4 Digital Adoption Strategies with the Biggest Impact on Successful Digital Transformation

A strong digital adoption plan is a non-negotiable pillar of successful digital transformation. Even with the right tools on hand, your digital transformation can’t be successful if your users are reluctant or unsure of how to use them. That’s why it’s crucial to take the necessary steps to ensure your employees use the tools to their full potential.

Wondering how to get your employees excited and proficient with your new tools? Here are four strategies to boost your digital adoption for transformation success:

4 Ways to Maximize Digital Adoption

1. Let Solution Advocates Lead by Example

Leading by example can help encourage employees to be open to change and even inspire them to get their hands on your new tools. Identify an employee willing to learn the ins and outs of the technology ahead of time and act as a solution advocate. Then, they can give mini demos to their peers, talk up the solution ahead of time, and be a resource when employees need help.

In a recent customer story, Joseph Malecki of Utica National Insurance Group shared how this strategy helped his team spread enthusiasm for their OnBase solution:

You can catch more digital adoption tips that Utica National used to make their OnBase implementation a success in the video interview below.

Insurance Digital Transformation Trends: Challenges, Choosing a Partner, and User Adoption

2. Eliminate Resistance to Change

Resistance is a natural part of change. Fortunately, you can build an atmosphere of enthusiasm rather than fear by creating a culture that embraces change and innovation. Here’s how:

• Help your employees understand why the change is occurring. Relate the “why” for the change to them. For example, if you’re replacing a legacy system, remind staff of all the bottlenecks the system caused and how they directly impacted them. Let them know you’re designing this new solution to make their lives easier.
• Encourage questions and feedback. Involving staff will help them feel valued and help you design a better solution to the problems.
• Explain how your industry is evolving around you, making digital transformation key to remaining competitive.
• Investing in employee training and ongoing support is also critical to eliminating resistance. One of the biggest underlying concerns that fuels resistance is the employee’s belief that they lack the skills needed to do things “the new way” and that this will lower their value as employees. They need to know from the start that there will be support during and after the go-live. Upskilling your employees and providing them with the ongoing training they need will help them be skilled, confident users. Check the tips below for building effective training programs.

3. Invest in Training and Support

Careful training is vital to digital adoption. Here are the top considerations you can’t miss when designing your training program:

Provide Users with Personalized Training in Multiple Formats

Everyone learns differently and at different paces, especially when internalizing high volumes of new information. As a result, providing options for training formats will speed up the process and help employees feel more comfortable. Ask your staff how they prefer to learn. Potential offerings could include:

• Videos
• Articles
• PDF guides
• In-application training (more details below.)

Beyond formats, consider the contexts your staff is coming from. Not every employee may have the same levels of technical experience or even be comfortable speaking in the same language. Additionally, different employees will be interacting with your new tools differently. With all these considerations factored in, you’ll be able to provide the most personalized, useful training experience that will produce better outcomes.

Offer In-Application Training

Training seminars and “set it and forget it” user manuals don’t cut it anymore. New training methods are shaping faster, more engaging learning experiences. See if your tools offer hands-on training like on-screen and in-app guidance. You can also use RPA attended bots to guide employees through new processes within the platform until they learn them.

Don’t Let Training End with the Go-Live

Once your employees are comfortable using your new tools, it’s time to start planning for long-term education. Most solution providers update their software regularly, sometimes several times a year. To help your staff continue to use your solution to the fullest, you’ll need to have a protocol for training them on new updates. Consider holding quarterly training sessions, creating a newsletter, designating a location for how-to videos, or any other training method your team prefers.

4. Track Progress and Use Incentives

Tracking and displaying your staff’s progress with their adoption can be a powerful incentive and increase motivation. Let your team see their efforts’ impact on your company’s key performance indicators, like how adoption is increasing productivity, sales, or time. If you have numbers, let them be known.

You can also turn up the fun with a little friendly competition. Picture it – Your team is slightly behind the opposing team in adoption progress. Wouldn’t that motivate you to push harder to come out ahead? If there are prizes involved with the competition, even better.

Set Your Digital Transformation Up for Success

Every organization is different, and their digital adoption plan will be too. With these strategies in mind, you’ll be able to build a digital adoption plan that’s right for you and your staff. Soon, you’ll enjoy all the benefits of using your technology investments to the fullest.

Want More Content Like This?

Subscribe to the Naviant Blog. Each Thursday, we’ll send you a recap of our latest info-packed blog so you can be among the first to access the latest trends and expert tips on workflow, intelligent automation, the cloud, and more.