You’ve got it all: CRM, ERP, HRIS, intranet, platforms for collaboration… You’ve launched all manner of new tools to streamline processes, improve teamwork, and make tasks less time-consuming for your teams. And yet, as intuitive as they are, these tools are generating a lot of support tickets for your internal teams. Worse still, some team members still don’t use them.
It’s not enough to simply choose good tools. If your team doesn’t use them, they’re no good at all. So how do you encourage user adoption of digital tools to help make the most of your investment and see results?
Here are 10 practical tips to help you accelerate user adoption of your most strategic tools to help take your business to the next level:
1. Check the current state of affairs
Understanding how your teams use their existing tools is the first step to successful software adoption. Feel free to request feedback from your support teams to determine which tools or features users are struggling with.
28% of software installed on workstations goes unused
(1E)
2. Don’t neglect tool onboarding
You only have one chance to make a first impression. The first experience your users have with their tools will have a big impact on their use, productivity, and performance.
Supporting users in their first interactions with strategic tools can help reduce user churn by 67%
(Esteban Kolsky pour Huffington Post, 2015)
3. Training where they work
Your users don’t want to have to leave their tool each time they need help. Provide support for their daily tasks thanks to a Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) integrated directly within their CRM, ERP, or intranet, for example.
85% of users lose at least 1–2 hours of productivity each week searching for information
(Dynamic Signal)
4. Set a good example
Practice what you preach; if you want your users to do it, you should do it, too. Start by using the software and engaging users with helpful training.
Only 26% of users would say that their manager sets a good daily example
(RootInc, 2013)
5. Nail the timing
Guide users right when and where they need it, whether they’re newcomers in the company or simply new users of a tool thanks to change management.
49% of users prefer in-the-moment training
(Linkedin, 2018 Workplace Learning Report)
6. Customize it
To accelerate user adoption, adapt your support to each and every user, whether they use the most basic features or rely on a tool’s most advanced capabilities. Customized training materials are a great way to boost engagement for every user.
54% of people would like content that’s personalized according to their interests
(Adobe, Achieving Deliciousness: The State of Content)
7. New features? Think big!
Why limit user support to only the newest tools? Even the most experienced users are novices in the face of new features. Even better, offer a tool that responds to their needs to keep all users engaged.
90% of business leaders think their organization is mindful of employee needs when introducing new technologies, but only 53% of employees agree
(PwC, Our Status With Tech At Work: It’s Complicated, 2018)
8. Communicate often
Every opportunity to interact with your users is a good one, sending messages and notifications and encouraging responses. Announce new features, praise great work, and gather feedback on your tools… there’s no shortage of uses!
1 in 3 projects fails due to inefficient communication
(Project Management Institute)
9. Never stop measuring
Take advantage of your data to improve user engagement with their tools! Measure productivity, analyze time spent on training, collect feedback, and spot features for which your team needs the most support to improve your team’s confidence in their tools.
“Successful Business Execution is 20% getting clear about what needs to be done, and 80% following up to make sure it actually gets done”
(Business Execution for Results, Stephen Lynch, 2014)
10. Listen
Tools should never outweigh your team. The secret to user adoption is… the users! Listen to your team’s needs, ideas, and feedback to learn how to support them best.
Users who feel heard are 4.6 times more likely to give their best effort at work Salesforce
(“The Impact of Equality and Values Driven Business”, 2017)
Digital adoption is more than just a matter of connecting tools and processes. Nor is it just about using them. It’s about using them well, which requires engagement on the part of the employer and the employee. Supporting users as they work with their tools is just as important as providing the tools themselves, and relying on their intuitive nature isn’t enough. Discover why in this article.
