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Five Strategies to Boost New Technology Adoption

Most staffing organizations today are making substantial investments in technologies that allow them to organize, automate and synchronize the various steps of their staffing lifecycle. In addition to a core ATS/CRM system, most enterprise level staffing firms are rapidly expanding their technology stack and making available to their sales and recruiting teams SaaS based tools that help with various aspects of the Candidate Discovery, Candidate Engagement, Candidate Assessment, Candidate Verification, Candidate Onboarding, Client Discovery and Client Engagement functions. Senior leaders and decision makers at these organizations are putting in considerable time and effort to demo, compare and select appropriate tools, negotiate contracts, and ensure a smooth, rapid deployment of the new system. However, getting every employee on board with a new technology is no easy task.

Often, the new challenge that business leaders face after buying a new tool is the adoption of the technology by their employees and its integration into their business processes and corporate culture.

Below are 5 strategies that senior leaders can leverage to help boost new technology adoption:

1. Focus on the ‘whys’ and share the vision:

Outline in detail the value the technology bring, how the users will benefit, and the specific problems that are being solved by the change. Make sure they know exactly how the tool will make their life easier, save them time, and increase efficiencies. People often need to understand ‘what’s in it for them’ to adopt new technologies. Once users understand the purpose and how it impacts their end goals, it becomes easier for them to get on board and adopt the new technology.

2. Identify power users and recruit champions:

Within your user base there will always be a spectrum of personalities. Find the people who are generally excited about new technologies and process improvement. Recruit them as power users and encourage them to use the new tool to its fullest. Once they confirm the benefits, encourage them to promote the solution to their team mates. Try and recruit champions from both up and across the organization and not just technical people. Also, make sure you get some senior users and team leads as champions early on.

3. Plan for training and support:

A detailed training plan should be put in place prior to the launch of the new technology. There will always be a learning curve when new technology is incorporated into critical workflows. Senior leaders need to keep this in mind and accordingly plan for training and support. Build time into the users’ schedule for them to learn the tips, tricks and best practices of the new tool. A little upfront investment of time, will pay dividends later. Also, power users and champions should be trained first so they get hands-on experience with the technology before other users.

4. Highlight wins and share success stories:

Draw attention to the positive impact the new technology is making on the company. Highlight user testimonials and success stories that make a strong case for change. Seeing the wins and positive impact the tool is having, on both business and individual goals, will make it easier for the users to believe in and adopt the new technology.

5. Evaluate and manage the adoption:

In spite of all the communication, training, encouragement and hands-on use, there may still be a few users who won’t fully embrace the new the technology, or the technology may not work as expected. It is important for senior leaders to have mechanisms that give them quick visibility into adoption rates. Reporting and analytics is important here and so is a plan that allows for user feedback and follow-up. A feedback process will help build trust with users and also allow senior leaders and decision makers to plan for any modifications that would be beneficial in the long run. New technologies often present challenges but they also present huge opportunities. Organizations that are able to leverage and adopt new technologies well, are the ones who gain a distinct competitive advantage.