Welcome to our new series: Momentum: The change Journey!
Change isn’t just about new technology or processes - it’s about people. Momentum: The Change Journey is a series dedicated to unlocking the power of effective change management, helping organisations move from resistance to readiness, and ensuring that transformation sticks. Through expert insights, practical strategies, and real-world stories, we’ll explore how to build adoption momentum and create lasting impact.
Is it just me or has adoption become a project buzz word? Yes, the word ‘adopt’ can also mean to ‘use’ something – but I guarantee that handsome bottom line of your benefits spreadsheet assumes that people aren’t just ‘doing’ the new thing – they’re doing it well. Ready to save your company from low ROI, disengaged teams and one giant headache? Welcome, to the hidden costs of poor adoption.
Eliza Taylor | Change Director
The 100% Illusion
Picture this: your company rolls out shiny new technology and, voila, everyone’s using it! That’s 100% adoption, right? Not so fast. If you don’t put in the work to change existing processes and behaviours, you’re not going to see those promised boosts in productivity, security, or customer satisfaction. It’s like buying an airplane and then using it to drive around on the ground.
There’s a difference between use and adoption, and every business case I’ve seen has a built-in assumption that there are going to be productivity, efficiency or optimisation gains because of the shiny new tool. But does that business case also feature sufficient resources to ensure a high rate of adoption? Hmmm.
Let’s dive into some juicy real-world examples to see what we mean:
Undermining Machine Learning
You introduce a new forecasting system to nail agent scheduling and capacity planning in a contact centre, so no customer is left waiting too long at peak times. Its predictive analysis is based on historic data and machine learning, so the more you use it, the better it gets. Awesome right? Except that some teams have reached change overload and decide to keep managing vacation and overtime through good old spreadsheets and forms. The result? There’s still some benefit, but 50+ people are still doing something manually because it’s what they’re used to.
Data Black Holes
You’ve upgraded to a scalable, cloud-based solution with cutting-edge customer sentiment analysis. Every interaction automatically generates data about how the customer felt throughout the conversation, key triggers, talk vs listening time and more. The potential! This could be used for training, incentives, performance reviews and upselling opportunities. Except that nothing happens with your new report. The headline NPS is shared with the business once a month and voila – what a missed opportunity.
Modern Working the Old Way
You expand the features of your online collaboration tools – enabling version history, co-authoring and key content labels for secure external sharing. Gone are the version errors of the past, gone are the hours wasted working on duplicates, gone are the enormous data storage costs…or are they? Your employees continue to email physical copies instead of sharing links and save new files for every version. Rocket ship to the future, crashed.
The Butterfly Effect
The impact of poor user adoption isn’t just a one-off issue. It spreads like wildfire, eroding benefits and return on investment, and forcing extra investment to fix new issues caused by not using things as intended.
Now, picture the impact on your teams – they've had a rocky change experience and are left clueless about their new tools. Their daily grind just got a whole lot tougher – and they’re being criticised for not delivering the improved results that were expected. Are they going to be at their best? Probably not.
At best, you’re looking at significant drops in productivity, morale, and goodwill both during and after the project. At worst, your top talent might jump ship for greener pastures – and their replacements will simply inherit the same inefficient habits.
Change is hard work and impacts productivity even before launch – those months of prep, announcements, workshops and training add up, all on top of regular duties. The secret to keeping everyone engaged and productive through all stages? Investing in solid change management – otherwise, you're watering down the business benefits before the change even takes off.
Strategies for Successful User Adoption
So, how do we turn this ship around? Here are some strategies to get everyone on board for a smoother transition and better realisation of those juicy benefits:
- Clear Communication: We need to make sure everyone knows what’s going on, why we’re doing it, and what’s in it for them. Be genuine and authentic when addressing their doubts and paint a clear picture of the change journey.
- Tailored Training: Forget one-size-fits-all. Create customised training that goes beyond the technical stuff. Don’t just leave it to the technical team to talk about features, make sure the business teams are ready to revamp their processes and include this in the training – this way, they’ll be ready to make the most out of the new tools.
- Continuous Support: Keep the support flowing! From help desks to user guides and regular check-ins, be there every step of the way to iron out any issues and make sure that support teams are aligned with process changes and best practice advice as well.
- Incentivise Adoption: Let’s celebrate the early adopters! Recognise and reward those who are smashing it with the new processes. This will boost morale and inspire others to join the party.
Wrapping It Up
So, did you spot these hidden costs? I bet you a coffee you won’t find them in any risk or benefits spreadsheets!
I think these pitfalls can be seriously underestimated by business leaders focussed on the potential benefits – never realising that their big picture could be seriously undermined before they even start.
The good news is that by recognising these challenges and using smart strategies to boost real adoption, companies can truly unlock the full potential of their investments. And better adoption means happier, more productive people (I mean, who wants their work to be harder or less efficient!?). Remember, true transformation is more than just skin-deep changes - it calls for a committed effort to alter behaviours and processes for lasting impact.
If you're interested in taking advantage of our free 30-minute strategy session, or you want to take me up on the coffee offer, book your session below, or you can use good old-fashioned email to drop me a note: eliza.taylor@cloudinteract.io
