19 June 2026
How do you get all staff on board with an IT change? According to Gaby Phielix, it starts with answering the ‘why’ question.
Since 2022, customer success has become an indispensable discipline within IT Local. Gaby Phielix was the first customer success officer at the time. From her current role as team leader, she looks back on the past few years and explains where she and her department stand today. Naturally, during the interview, she makes a passionate case for good IT support for staff. In her view, the ‘why’ question must always be answered. Gaby also discusses all the possibilities and resources that customer success offers today, as not everyone is likely to be familiar with them yet.
What prompted IT Local to focus more on customer success at the time?
“It all came down to the need for support during technical changes. We have skilled engineers who are very good at what they do, but for end-users, IT still feels like something daunting and something they don’t know enough about. And that makes it difficult when we suddenly introduce something new. Customer success was therefore set up as a sort of bridge between technology and the end user. That also fitted in with our PPT approach ( people, process and technology), which puts the end user at the centre.”
“Despite the difficulty in recruiting new staff, we’ve made great strides”
In 2022, you were the first member of the team and, by extension, the department… how are things now?
“Yes, haha, there are just the two of us now. The team has gone through quite a few changes since the start, and I hope there are more to come. Especially in terms of growth. We’re looking for people who enjoy IT and who also enjoy working with end-users to analyse their work processes. They’re hard to find. But I think that, even though we haven’t grown in terms of staff numbers, we’ve made great strides when you look at everything we offer these days and what we’ve learnt about what support is needed and when. I’m hoping for further development in this area too.”
Do the staff you’re looking for actually exist?
“Absolutely. Unfortunately, there’s still a stigma surrounding IT professionals who live in dark rooms, sitting in office chairs with headphones on, but… it’s worked a few times already, so I’m sure there are more out there.”
It would also be nice if they stayed on for a while
“I think our customer success role – a bit like that of a service desk agent – used to be an entry-level position. Now we’re looking for more senior staff, where members of the customer success team can support their own client base. That helps and is also something the market is asking for… knowledge – specialised knowledge specific to each client – rather than general knowledge applicable to every user.”
“We’re now taking a broader view of how we can support an organisation and improve work processes”
If you look at how things were then and how they are now, what progress have you made in terms of substance? What are you doing differently now compared to when you started?
“At the start, we mainly looked at how we could help people with their day-to-day tasks. Now we take a much broader view of how we can support an organisation in keeping pace with the rapidly changing IT landscape and how we can optimise work processes in the process.”
Sounds like a more strategic role
“Yes, almost. You’ll be working more closely with the customer, looking at their processes and seeing where things can be done more efficiently. With the advent of AI, a great deal is possible these days, whereas four years ago, when I started, that wasn’t the case at all. Copilot was launched about three years ago, and when you see how far we’ve come with it… for an end-user who has to carry out their work on a computer, it’s impossible to experience that process up close for themselves and make the most of all the possibilities. That’s where we come in.”
“Why should I invest time in learning something new?”
What do staff find particularly difficult?
“The change in work processes and why it’s necessary. After all, it works fine as it is, doesn’t it? Why should I invest time in learning something new? That’s why it’s always important that we provide a clear explanation and answer those questions before every project. Is the change necessary for security or efficiency, or is it, for example, due to outdated technology and the need to future-proof the system? Once you’ve answered the ‘why’ question, people will also start to see the added value. Certainly when it comes to security, staff do recognise the need, as they hear and read all sorts of things about cyberattacks.”
So that ‘why’ question always comes up?
“Because we work using the ADKAR methodology, that certainly happens. This method begins with the Awareness and Desire phases, during which we focus on raising awareness amongst end-users and then ensure that they want to support the change. That’s where the ‘why’ comes in. Incidentally, the ‘why’ behind a change varies from organisation to organisation, but it’s actually always based on a future-oriented perspective, so that the organisation can keep pace effectively in a rapidly changing landscape.”
So if organisations do nothing, will they fall behind?
“Yes, but it can also have wider implications. In an on-premises environment, there’s a risk that something might happen to a server, for example, bringing your business to a standstill and perhaps even leaving you without a backup.”
