5 Proven Techniques for Promoting Software Adoption in 2023

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Have you heard the saying "Teach a man to fish, and he'll eat for a lifetime?" It applies to software as well - if you teach your team how to use it, they can help double your profits.

But, many businesses struggle with software adoption. Training is often overlooked when implementing new technology, which leads to employees wasting time trying to learn it on their own.?

In this newsletter edition, we'll go over the best practices for successfully driving software adoption in your organization.

Benefits of High Software Adoption for Businesses

Software adoption is critical to your business for many reasons. Let’s cover them first.

1. Increased employee efficiency and productivity

35% of enterprise employees report they don’t feel equipped to use their CRM system and need more training.?

Have you ever considered how much more efficient your sales team could be if they were trained on your CRM? Without automation, valuable work hours are wasted on inefficient processes for scoring sales leads.?

By examining the daily processes of your employees, you may discover that a one-day workshop on software best practices could significantly improve their productivity. Implementing a solid digital adoption strategy can save your employees time and ultimately lead to increased efficiency.

2. Effective workplace learning

76% of employees say they’re more likely to stay with a company that invests in continuous learning and development efforts. So if you’re looking for a way to increase employee retention and loyalty, this is your chance.

A software adoption strategy fosters workplace learning, promotes employee development, and empowers employees to upskill and reach their career goals quickly.

Continue reading about the benefits of high software adoption for businesses here.?

Challenges of Software Adoption

All of these sound appealing, right? Wait a bit, you can only enjoy the benefits of software adoption after you overcome its challenges.

1. Employees are resistant to change

83% of decision-makers say changing employees’ habits or processes is the biggest challenge while implementing and adopting new software.

When people are already used to certain procedures for a long time, they are not the most enthusiastic to adapt to changes. You should consider this behavior before creating a software adoption strategy.?

The good news is that you can break old habits with a clear change management plan. Before rolling out changes, it is important to communicate why the change is critical to your business and how your employees will benefit from it. Also, offer a plan for tracking the results of software adoption and set timelines for fully adopting new software (or getting used to new features of old software).

The process might be time-consuming, but it’s the only way to introduce digital changes without facing resistance.

2. Lack of urgency

Software adoption seems to be something you can think of after you’ve figured out more urgent issues. Why spend a budget on creating a software adoption plan when you still have problems with the hiring process, customer service, or sales??

As the impact of software adoption isn’t so obvious, organizations don’t rush to allocate resources to it. You should clearly communicate its value and urgency to stakeholders if you don’t want your initiative to get stuck halfway to success.

Continue reading about the challenges of software adoption here.?

5 Ways to Drive Software Adoption in 2023

These are five ways to drive software adoption in your organization.

1. Make the most of your service providers’ sales & support

Software adoption starts when you’re only looking into buying new software. Alongside considering software functionality and pricing models, pay attention to what their sales and support teams have to offer.

• Do they provide product demos?
• Can they run a workshop for your company?
• Do they offer onboarding services?
• Is there 24/7 support?
• How responsive are their support reps?
• What kind of training materials do they offer?
• Is there a self-service knowledge base or in-app training?

Take a deeper look behind a lucrative deal. Software providers know better how their technology best applies to your industry, what challenges it resolves, and how you can make the most of it.? Build strong relationships with your service providers to receive firsthand guidance, stay informed of the most recent updates, and receive prompt support whenever your employees need it.

2. Develop an in-app training program

Software providers usually offer in-app onboarding flows with tips and best practices for account setup. These flows are usually very basic and cover only the first steps of a new user into the product experience.

We recommend that you build a custom in-app training program for each tool in your tech stack (or at least for the most critical ones). Create personalized recommendations and tooltips based on users’ roles and responsibilities to ensure every employee knows how they can make the most of the software they use every day. How can you do it?

A digital adoption solution like Whatfix can help. Whatfix’s in-app guidance allows you to generate custom onboarding flows for any software in your toolkit. You can offer customized tooltips, popup recommendations, and a self-help widget that will pull the data from your knowledge base to support your employees all the way through the software adoption process.

Interactive in-app training will decrease the time needed for your team to achieve proficiency in business software as well as the effort needed to onboard new employees.

3. Assign internal champions

Internal champions are employees who’ve mastered a software solution before everyone else and can help you train other team members on it. Typically, these are people who have realized the need and participated in making a buying decision.

Ask your internal champion(s) to help you ‘market’ new software to the rest of the team. Encourage them to prepare documentation and help you create a training program that covers tips and best practices from a person with hands-on experience with the software.

Continue reading about how to drive software adoption here.?

Essential reads for digital adoption & enablement professionals

Search Engine Journal - Google Bard Removes Waitlist, Adds Image & Coding Features

Bard by Google is now available in over 180 countries and has added support for Japanese and Korean with plans to support 40 languages in the near future. The updated Bard features include image capabilities, advanced coding, and integration with Google apps and services. Future updates will bring services from different websites, such as Adobe Firefly, Kayak, OpenTable, ZipRecruiter, Instacart, and more.

Computer Weekly - Tech jobs are on the rise, but soft skills are most coveted, says WEF

The fastest growing jobs in the next five years will be in technology, especially AI and machine learning. Digital technologies will drive transformation, leading to both job creation and elimination, but ultimately resulting in a net increase in positions. Soft skills are still important, and job creation due to technological adoption will outweigh role losses.

SG Analytics - The Future of Business: How is Advanced Analytics Presenting Businesses with Next-Level Insights

In the modern era of technology, businesses are constantly inundated with vast amounts of data. By effectively analyzing this data, businesses can make informed decisions that drive growth. To gain a competitive edge, many businesses are adopting business intelligence, data, and analytics technologies. As technology continues to evolve, more advanced algorithms are being developed to improve computational power and storage. The convergence of these trends is fueling rapid technological advancements and disrupting traditional business practices.??

Mobi Health News - Patients should be at the center when designing digital health experiences

Experts at HIMSS23 conference emphasized the need for seamless and personalized digital experiences for patients. Integrated platforms and creative solutions from internal teams were suggested, along with personalized care and clear communication with patients.

Help Net Security - Overcoming industry obstacles for decentralized digital identities

ForgeRock's CTO, Eve Maler, emphasizes the importance of digital identities in ensuring secure access to online services in a recent interview with Help Net Security. Maler also discusses the challenges faced by different industries when it comes to implementing decentralized digital identities.

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