10 steps to CLM success with Ikon Science

In our recent In-House Connect webinar "Empowering sales and legal teams: The real impact of CLM software" we were joined by our clients Ikon Science to explore how Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) solutions not only impact legal teams, but the wider business.

Ikon Science's General Counsel Garrick Archer and VP of Sales Operations Leah Samia delved into their CLM journey. From highlighting which contracting challenges they knew they needed to solve, to rolling out Summize across all the sales and legal team.

Garrick and Leah shared valuable expert tips for any business looking to adopt a CLM solution. They covered everything from securing your business' buy-in, to maximising the features offered by your CLM provider.

Take a look at their top 10 steps to achieving CLM success.

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1. Engaging sales influencers helped ensure sales CLM adoption

Engaging sales influencers during implementation was a pivotal strategy for Ikon Science. By involving them in the process and incorporating their feedback, the business achieved widespread buy-in.

“Sales is not going to do it if they have to click too many buttons. Making it simple and easy to use was game-changing.” Leah Samia.

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2. Put in the work pre-implementation for even greater success

Ikon Science’s CLM journey began with a critical pre-implementation phase. This phase focused on process mapping and evaluating inefficiencies, such as the reliance on manual spreadsheets and disconnected workflows. By aligning sales and legal processes, the business could ensure their workflows complemented rather than hindered each other.

“You need to bridge the two sides of the business, you need to build a bridge between those and you have to make sure that whatever is going to happen with the sales process works with the legal process and that they complement each other.” Leah Samia.

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3. Don’t do everything in one go, take a staged approach to CLM

Ikon Science approached their CLM implementation strategically, focusing on high-priority contracts such as master licensing agreements and NDAs before gradually expanding to other agreements. This phased approach ensured the system’s effectiveness while allowing teams to adapt to the new workflow. By starting small, the organization could troubleshoot and refine processes before scaling even further with Summize.

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4. CLM implementation and adoption can be simple tasks

Ease of implementation and user adoption were key factors in Ikon Science’s CLM success. Summize integrates seamlessly with the tools already familiar to the team (Microsoft Word, Outlook and Teams). This integrated approach enabled quick uptake by the Sales Team.

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5. A CLM with quick adoption will create a stronger ROI

The ease of Summize’s adoption and the strong return on investment stood out as key advantages of Ikon Science’s CLM solution. The team implemented the system with just two 30-minute training sessions, highlighting the simplicity of Summize.

"Being able to get the sales team trained and get user adoption in a 30 minute session is pretty unheard of!" Leah Samia.

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6. Sales enablement via efficient self-serve functionality

The integration of self-service tools (e.g. Teams, Outlook) through Summize dramatically improved sales enablement by eliminating the bottlenecks that previously slowed down the deal cycle. The ability for the Sales Team to independently create and manage contracts reduced their reliance on the Legal Team, speeding up sales processes and improving internal collaboration.

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7. Contract transparency improves internal collaboration

The ability to track contract statuses in real-time provided visibility into the contracting process for all of Ikon Science’s stakeholders. Summize’s CLM introduced a standard practice for turnaround times, setting clear expectations and reducing friction.

“Anyone, even the CEO, can go in and see where every deal is in the negotiation cycle and if there are any issues.” Garrick Archer.

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8. CLMs drive business-wide benefits beyond legal and sales

The business-wide benefits of Summize’s CLM extended to improved governance, better sales forecasting and reduced bottlenecks for Ikon Science. Leadership gained visibility into contract negotiations through dashboards and audit trails, which helped enhance decision-making.

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9. CLM solutions simplify and standardise contract management across departments

CLM solutions introduce standardised templates that ensure Sales Teams always have access to the latest approved versions. For Ikon Science, this eliminated time wasted on outdated or unapproved contracts, which then helped to accelerate their sales-cycles. Legal reviews became more efficient, focusing only on necessary amendments rather than rechecking standard terms.

“Now I see whenever someone creates a document, I get a notification they’ve created an NDA but I don’t have to review it because I know they’re using the standard document and they know as well.” Garrick Archer.

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10. AI transforms contract reviews and risk management

Summize’s AI-powered features enhanced Ikon Science’s contract reviews and risk management. Automated clause extraction and red-flag detection allowed the teams to identify non-compliant terms and standardise agreements across regions. One example shared during the webinar highlighted how the system flagged an outdated payment term that had previously gone unnoticed.

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Dive deeper into the Ikon Science's CLM guidance

Ikon Science's tips are invaluable for anyone at the beginning of their CLM journey. Both Leah and Garrick discussed key insights that will help legal and sales teams benefit from a Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) solution.

Listen to their full conversation and interview by watching the webinar on-demand today.