“Do you only use Teams for video calls, or do you make the most of all its features?”
Is the switch to a new online workspace so difficult that you need support? Surely such a workspace should be intuitive by 2026?
“Our workplace isn’t so complicated that you necessarily need guidance, but that brings me back to the ‘why’ behind the change – the ‘why’ of that workplace – which we really need to explain properly to get everyone on board. And we also help people get the most out of the new workplace: do you only use Teams for video calls, or do you make use of all its features? So it’s much more of a project-based approach to carrying out your work more efficiently.”
As a customer success specialist, are you mainly involved at the start of the process – that is, when staff are being introduced to their new workspace?
“We’re actually involved in the whole process. Whereas, from a technical perspective, change mainly involves looking at the design, the implementation, the go-live and, ultimately, the management, we look at it from a people-centred perspective: preparing for the change – so what’s going to change and what will be different for the end user compared to before – and supporting that change. That support might, for example, consist of on-site training sessions or assistance during the go-live phase. After that, we look at a bit of quality assurance, because a process like this is never really finished. Once a project is completed and everyone is using the new environment or tools, it might seem that way for a while, but IT is a field that changes incredibly quickly, and one in which Microsoft is constantly making improvements and introducing new features – as an end-user, you need to stay up to date with these developments.”
And new staff are joining the client’s organisation…
“Yes, processes do change. That’s why it’s important that we continue to offer support. It’s also great that there’s ongoing contact between IT Local and the end user, meaning that, for our clients, we’re not just ‘the people who do the IT’, but a visible partner who’s close at hand.”
“Isn’t it a shame when a company invests in IT without making proper use of it?”
What would you say to customers who think: “Our staff will manage just fine”?
“Yes, perhaps that’s true, but isn’t it a shame if, as a company, you invest in IT without making proper use of it? And adoption is also crucial to ensuring your staff feel their voices are being heard during a change process.”
How do you know in advance where an organisation stands? And what the people’s mindset is? Do you check that?
“That’s part of our adoption plan. It includes an assessment of how significant the change is for staff, as well as persona research to identify the different types of staff within an organisation. You see, there are people who aren’t very technically minded and who don’t pick things up very quickly, and there are people who aren’t technically minded but are very good at problem-solving and who are quicker to look for an answer themselves. Our approach and choice of resources differ for each group; for the problem-solvers, for example, manuals are very suitable, whilst the other group needs more hands-on guidance.”
So, what stage is that at?
“During the phase that runs concurrently with our business consultant’s analysis, in the period immediately following approval of the quotation. This analysis provides a comprehensive picture of what we need to offer. This is also carried out in collaboration with the engineer who outlines the current and future technical landscape.”
“I think most organisations that choose IT Local recognise the importance of adoption”
If this comes after the quotation, how do you make the importance of it clear beforehand?
“Our account manager and business consultant do that as part of the needs assessment process. That takes place before the quotation is drawn up. They assess the general level of adoption required. If necessary, we can join in if the client is happy for us to do so. Incidentally, I think most organisations that choose IT Local recognise the importance of adoption. They often choose us because we work within the PPT framework and put people first. And, of course, because of our other key priorities.”
Do you have an example of a situation where a company underestimated the value of IT adoption?
“There was a situation where we implemented a change programme involving an authenticator, which met with a lot of pushback from end users and caused the person responsible for IT within the company quite a bit of trouble. Had they brought us in, we would have involved the staff in the process, explained things to them and managed the pushback. As it was, our role was limited to producing and providing a user guide.”
“We make the biggest difference to clients when we can guide them through the entire process”
On the other hand, do you have an example of a client where customer success has really made a difference?
“We make the biggest difference to clients when we can guide them through the entire process: from communication and training to support during go-live and the period afterwards. And that also includes a degree of technical support. We’re often talking about organisations moving from an on-premises environment to the cloud, whilst also incorporating the functionalities of Microsoft products.”
“Kind& co ludens is a good example of a client where we offer this kind of comprehensive approach, guiding educational professionals to make all the IT tasks they need to carry out for their work as easy as possible, so that they have time left over for their actual work.”
