So, we’re about to take the next step towards unleashing energy data together. Whether it’s energy software for pricing and forecasting or portfolio analysis, our solutions help energy retailers manage the rising tide of energy data while meeting their financial and net-zero goals. 

Through our extensive experience partnering with energy retailers around the globe, we've refined a collaborative approach that emphasizes teamwork and sustained partnership. By aligning Gorilla's solutions closely with your specific business objectives, we turn the constant influx of data from a challenge into a valuable business opportunity.

In this blog, we'll explore exactly how our partnership works, specifically from an implementation perspective. We'll explain how we assemble your dedicated project team and walk you through the structured steps we follow once our collaboration begins. But first, let's address some frequently asked questions.

The Gorilla implementation process: FAQs

How long will the delivery take?

Gorilla leverages proven methodologies developed through years of experience with energy retailers, enabling us to quickly roll out initial automations or MVPs. Our standard approaches can significantly accelerate deployment, particularly when business processes can be adapted to align with these methodologies. However, our solutions remain flexible enough to address even the most complex business challenges. Typically, projects go live in about nine months, although several clients have successfully launched in less than six months.

Gorilla has a plethora of out of the box functionality built over years of working with energy retailers. With no time-consuming custom coding, we can get some initial automations, or an MVP rolled out quickly. While the average go-live date is around nine months, this has been less than six months for some of our clients.

What other costs will there be?

Our diligent up-front prep means we can be transparent about pricing before we begin the implementation process. Whether it’s pricing & forecasting applications or portfolio analysis, Gorilla’s approach means implementation costs won’t spiral once delivery begins. 

Some additional costs may arise from the works of implementation partners, although Gorilla strive to work as closely with partners as we do with you to ensure a seamless delivery.

What support will we get?

Gorilla’s structured delivery process is tried and tested in the field, built around a robust framework for assembling the right delivery team. Your dedicated Gorilla team provides strong functional expertise and technical support, ensuring the solution aligns closely with your agreed objectives. Throughout implementation, you'll play an active role, leading the charge in configuring Gorilla to fit your unique business needs.

Support doesn’t end at go-live. With your dedicated Gorilla team remaining engaged, you’ll continue to have direct access to Gorilla experts for ongoing assistance beyond the initial rollout.

What happens if there are issues during the implementation?

Our robust governance model has a well-established framework for meetings and updates - from quarterly steering groups to weekly or even daily project delivery sessions. We create the communication channels that work best for you during the planning stage. If any issues come up, you’ll know who to contact.

Gorilla’s step-by-step delivery process

When you think of a SaaS product, some key benefits that come to mind are scalability, flexibility, and low IT overhead. It frees up time for both end-users and IT staff who can spend less time on routine tasks and more on innovation. Businesses are more agile and can react to market changes.

However, in reality, organizations are often left on their own to figure out how their new software can deliver the business benefits they’re looking for. Other solutions can be restrictive, with specific ways of doing things that place limits on how teams can use them. There’s a lack of flexibility, as though solutions come pre-packaged and one-size-fits-all.

With Gorilla, our focus is on your needs. The platform is highly configurable and our communications are aimed to bring this to the fore. This is a team effort from project inception to go-live. By offering ongoing support at every stage of implementation, we work with you to get the most from your energy software, helping you transform your retail operations.

Here’s how the process works:

Step 1: Building your dedicated delivery team

The Gorilla-client partnership is vital to getting the most value from your energy data platform. That’s why assembling the right delivery team is key.

From the Gorilla side, we include both technical and energy expertise. Your energy solution consultant will work with you on figuring out how your pricing and forecasting models can be evolved using Gorilla’s platform, as well as work with you on defining how you will ultimately use the software. Your algorithm engineer will develop customized formulas that will ensure Gorilla meets all of your needs, and your implementation consultant will work diligently to make sure Gorilla is properly plumbed into your existing technology ecosystem. This team will be guided and supported by a dedicated project manager, who will be your primary point of contact and will stop at nothing to make sure you succeed.

