How to Effectively Roll Out a New Technology

The more expensive the solution, the more people complain about it. You probably have entire ecosystems of tools that people begrudgingly use — or maybe don't use. Adopting new (or existing) technologies in your office isn't an IT problem. It's a management opportunity.

Unfortunately, whenever there's an implementation failure, technology is often blamed. The reality is that for even the finest technical solution to succeed, you need to have trained and willing users. And it's not just the front-line employees who need to be trained. Your project managers, trainers, and user support teams must also be fully on board and trained.

Let's examine some of the things you should consider if you're planning to introduce new technology or try to get your users to use what you've already invested in.

Step 1: Implementation Planning & Introduction

Sure, every success begins with a solid plan, but there are many implementation and introduction issues that your IT team is ill-suited to implement. They can initiate them, but you might need to determine if they can implement them. It would be best if you had a clear understanding of:

• Why are you implementing the new technology,

• What's in it for your users,

• How will you roll it out and support the users,

• What success will look like, and

• How you will measure success.

You'd be wise to have a seasoned project leader to oversee the development of the roll-out plan. In addition to your training plan, consider how you'll "sell" the new technology to your users and how you'll support them.

Communication is key to successful implementations. Collaboration platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Skype for Business are great tools for getting your message out to users, allowing them to share experiences and talk to their support teams. These systems are a good way to centralize organizational knowledge of new technology and disseminate that knowledge company-wide.

Step 2: Train Your Users

As we mentioned earlier, even the best technology can underperform or fail if your users don't use it — or use it effectively. Think of products like Microsoft's Office 2016 Suite — Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. Be honest. How many of your users even scratch the surface of the features in these products? You'd have a more effective and professional workforce if everybody had intermediate training on these standard productivity tools.

What about those new Windows 10 desktops you're planning to deploy? Do you just set them up and switch them on, or should you consider them a significant investment and train your people to use them effectively and productively?

Even the best technology is vulnerable in these times of rampant security breaches. If your users are not fully trained and aware of the risks of unsafe practices, then it's time to train them.

Step 3: User Incentives

With every technology roll-out, it's essential that the users understand the value it brings and the buy-in to use it. Don't assume that users will automatically see the value. Ensure that your roll-out training explicitly explains your expectations for the new system and how you intend to measure its adoption. If you have user representatives on your roll-out team, ask them to recommend incentive programs, leaderboards, and prizes to reward adoption.

Sometimes, incentive programs may have to become part of your regular operating procedures. For example, when implementing sales systems like Salesforce.com/, you can make commission payments dependent on system use. So, for example, if a sales opportunity is not entered into the system, then the rep doesn't get paid to close the sale.

Step 4: Manage Progress

Once you've rolled out the new system, monitor usage regularly. This is important for licensed software because you may be paying exorbitant license fees for software that is not being used. Companies like Scalable and Flexera provide solutions that monitor licenses and track actual usage.

Wrapping Up

We also understand that technology is only as good as the attention paid to training, managing adoption, and ongoing use. As you roll out your new technologies, remember these supporting processes.