Every year, a new technology that increases efficiency and productivity comes up. However, technology adoption is still one of the main issues a company faces.
Most of this issue stems from employees who feel overwhelmed by the new software. There are also the ones who do things manually that they choose to ignore it. Regardless of how notable or innovative new tech is, if your employees are reluctant to use it, it will turn into waste.
Installing software or technology in your business streamlines processes. So here are five steps on how you can make technology adoption a lot easier.
1. Ask Your Employees
Whenever introducing new technology or software to a company, there will always be naysayers. So before you start looking for new tech to incorporate into your business, hear what your employees have to say first. Ask them what their biggest challenges are or what do they need to make their tasks easier. Also, tell them what you need to make the project finish quickly without overblowing the cost.
This way, it would be easier for them to embrace the new tech since they would have a better understanding of why they need it. You can’t just force them to use it because you say so. They need to see the benefits themselves because they will be the ones using it most of the time.
2. Choose the Right Technology
Imagine if the new technology that you purchased comes with a 500-page instruction. Nobody would want to read it. If you “wing it” and use it regardless, you would not be able to use it to its full capacity. In the end, it would be a waste of time and money.
If you want your employees actually to use your new software or technology, choose the right one that’s easy to understand for your company. When technology is user-friendly, adoption will be more comfortable.
3. Create a Rollout Plan
Once you have chosen the technology that you want in your business, it’s time to create a rollout plan. There are many questions that you should consider in your rollout plan.
Examples of these are:
- How long should your training on the new technology take?
- When will you fully implement the current tool and cancel the old one?
- Are you going to add everyone as users all at once or choose leaders first and have them teach the others?
It would help if you also considered that there would be people who will adapt quickly and others who don’t. How are you going to address the different learning styles?
The main goal of your rollout plan is to create a transparent process for your new technology installation. However, don’t be afraid to make some changes depending on your team’s feedback. After all, they will be the ones who will use it most of the time.
4. Make Technology Adoption Fun
Remember when you purchased a new phone or computer? You were probably excited to go home and use it immediately, right? Too enthusiastic that learning how to use it, even if it was a new device, wasn’t hard.
Now, how can you incorporate fun in your company’s new technology adoption?
One thing that you can do is to offer incentives. It’s more effective if you reward cooperative behaviour rather than punishing team members when they’re not as eager. Learn what motivates them – is it financial bonuses, perks, or recognition? You can even gamify your training by having a leaderboard or simply celebrating those who are eager to help make the adoption easier.
During the training sessions, notice how your team are reacting. Are they listening intently, or are they disengaged? If so, think of winning strategies to add to your training.
5. Follow Up
Even when your team has entirely switched over to the new technology, there will still be one more thing for you to do. That is to follow up and evaluate the performance of the company after the installation.
Following up after the installation will help you identify which team member needed more training or discover problems that don’t come out until the launch happened. Nevertheless, it’s best to stay flexible for feedback or suggestions. Besides, if you hear your team members out, they will feel valued and are more likely to help you improve the adoption process.
The best way to make technology adoption easier is to deploy it in phases. It reduces stress and requires less energy compared to changing into it all at once. Show your team members, especially the ones who will use them the most, the advantages of the new technology.
Another tip is, you can work with a select few first. Make sure these people are the influencers in your company. You can have them as your control group where you test and measure your new technology before you apply it to the rest of your company.
To learn more about managing your team, book in for a quick chat here and find out how we can help you improve your business.
