Five Steps to Create a Successful Technology Adoption Strategy
Why Your Organization Needs a Technology Adoption Strategy
So, you’ve made the decision, spent the money, and implemented new technology; what’s next? Or more accurately: what should have happened first? Despite having early adopters, change champions, and the most well-managed tech rollouts, IT departments can be overwhelmed. Helpdesk requests pile on if users are confounded by new login procedures, workflows, or even a slightly different user interface.
According to the IT Time Crunch report:
are spending 4+ hours a week on unnecessary tasks
are spending 8+ hours on unnecessary tasks
waste more than 10 hours a week on extra work
When Adoption is Essential
End-user adoption is critical to the success of deployments to enable the workforce to fully utilize and adopt new initiatives. Without an adoption strategy, end users often revert to ‘the way we’ve always done it’ or shadow processes, negating the time and effort spent on the deployment and undermining the objectives (and metrics) of the deployment of new technology.
Unfortunately, many organizations don't include end-user technology adoption practices in their efforts. On-staff training professionals are resource-constrained, or they may be focused on other change initiatives. Regardless, an end-user adoption strategy is crucial to ensuring adoption, acceptance, and continued productivity.
That’s true in a variety of circumstances in your organization. For example, you may be:
Undergoing a workplace remodel. Significant physical changes to employee workspaces often result in changes to a user’s daily tasks and workflow. For example, the location of patient technology in a hospital environment is integral to a caregiver’s day-to-day routines. Even seemingly simple changes like upgrading user’s phones or changing out an aging printer can have unintended effects on productivity.
Creating an on-boarding program. Early employee satisfaction and retention often hinges on a great onboarding experience. Cloud technology is rapidly changing, and it is imperative that your onboarding process gets things right, not just mostly right. Remember, new hires may not be the only ones affected by technology changes, so be sure to update any outdated job aids or step-by-step guides. New hires as well as long-time employees (tech savvy or not) will appreciate the attention to detail.
Embarking on a large technology upgrade. It is easy to focus on how your IT team will roll out and support the environment. But what about your end users, who may be less tech savvy? Something as seemingly simple as a new login screen can result in numerous help desk calls that could be avoided with proper end-user training. Frustrated, confused end users are not going to see change as a positive thing.
For any of these situations, you should develop a proper adoption strategy. We recommend these key best practices in our development.
5 Technology Adoption Best Practices
The following are five best practices for a successful end-user technology adoption strategy:
1. Understand Training Needs
An important first step is to complete a needs analysis that includes shadowing and user focus groups for gap analysis. Including the end-user in requirements gathering ensures the user's needs are at the center of solution development. The needs analysis should focus on current and future state possibilities. In this evaluation, be sure to include process, people, and technology needs.
Training Needs Analysis
2. Tie the Solution to End-User Experience
Effective workforce transformation should always include input from end-users. Although this can be a time-consuming step, it helps create a solid foundation for future buy-in and trust in the program. Provide end-users with an opportunity to provide input through workflow development workshops and user acceptance testing. Time spent on this crucial element will save time and effort later in the project, as understanding workflows and real-life-scenarios allows training to more closely align to those scenarios when you begin your pilot program.
3. Pilot the Solution
Pilot programs are typically conducted in a controlled environment that allows for thorough monitoring and evaluation. Pilot program participants should include early adopters, users that can then champion changes and assist in training in their respective areas. As the pilot runs, evaluate the technology, process, and workflow impacts on the test group. As you plan the pilot program, be sure to allow time for modifications before the program is expanded to the larger group.
4. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
We can't overemphasize the importance of a robust communication strategy before, during and after deployment of the new technology.
Before: Prior to launching the initiative, generate buzz and excitement about the change, and appeal to users by explaining the direct benefits to them.
During: Well-timed, well-crafted messaging can alleviate end user concerns, clear up confusion, and generate willingness to embrace the upcoming change.
After: It is equally important to make sure communication continues post-implementation to share outcomes. (Did we hit the mark? Any gaps?) Ask for honest feedback so that you can celebrate wins, repair any breaks, and plan for future implementations.
Pre-and post-training surveys are also great indicators of the value comprehensive training brings and should be utilized with every training session. This messaging is a great way to show how well end users have adjusted to and adopted new technology and should not be left out of the communication plan.
5. Train to Real-Life Scenarios
Utilize custom training, not just out of the box vendor training, which often focuses solely on features and functionality and not on how the new technology will support users in their workflow. Knowing which button to push or the color of the new user interface isn’t as important for end users as knowing why to take a specific action in a specific situation, so make sure your training objectives align with real-world use cases for your end users. Custom training, whether a train-the-trainer program or an end-user program, must be role-based and designed to focus on what users truly need to know at the onset of a change. Understanding begins when users are provided the ‘why’ as well as the ‘how.’
A Custom Training Program: Turning The Key To User Adoption
Don't forget these tactics for effective tailored end-user training programs:
Reality: The learning environment must mirror the situations and environment end users will experience
Timing: Training should occur as close to the actual deployment as possible
Physical: When possible, provide opportunities for users to physically practice new behavior and/or new skills
Multi-Modality: Incorporate multiple training modalities such as instructor-led sessions, online learning, and self-directed activities, being mindful of multiple shifts and roles
Launch Support: Be sure to support users with go-live support when the technology is operational
Don’t Cut Corners on Training
Cutting corners on training has been a large contributor to the downfall of many change initiatives. The total loss from ineffective training is staggering: $13.5 million per year, per 1000 employees. Don't fall in the trap of delivering training simply to meet the go-live deadline. By doing so, you compromise adoption and the overall investment. On-time and under budget are not the only metrics for measuring the success of a technology deployment, and your technology adoption strategy will have a very real impact on the outcome of your deployment efforts.
Successful user adoption depends on a strategic plan that focuses on outcomes and is carried out in stages. It's crucial to employ these methodologies highlighted previously to ensure an effective rollout and execution.