SmartX — McKinsey & Company
Role & scope: After ClientLink for Partners (CL4P) on Salesforce failed to gain adoption, I led a pivot to user-centric, modular CRM solutions—evolving from SmartShare and SmartConnect into a Relationship Management System (RMS) vision for Partners.
Conceptualized CRM-like tools to enhance relationship-building for Partners—designing an ecosystem to help Partners establish and maintain client relationships through continuous user feedback.
The Opportunity
CL4P on Salesforce faced prohibitive licensing costs, technical limitations, and poor usability—only one or two users logged in per week. Usability, effort-to-value ratio, performance, and too many incomplete use cases at once undermined adoption and led to discontinuation.
The Solution
I diagnosed adoption failures and pivoted to user-led design. SmartShare (Q2 2017) enabled knowledge sharing across Partner networks; SmartConnect (Q4 2018) helped identify client opportunities. I conceptualized RMS to centralize client contacts and integrate initiatives with a layered build: stabilize data, build RMS, integrate, and explore AI.
The Impact
Strategic reorientation from Salesforce constraints to a modular CRM ecosystem · User-centric tools aligned to Partner day-to-day workflows · Foundation for automated relationship management without manual CRM setup · Documented approach and ecosystem vision for firm-wide Partner engagement
- 2 — modular products launched—SmartShare (2017) and SmartConnect (2018)
- 4 — layered strategy from data stabilization through AI-ready integration
- ↑ — shift from low CL4P adoption to user-led ecosystem design