SeeUnity guidance: How to gain user adoption
Many times, organisations implement systems that users never adopt. This is a common challenge across industries and very much so in the ECM space. In this blog, we are going to provide a few tips for how you can increase user adoption of various systems across your organisation.
1. Involve users
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when implementing a new system is leaving your users out of the decision-making process. If you really want a new system to be adopted, you must involve users. Ask them what they do and don’t like about what they are currently using. Ask them how business processes can be improved. Find out what sort of features their current systems are lacking and how that might affect their day-to-day work. The more you know about what they are looking for and the more they feel they are involved in the process, the more likely they are to adopt the new system at implementation.
2. Train users
This seems rather intuitive; however, training users is another common challenge that is ignored when new systems are implemented. In some instances, we have seen organizations implement technology with the mindset that if it’s there, the users will use it. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Most people are resistant to change and are often set in their ways on how they go about their day-to-day operations. If you fail to train your employees to use these new systems, there is a pretty good chance they are never going to adopt it. We suggest spending the time to get your users trained to increase the chances of them adopting the new technology.
3. Uphold standards
ECM implementations, in particular, are not a set-it-and-forget-it kind of task. You can’t expect users to adopt it on their own after it is implemented. You must remember to uphold the standards set at the beginning of the project. Usually, ECM systems are implemented to maintain security and audit trails of content. This means that you have to do more than simply implement the solution. Make sure you remember to uphold the standards set at inception. This will help you enforce the use of the system and it helps the users understand the need for a new system, thus increasing user adoption of the system. We find that this step can easily make or break the adoption of a new system.
Regardless of what the system is, user adoption is key to making that system last. User input, training, and upholding your set standards are going to help you increase adoption. No longer should IT departments implement systems with the mindset that if the system is there for the user to use that they will. When it comes to how people work, they are set in their ways. Changing how they work takes a lot of effort to get them on board with new technology and systems.
