Business Process Adoption: Key in Unlocking ROI of Digital Transformation Projects
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Business process management (BPM) gives organizations the tools to map, create, automate, analyze, and improve processes through solid documentation, standardization, and process automation. With BPM, enterprises can create scalable, efficient workflows that drive impressive business outcomes.
But here’s the catch—BPM alone isn’t enough.?
Without proper adoption, even the most meticulously designed processes can fall short of their potential.
Low process adoption often stems from poorly designed workflows, confusing user experiences, lack of contextual training, and missing process documentation.
If you’ve found yourself here, you might be wrestling with challenges like:
Let’s dive into business process adoption and explore best practices to simplify workflows for your overwhelmed teams.
What Is Business Process Adoption?
Business process adoption happens when new tools and workflows seamlessly become part of your team’s day-to-day. It means employees fully understand the value of these changes and can execute them, helping your organization hit its business goals and maximize technology ROI.
“Alignment is about cultivating a collective sense of purpose and direction, not achieving total consensus or conformity/consistency.”?
John Cutler, Senior Director of Product Development at Toast
When done right, process adoption keeps teams aligned with business strategy and stakeholders, tackling big questions like:
Why Is Business Process Adoption So Critical?
Poor process planning can happen to any organization—big or small.
That’s where digital transformation enters the picture. With the right tech stack, companies can optimize process adoption strategically and intentionally, driving maximum ROI.
Digital adoption platforms (DAPs), project management software, CRMs, and product analytics tools help get the right processes in place and in front of the right people.
“It turns out that speed and agility have much more to do with how you do things than what size you are. I’ve seen 5,000-person companies that remained relatively agile and 300-person companies that felt like the federal government.”
How does digital-led process adoption help leaders?
Leaders gain a data-driven approach to designing processes. Instead of overwhelming teams with unnecessary workflows, they can track real behavioral data on how employees engage with apps and systems—no more fixing what’s not broken.
With digital tools, leaders can pinpoint productivity gaps, develop hyperfocused solutions, and measure results over time.
How does this benefit employees?
Employees can’t fully adopt processes if they’re unclear about how and why they’re important. Without proper tools and documentation, new workflows can feel like a burden, reducing efficiency.
By leveraging process adoption tools, organizations can bridge knowledge gaps and help employees ramp up quickly without derailing their current workflows. This includes delivering in-app guidance, self-service support, and user-friendly product enhancements.
Ways to Drive Adoption of Your Digital Business Processes
Thankfully, driving business process adoption can be agile and flexible. From culture improvements to tech-driven tactics, here are some strategies to consider for your next stakeholder meeting:
1. Communicate expectations and changes clearly
Change management is key when rolling out new business processes. According to Gartner, only 36% of employees surveyed in 2022 had high levels of trust in their organization, leading to resistance and reluctance to adopt new workflows.
“One of the mistakes that I see operators make A LOT is implementing things and then becoming frustrated with other folks either not buying into the process or not following the process.”
Be transparent with your team about when and how you’ll transform your processes—whether introducing new ones, eliminating outdated ones, or redesigning those that aren’t working.
With a DAP, you can create in-app pop-ups and smart tips to notify employees of changes, delivering contextual information exactly when they need it.
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2. Provide contextual onboarding and digital upskilling
Skills aren’t learned from books alone—experience is what truly sticks.
That’s the principle behind contextual onboarding: employees receive real-time, in-app guidance as they move through a new process.
“We know that 90% of knowledge people get is from practical experience. That’s why the right way to make users to remember every valuable operation is to make them do something in your product.”
Nick Babich, editor-in-chief of UX Planet
By using interactive in-app training content like product flows, task lists, and smart tips, organizations can make learning faster and easier. A DAP enables employees to receive in-app guidance, reducing the need for traditional, memory-heavy training.
3. Build an ecosystem of tools that communicate with each other
The average company now uses 130 SaaS applications—a recipe for software sprawl. When employees have to jump between apps just to complete a task, expecting them to work efficiently becomes unrealistic.
By integrating software tools and processes, you can simplify training, reduce friction, and enhance the overall user experience. APIs and tools like Zapier can help connect systems, making workflows smoother.
For example, DAPs allow you to integrate training directly into business applications, so employees don’t need to leave their work just to consult an external knowledge base.
4. Leverage early adopters to advocate for process adoption
Early adopters are invaluable—they can advocate for new processes and encourage others to follow suit. When top performers receive rewards for embracing new tools and driving technology adoption, it sets a positive example for the rest of the team.
Identifying key influencers, especially those who will be most impacted by process changes, can help create momentum and trust in new workflows.
5. Measure success, collect feedback, and iterate
Tracking employee engagement with new tools is essential for understanding the success of your change initiatives. With digital transformation projects costing an average of $27.5 million, it’s critical to ensure your investments are paying off.
Product analytics tools and employee feedback systems can help you stay on track. Some key metrics to consider include:
Continue reading about how to drive process adoption here.?
?? Digital transformation clicks with Whatfix
Whatfix streamlines the build vs. buy decision in user onboarding, offering a no-code platform that crafts personalized in-app guidance and support. It’s an ideal solution for businesses exploring efficient ways to onboard users without the heavy lifting of developing custom software. With Whatfix, create dynamic flows, pop-ups, and task lists for an engaging onboarding experience directly within your apps.
Leveraging Whatfix’s analytics, pinpoint workflow inefficiencies and user engagement blocks to optimize onboarding paths and improve user experiences. The platform’s capability to gather real-time feedback through in-app Surveys further refines your strategy, making Whatfix a compelling choice for businesses seeking a balance between customization and convenience in user onboarding.
?? Essential reads for digital adoption & enablement professionals
A new Experian Health study highlights a growing crisis in healthcare: claim denials are rising, and providers are increasingly reluctant to adopt technology that could ease this burden. Nearly 75% of providers report an increase in denied claims, with a 31% jump since 2022, while confidence in automation and AI solutions has dropped sharply. The main reasons for denials include missing data, authorizations, and inaccurate patient information. Despite this, many providers are hesitant to embrace new technologies, with only 54% believing their current systems are adequate for managing revenue cycles.
?? Whatfix news bites
Whatfix has secured $125 million in Series E funding and we’re just getting started! Welcome Warburg Pincus LLC as our lead investor for this round and thank you SoftBank Vision Fund 2 for participating in it. We’re thrilled to enter a bold new chapter of expansion. As we scale globally and enhance our product suite with GenAI, we’re pushing into DAP adjacencies—delivering unmatched value every step of the way. We’re deeply grateful to all our investors for their continued support throughout our journey. A big thank you to our customers, partners, and our amazing team—this wouldn’t be possible without you. Read all about it here.
?? Whatfix podcast catchup?
In a thought-provoking episode of the Digital Adoption Show, AI experts Hosam El Nagar and Simon Leverton discuss the challenges and opportunities of AI adoption in learning and development. They emphasize the importance of ethical considerations and integration within organizations, highlighting AI as a supportive tool rather than a threat.
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Product Manager | Digital Commerce Consultant | Ecommerce Consultant | Business Strategy & Digital Transformation | Thoucentric | GLIM PGPM-2022, Chennai | Ex-Business Analyst at IdeaSailor Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
4 个月Correct!! Business process adoption isn't just about the tools or the workflows; it’s about engaging people, making adoption seamless, and creating a culture that supports continuous improvement. Proper execution in these areas is essential for ensuring the long-term success of digital transformation initiatives.