So you have invested in a cool new IT technology for your business. All is going great, except...your employees are not using it yet.
Employee adoption is one of the biggest challenges in digital transformation for any organization. Getting new software into your organization can boost your entire business operations. It can increase productivity, generate more leads, improve customer service and help the C-suite make better decisions.
Employees are the key to adopting new technology and to the successful digital transformation of your organization. The sooner the new technology becomes part of the day-to-day work routine, the better.
4 Tips to Get Your Employees to Adopt New Technology in The Workplace
Set The Right Expectations
Make sure that you inform your employees properly of all the advantages of the new technology. Will this new tool save them time (or nerves), or will it boost their productivity? Or will it alleviate their stress job-related and make their workflow more efficient?
Paint a detailed picture for them because they probably will not know this at an early stage. Once they become aware of all the benefits associated with the new software, they will be more likely to get on board.
Empathize With Your Team
Humans are creatures of habit. It is not as easy as you may think for some of us to adopt new tools and gadgets. This is especially true if your team has been working with the same workflow and tools for the past several years.
So before giving them deadlines or ultimatums, put yourself in their shoes. Consider their age and general attitude towards change. Are they young and grown up with digital technology? Or are they enthusiastic about new technologies? Based on this information create the best possible plan and timeline for the adoption of the new IT technology.
You may notice that each employee may have a different speed of adopting and becoming proficient with the new system. And that's okay. Just make sure to give your team a reasonable timeline to switch over to the new tool.
Assign an Early Adopter
Find a team member who is known to be great with new technology and assign them the role of a champion. Seek their help in promoting, training, and gathering employee feedback on the new software.
Having a relatable influencer can positively impact the attitudes of the employees and help them transition in a much easier way.
Offer Incentives to the Early Adopters
Encourage your team members to train and adopt the new tool. Reward those that do adapt quickly and use the new technology at work. These incentives can be gift cards, perks, swag, or anything that really excites the employees about the new transformation.
In conclusion, introducing new technology to your team can be demanding and difficult, especially when it comes time to motivate employees to use it. But with a little tact, patience, and empathy you and your team can get there. Besides this, don't forget to make it a fun process for your team. And they will reward you with cooperating and getting on board with you and the new technology.