1. Show teams why they should change To hasten adoption, you must show employees why your new technology is better than what they currently use. But many employees won’t care about all your cool, new features. Instead, they want to know how the technology will make their lives easier.
For example, will new conferencing systems give employees the ability to work from home and attend meetings remotely? Will new software reduce the number of steps that they must take to complete a task – saving them time and hassle? The more you focus on how technology will benefit others, the more you will improve your adoption rates.
2. Partner with executive and employee evangelists Evangelists can help you drive change in two directions – from the top down and the bottom up. They also hold a lot of power when it comes to influencing their peers. Find an executive sponsor in each line of business. They can help you understand what each team needs and then champion any technology that will make their processes more efficient.
Also, engage employee evangelists. Look for at least one person in each team who is excited about your project. They can promote your new technology, answer questions, and help others overcome their objections.
Your executive and employee sponsors can also help you identify new areas that need improvement. This gives your IT team further opportunities to drive value within your organization.
3. Train users on any new tools and processes Before you implement new technology, make sure that you have a training plan for both new hires and existing employees. Your current employees may require more comprehensive training, as they are used to doing things the old way and may need to see evidence of how adopting these new technologies will improve their productivity and work environment.
You can provide a variety of training options, depending on how your employees like to learn. Here are some ideas:
Be sure to ask your vendors if they offer training packages, as this will alleviate the educational burden from your in house team.