One area of a business that always seems to be changing is its technology. Technology itself is evolving at such a rapid pace that it’s all most companies can do to keep up.
Cloud service adoption has been a big driver of office technology changes over the last decade, with most small businesses in Charlotte integrating cloud applications into their workflows in some format.
But not all adoption is successful.
Year over year, cloud churn is up by 30% and cloud waste nearly doubled between 2018 and 2019.
When businesses try to adopt new technologies and fail, it costs them money, lost productivity, and loss of forward motion. They are basically back to square one with their project.
One of the most important factors as to whether a new technology change will succeed or not is how users accept that change. Training plays a big part in user acceptance.
Reasons You Need Good Employee Training for New Technology
70% of organizational changes fail. One of the biggest reasons for failure is employee resistance, which is responsible for approximately 39% of failures to adopt a new software or other initiative.
There are many reasons for employees to resist when you bring in a new technology tool for them to adopt. These include:
- They’re afraid they won’t be able do their job as well as before
- They’re comfortable with the way things are
- They’re afraid of the time it will take to ramp up the learning curve
- They feel this is just another “app of the month” that will be changed again
- They’re afraid for their job if they can’t adapt
Many of the resistance factors having to do with a change to a new technology involve learning the new software or learning it as well as they know the current app.
These are fears that can be alleviated if you have the proper training going in, so employees feel completely comfortable.
Training should be one of your main priorities with any technology change project. Here are the ways that it can increase user adoption and decrease resistance to a new application.
Alleviates Having “No Time” to Learn
If employees are left on their own to adopt and learn a new system by reviewing videos or manuals, they could end up in a cycle of “no time to do this.” Meaning, they’re already busy trying to keep up with their daily tasks and being slowed down by having a new tool to use. So, they just muddle through but don’t really learn how to properly use the new software.
This can lead to employees being frustrated and reporting that the tool isn’t working for them, which in turn leads to that expensive cloud churn we discussed earlier.
If you schedule formal training, where employees are allowed to take time to learn they have a much better chance at adopting the new application. A professional trainer can ensure they know the basics before moving onto more advanced app features.
Employees also won’t feel like they have to squeeze in watching training videos in the middle of their work.
Gives Employees Confidence
Fear of not being able to perform well with a new tool is a big reason that employees resist a new software tool. They may feel they’ll be replaced by a more tech savvy employee if they can’t keep up. They might also think that it means they’ll have to do more work than they used to.
Going through training led by an IT training pro, like Rocky Knoll Technologies, can eliminate those fears by giving employees the time and attention they need to proficiently adopt new technology. This allows them to feel confident rather than frustrated and afraid of a change.
Improves Team Productivity
If you have employees doing self-training on a new application, you can end up with some finding efficient workflows and others doing things the hard way, simply because they haven’t been taught the tips and tricks.
With formal employee training sessions on a new application, all employees can be trained on the most efficient workflow to use as well as given alternates that accommodate their own process styles.
Training helps ensure that all employees have the best knowledge when it comes to using an application and no one exclaims months later, “I never knew I could do it that way!”
User Input Can Improve Customization
When applications like Microsoft 365 are optimized for your workflows, it boosts productivity and can often reduce costs. It’s usually better to fit a tool to your existing processes rather than the other way around.
When you have employees in a training session, they’ll often give relevant input into how a tool could be customized to help them do their jobs better. This type of dynamic collaboration between your team and IT pro that can customize your settings doesn’t happen quite as easily if everyone is left on their own to learn the software.
Schedule a Team Application Training Today!
Do you have any applications that your team is having trouble adopting? Are you planning a technology transition in the new year? Rocky Knoll Technologies can ensure your users are well trained and ready to go.
Contact us today to schedule a free training consultation. Call 704.594.7292 or reach us online.
