy environment. It then had to be appropriately formatted to be ingested into the new system. In parallel, constant communication with the community members was performed to ensure they were aware of the coming change to the new Base hub. 

The team at Base is steadfast and talented, keenly aware of and able to assist with any tensions or difficulties that arose among those involved, and ready with answers to the many technical questions that developed during the implementation and beyond. They are very good at what they do, and their dedication to their customers’ satisfaction is at the forefront of how they operate.

---Advocate Experiences 

From an advocate perspective – based on direct feedback from them at the time of the migration and several times thereafter over the past few weeks – the switchover was largely unnoticed because the act of being an advocate is largely unchanged, with just some minor aesthetic differences. 

Our team, alongside the Base staff, were diligent in our efforts. Much to its credit, Base has not only greatly simplified the transition process, but came to each meeting with a game plan and strategy. Additionally, it was more than able to pivot at a moments’ notice when needed. 

We spoke with the CEO of Base, Gal Biran, numerous times throughout the process, and he had the following to say when asked for his thoughts: "Collaborating with Referential during the migration of this enterprise client to Base was an outstanding success. The synergy between our teams made the overall process seamless, ensuring this client was satisfied, engaged and well-informed and Referential's professionalism coupled with our technical know-how reinforced their confidence at every step. It was a pleasure to navigate this critical, time-sensitive migration." 

---Takeaways 

Jumping off a platform can be daunting, but ‘Base jumping’ has proven to be gratifying and pleasantly simple: In less than a month, we successfully: 

• Migrated almost 10,000 advocates 

• Built a gamified hub of dozens upon dozens of “Asks” (what Base labels activities advocates can participate in) 

• Assisted with the connection and launch of an external customer community within Base 

• Built out all needed backend groupings, metatags, product information, etc. 

If your organization is considering investing in a Reference Management Software (RMS) or a Customer Advocacy Platform (CAP), but feels unsure about the specific features, requirements, or the right questions to ask, Referential is here to help! As an agency with extensive experience, we understand the complexities and nuances of these tools because we work with them on a daily basis across a variety of industries and company sizes. Our platform-agnostic approach ensures that we provide unbiased guidance tailored to your unique needs, helping you make informed decisions that best support your customer advocacy initiatives. Reach out to hello@referentialinc.com, today, for a free 30-minute consultation with industry professionals with expertise navigating the RMS and CAP landscape! 

Stay tuned for the next in our Partner Platform Overview series, where we dive into ChampionHQ! 

---