Go back a few decades, and vendor user groups were very common. Today, they seem to be making a resurgence. Powered often by the globalisation provided by social media and business-to-business platforms such as LinkedIn. The Root Group was launched as the official but independent user group for Rootstock Software a little over a year ago. This week, Rootstock announced that it had grown by 379% in a single year. While the group will have started from a small base, it is still significant. And there are now over 30 members of the Root Group LinkedIn group.
Of greater importance than the numbers is the impact it is having on the members. And, subsequently, on Rootstock software itself.
Chad Wright, CIO at Boston Dynamics and Chairman of The Root Group, said, “More than just an increase in members, we’ve seen deep user engagement. Our members thrive on sharing knowledge and helping each other succeed. During our quarterly meetings, we often explore various Rootstock ERP capabilities and the innovative ways we can leverage other applications and partners in the Salesforce ecosystem to continually enhance our operations.”
Other founder members are still engaged and realising the benefits they hoped for. Chris Crowley, CIO of Intuvie and one of the founding members of The Root Group’s Board of Advisors. “The Root Group has evolved well beyond our initial expectations. Joining this user group offers many advantages — from the opportunity to learn from one another to being able to influence product development and to gain a ‘first look’ at upcoming ERP features. Beyond these strategic benefits, we also enjoy practical perks, such as discounts to attend the Rooted-In Manufacturing Conference.”
Raj Badarinath, Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Rootstock Software said. “It’s been phenomenal to witness the trajectory of The Root Group and to have their members drive key initiatives at Rooted-In. We’re fortunate to have Chad participate in our day one keynote address and in our ‘State of Manufacturing’ panel. The Root Group has served as the voice of the customer, and we at Rootstock continue to provide complete support for the group and its member-driven goals.”
Rooted-In
Members of The Root Group include a diverse mix of professionals who are involved with the Rootstock ERP system at their organisation. They include executives and leaders in technology, manufacturing operations, and finance. These members, including the advisory council, will play a key role in the upcoming Rooted-In Manufacturing Conference. Rootstock is hosting this conference in New Orleans, March 25-27.
Partially on the initiation of TRG, Rootstock is hosting a full day of training on the ERP solution. This will be on the eve of the first day of the conference, Monday, March 25th. Similar to Salesforce conferences, the user base believes strongly in training. Adding a day of physical training when everyone is coming together anyway makes sense.
TRG will also host a meeting over lunch on March 27th, where all conference attendees are invited. To learn more about the aims of the group and its agenda, and will no doubt be able to join too. TRG will also have a dedicated lounge for members, enabling them to catch up and discuss what has happened.
Wright added, “The Root Group has come full circle as it was formed at the first Rooted-In, and now many of our members are presenting at the conference and participating in the Customer Advisory Board. For the road ahead, we hope to expand into Europe and to organize regional in-person meetings to foster stronger, more personal connections. Our goal is to ensure every member finds value and support in The Root Group. By focusing on these objectives, the group will continue to serve as an essential forum for collaboration, innovation, and shared success among Rootstock users worldwide.”
Learn even more about Rootstock and TRG
Members of TRG will also be leading sessions at the conference. These include:
- “Business Recruiting for Success: Leveraging the Salesforce Platform for IT Transformation,” delivered by Chad Wright, CIO of Boston Dynamics.
- “How To Predict the Future: The Importance of Decisioning in Manufacturing. A panel discussion that includes members Ohad Idan, Founder and CEO of Praxis, and Andrew Russo, Salesforce Architect at BACA Systems.
- “Pitfalls of Digital Transformation — Practical Lessons,” delivered by Chris Crowley, CIO of Intuvie.
Enterprise Times: What does this mean?
The success of TRG is primarily down to the volunteers who set it up. To succeed, a user group requires a dedicated group of individuals who are willing to put the effort in. They often do so because the rewards they gain from talking to peers and the access to the vendor teams outweigh any time costs. With Rootstock supporting the group, it was likely to be successful in the first year. What counts is what happens next. If members of the initial advisory team leave their roles and, subsequently, the group, there are people willing to take over.
The Root Group is prominent on the Rootstock site. It also has an active Slack channel where members can converse to help fulfil its mission. That mission is “The Root Group is a customer-driven group, with our main objective being customers helping customers.” It hosts quarterly meetings and is open to recruits or even talking to other customers.
Rootstock appears to have helped create an independent user group. This group has a good symbiotic relationship that will hopefully only grow stronger in the coming years.
