The successful adoption of new technology
Everyone who has worked in IT knows that user adoption includes much more than just training users and providing training materials on how to use the new technology. Users need to buy into the new technology, understand its benefits for their personal tasks and commit to the project overall. The implementation of any new technology always disrupts the daily routine of users, and therefore often causes frustration and resistance. It is important that this is addressed properly in the early stages of any technology change, so delays are avoided and employees stay happy and productive.
Communication is key
Getting input from all involved parties is best before making any big decisions on tech. As a project lead or IT leader you want to make sure that you understand all the needs and requirements of various stakeholders in the company, as well as any issues or mitigating circumstances. New technology implementations always require communicating with employees early and often. In getting others on board, it always helps to take the extra step of explaining how it will make their life and their job easier, and walking them through what they need to do to get the most out of those solutions. Addressing concerns at the start helps to disarm defenses and arguments against new methods.
Planning backwards
Start with the goals you want to achieve and be as clear as possible about them. Then plan backwards and find an intuitive technology that best supports, improves, and streamlines current and new processes and has a positive impact on performance. People feel most comfortable with what they know. Technology adoption is most successful when people can see how it works. They need to experience the technology in their daily workflow and understand how they can achieve their goals and objectives with the new tools.
If you don’t use it, you lose it
It’s one thing to invest in technology but another entirely to use it and integrate it into your business. It doesn’t make much sense to go through the effort and expense of adding new tech to your business only to leave it unused, and yet that’s what happens far too often with too many companies. Often, it’s because people only try out new tech briefly before going back to their tried-and-true methods. Make sure the technology selected really hits the pain points that you plan to resolve. Both individuals and businesses need to give new tech an honest and fair opportunity to work and integrate into their daily workflow before dismissing it. Changes take time, and changing too often will put everyone off of the idea of technology altogether.
Leveraging voice tech and cloud in business
Voice tech and cloud are prime examples of new technologies that many businesses are in the process of adopting or have yet to consider. Even with the strong evidence pointing to the benefits of both of these technologies in the enterprise, like with any new technology, many companies are still holding back. More companies have realized that speech recognition, efficient documentation, and mobility will be key drivers for business efficiency and cost savings. The availability of cloud, AI, automation technologies and machine learning capabilities is continuously becoming more widespread. The increased acceptance of voice capabilities in our own homes, e.g. Siri, Alexa and Google Voice, has gotten us used to letting our voice do the work. Where consumer tech goes, enterprise tech will follow. Enterprises should embrace these trends, and if they don’t, they could quickly be left behind.
In order to stay in the game and get ahead, successful technology adoption is crucial. And what is key to successful technology adoption? People. To maximize the adoption of innovative technology like voice tech and cloud, you must place an equal focus on both the technology and the people. Communicating objectives and concerns early on and making sure the tech is being used regularly and correctly will help to ensure a smooth transition and profitable future.
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