In the childcare sector, time is perhaps even scarcer than in other sectors…
“Yes, and the government is also making increasing demands in technical terms and requiring certain procedures to be carried out online. Yet for people who have entered this sector, IT isn’t a priority at all: it just has to work and it has to be understandable. That’s exactly where we, from a customer success perspective, can be of enormous help.”
“For most people, IT just needs to work – you shouldn’t spend six hours talking about Teams”
What specific actions have you taken at Kind&co Ludens that have worked well?
“A good example was the ‘App of the Month’ initiative, where we provided their staff with information about a specific app – such as Teams or OneNote – every month. We approached this differently from our standard training courses; by providing short, regular updates, we helped them learn more about how to use the apps. Providing information in small, manageable doses worked well for this group. I could talk for hours about Teams or Copilot – it’s my job and a bit of a hobby – but for most people, IT just needs to work, and you shouldn’t spend six hours talking about Teams. Because after two hours, people simply stop listening.”
You probably wouldn’t spend six hours talking about Teams during a training session either. How do you ensure participants stay focused during training sessions?
“No, haha, that would be going a bit too far. We keep our training sessions as interactive as possible by letting everyone try things out for themselves, especially in the face-to-face training sessions we deliver to various clients.”
“Is it not working, or do you not understand it?”
Do you have any other examples of initiatives that have worked well?
“We’ve also run a really interesting project with clients based on the theme ‘It’s not working’ or ‘I don’t understand it’. ‘It’s not working ’ mainly falls within the remit of our service desk, whilst ‘I don’t understand it ’ usually relates to product knowledge or situations where someone wants to do something but doesn’t know how – and that’s where customer success comes into play.”
The separation between role and technology, in fact…
“Yes, and of course there’s a huge grey area in between, because sometimes something isn’t working because you don’t understand it, or you don’t understand something because it isn’t working. But because we work so well together with our service desk, we cover that very well together. We find it very easy to get in touch with one another and are always in contact via Teams, for example.”
“We measure success by looking at usage and user experience”
How do you measure whether a customer success initiative has been successful?
“You can look at it from two angles. Technically, by seeing how many staff members are using it. If it exceeds a certain agreed percentage, you can then regard it as successful. You can also look at the end-user’s experience. How did they find it? That’s a bit harder to measure than hard facts, but a survey can provide insight.”
How do you measure usage?
“For example, we look at whether project-based working in Teams is actively being used: do staff open documents, and is there communication in the channels?”
Sounds a bit scary… being watched… Big Brother is watching you…
“That’s always a bit of an issue these days with being online. Of course, in Teams you can see whether you’re available. But it depends on the organisation whether that feels stifling. It’s not about the level of detail – what on earth have you been typing today – but more about the big picture. Because work is much more than just typing on a laptop and moving your mouse to stay ‘online’; it also includes, for example, making phone calls or going for a walk to spark a creative process.”
“We can always provide support at any time, for all types of organisations, large or small”
You’ve already mentioned a few tools you use for clients; could you briefly summarise what you’re currently doing?
“That’s a very broad question. For change programmes, we draw up an adoption plan and a communication plan. As we work towards the go-live date, we provide the organisation with clear emails and documents written in plain language, explaining exactly what we’re going to do, why and when we’re doing it, and what the benefits will be. When the system goes live, we support staff on-site; we’re there all day, walking alongside them and sitting next to end users as they log in to the new environment for the first time. We also offer various types of training, both focused on the change process and general Microsoft application training. And we provide webinars, manuals and instructional videos. We are always able to offer support at any time, for all types of organisations, large or small.”
Of course, your approach will vary depending on the situation…
“Absolutely. And for each client as well.”
To what extent are customers and their staff familiar with all the possibilities?
“Our website and LinkedIn page give a good overview, but of course our clients and their staff don’t check them every day. That’s why it’s important for our IT Local colleagues to highlight the support our team can offer. Our service desk, for example, does this well for end-users, whilst the account managers and project manager carry out valuable outreach work with their contacts. It would, of course, also be great if end-users were encouraged to seek our help from within their own organisations as well. And… I hope this interview helps too!”