We frequently talk about emerging cloud technologies, new security protocols, and innovative Windows 365 features. But for many users, the rate of technological change can be overwhelming and challenging to keep up with. After all, many of your employees are not IT professionals – they are accountants, customer service reps, and marketing experts. While they don’t need to understand all of the nuances of new technologies, they need to have enough knowledge to utilize and benefit from the technology changes placed before them.
However, you should not expect everyone to readily embrace an unending learning curve. Here are some tips to help you keep your company moving forward technologically while maintaining positive employee morale.
Introducing New Technologies
If you are an SMB executive seeking to incorporate new technologies into your normal operations, you understand the challenges. The prospect of downtime is intimidating enough on its own. Still, the possibility of customer glitches, employee frustration, and a lapse in productivity can make the integration of these technologies more trouble than they are worth. There is good news, however. With some assistance and a little upfront planning, you can implement new technologies into your SMB – streamlining workflows, maximizing profits, and protecting (or improving!) customer satisfaction.
Show Them Solutions: You’ll want to avoid surprising your users with new technologies and simply expecting them to accept the new way of doing things. Instead, sit down with them and explain the business problem you face and how the new technology will fix it. Address the concerns your employees have brought to your attention – a slow response time, the system freezing, the software not providing the solutions they need. When introducing the new protocols, explain how the new technologies will ease your employees’ frustrations and make their daily work easier and more intuitive. Experts Say: Before implementing any new technologies, have a roundtable with your employees to ensure you clearly understand what they experience day-to-day. Let them tell you which solutions are essential to their job execution, then develop and present new technologies to answer their issues.
Offer Classes or Tutorials: A well-executed user demonstration can change the game when it comes to successfully changing systems or technologies. But when your people are frustrated because they are missing opportunities or falling behind on their work, the learning curve can be a deterrent to adoption. Business leaders who develop innovative, in-depth training methods that do not derail their employees’ day-to-day work will see the most success. Ideas may include a planned offsite retreat, scheduled learning opportunities weeks or months before the official implementation, or catered “lunch-and-learns.”
Design With Users in Mind: Work with experts to choose those new technologies that will benefit your company and offer simple and intuitive interfaces. Your clients must find the latest programs and technologies easy to operate and user-friendly. While a developer or IT expert may imagine high-tech solutions with tons of glitz – your users require a solution that they can quickly learn, navigate, and utilize. The more quickly they can learn the new procedures, the easier their unique job becomes – resulting in better employee morale and improved customer satisfaction. Be sure that your IT team remains available during the initial implementation. Answering questions or concerns before frustration sets in will be key to your success. (Have you considered using a managed services firm to help you implement new technologies?)
Alliance IT provides educational assistance, technical support, and cutting-edge resources to small business operations across the Sarasota and Tampa Bay area. Call us today to discuss how we can assist you in becoming more profitable and productive.
