When employees have trouble using their new business tools, productivity drops, mistakes are made, and they can quickly lose faith.
Lack of Training
Imagine investing in a brand-new CRM system, but at go-live stage you see your sales team floundering instead of excelling. They can’t find key features, struggle with data entry, and miss important deadlines.
Why? because they haven’t been properly trained on this new system. This leads to:
- Lost Productivity
- Costly Errors
- Demotivation and Resistance to use that new solution.
- Interruptions to other areas of your business, as well as to your supplier/vendor/provider, as users seek ad-hoc regular assistance from those who are better skilled.
Failing to Manage the Change
New tech solutions will disrupt workflows without proper change management and employees will feel overwhelmed and insecure. The goal is to help them transition successfully with proper training and support. When companies neglect change management, the following can happen:
- Low Morale
- Use of Shadow IT
- Resistance to Future Improvements
The Bridge to Success
So, what is the key to unlocking the true value of new technology solutions? It lies in effective training and change management. Here’s how to avoid the negative costs and get the full benefits from your tech.
- Invest in Comprehensive Training – Don’t treat training as an afterthought, people have different tech literacy levels. Therefore, ensure you develop a tailored training programme that goes beyond the basic features. These can include:
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- Video tutorials
- Hands-on workshops
- Ongoing support resources.
- Focus on User Adoption, this is not just about using the new solutions features. User Adoption training shouldn’t just explain how it works. It should focus on how the new solution will directly benefit staff in their daily tasks and improve workflow efficiency. If staff do not adopt that new solution, then the project will fail for all parties involved.
- Embrace Change Management – Ensure from the outset that you communicate the 3 W’s (What, Why and When) behind the change. Explain how the new technology will make everyone’s jobs easier. Encourage open communication and address concerns throughout the transition.
- Run a Pilot – All the above points are important but consider implementing your new solution as a pilot to a small group of staff (champions). When those champions have fed back and you have fine-tuned your approach, you can then roll out your new solution to the rest of the business.
The key takeaway is that your new solution is a powerful tool, but it’s only as valuable as its users. Prioritise employee training and change management. This will help you bridge the gap between a shiny new system and a real return on investment. Happy and well-trained employees using the right tools are your secret weapon. They can help you maximise efficiency, boost morale, and stay ahead of the curve.