Outside of your core Gorilla team, system integration specialists are central. These could be recruited from your in-house IT team, but we have built strong working relationships with independent integrators in our partnership network. 

Your team members are critical to the project’s success. For example, analysts will ensure that requirements are fed to the delivery team, while project sponsors maintain alignment in expectations. We also include end-users – the people who will be running the systems after the go-live. We’ve found bringing them in right from the start speeds up adoption, accelerating your Time to Value and maximizing the benefits of our advanced energy pricing and forecasting software.

Our strong governance model blends agile ceremonies with a set timetable for steering committee and executive check-in meetings to ensure ongoing strategic alignment while driving implementation forward. This approach maintains open and transparent communication and ensures delivery stays in scope, on time, and within budget.

Step 2: Kick-off and onsite visits

The discovery phase is critical. We’ll come and visit you on-site and run a series of workshops to understand what you want to achieve and how we can get there together. We make a point to get to know you, your team, your partners, and your business better.

We found this incredibly useful with our first U.S. client, Gas South. We travelled to their offices in Atlanta on several occasions to allow the teams to get to know one another and deepen understanding of the complexities of Gas South’s operations. As a gas retailer with operations across multiple states, and thus multiple regulatory boards, Gorilla and Gas South needed to work hard to ensure that pricing models accounted for everything. This helped to align Gorilla’s capabilities accordingly, and Gas South could start getting the benefits of real-time energy pricing software. 

Step 3: Demos 

While you would have seen how Gorilla works during the sales process, the demos don’t stop there. We pride ourselves on frequent, open feedback and we accomplish this with regular demos as key functionalities are configured during delivery.

When we worked with U.K. energy supplier, Scottish Power on their valuation processes, we first created a demo to calculate tariff valuations. It delivered the agility and flexibility the retailer was looking for and gave Scottish Power certainty that they’d found the right solution. However, during the demo, it also became clear that it worked well with other business processes and brought buy-in from the wider company. Since that initial demo, the pricing team has moved more and more processes into the platform.

Step 4: Full implementation

Average go-live times are around nine months. Gorilla’s in-depth planning phase, from the onsite visits and workshopping to the PoC, means we can give you accurate and transparent timelines.

Our out-of-the-box formulas get customers up and running quickly. We customize our solutions to make sure they solve your unique business challenges while still giving you control over your processes. We prioritize quick wins, delivering a rapid return on investment.

Step 5: Continuous support boosts customer success

We don’t believe the go-live should mark the end of the partnership with our clients (although it’s definitely a milestone we like to celebrate). We want retailers to continue getting business benefits from our software after the initial project delivery.

You’ll get a designated team at Gorilla offering ongoing support, helping you develop workflows, or enhance pricing and forecasting strategies. The platform will scale with you, ensuring that it always matches your business needs regardless of your growth or changes in operations.

Your integration consultants will help fine-tune the new systems, continuously improving performance. And if there are any issues, you’ll have a named contact to speak to over here at Gorilla. 

‍What truly sets Gorilla apart isn't just our software and solutions, but the manner in which we implement them.

The deeper end users’ knowledge of the solutions, the more the benefits snowball. And it’s why we’ve developed our e-learning platform aka Gorilla University. Users and our partners, such as system integrators, can access extensive resources to help them get the most from Gorilla applications.

From guides to courses, Gorilla University helps your pricing team improve their understanding of the solutions and continue maximizing the benefits.

It’s this ongoing support and fine-tuning of processes that’s part of the way we work. Energy retailers are managing an accelerating energy transition, market volatility, and squeezed margins. In this environment, with the right software in place, retailers can convert the rising tide of energy data from a challenge into a business opportunity.

And it’s why we’ve developed our partnership approach – so our customers can continue getting the full benefits of real-time energy pricing software even after the go-live. At Gorilla, 'bespoke' isn’t just a buzzword—it’s our commitment. We don’t do one-size-fits-all. Our software and service adapt to your unique energy retail challenges, ensuring precision in pricing, forecasting, and portfolio analysis.