by George Ritacco

Failed Internet-based, software integrations and implementations aren’t new;
incompatibilities between people, change resistance, new processes and technologies have
always been a concern. But as the research reveals - even after a decade of industry
advice about helping employees to help themselves, gaining insight into customers,
better performance from employees, and smoother business operations… we still see the
paradox and “road block” of end-user, buy-in rejection.

I’m sure you’ve heard about the scenario or possibly even seen it at your own
organization; the story is “classic”. A business decides to upgrade it’s “X”
capabilities (training, CRM, data analysis system, ERP system, etc.,) with a new suite
of applications. It performs its due diligence, finds the best system to suit its needs,
and lays out the money for implementation and customization. Six months later… some
employees (if not most…) are still working off of spreadsheets or in a notebook, etc.,

Bottom line - under no circumstances do they even want to go near the new, expensive
system.

So, how do we resolve that? There’s the old adage, you can lead a horse to water but you
can’t make ‘em drink. When you are spending so much money on implementation and
customization - is this response ok? What do you do? Do you “force” it on them? Do you
make the system mandatory and require them to log in everyday or their fired?

Opinions? Let’s take a closer look at 3 principles that when used correctly will
“guarantee” a successful software system implementation… every single time.

Training.

I list training as the first of the three, as it is most important. However, when I say
training… I actually mean two things: 1. System training 2. Positioning training or
psychological training

System training is pretty self-explanatory. I’m sure you’ll agree that having the proper
manuals that walk the employees through the important parts of the system is necessary.
But what else? A more sophisticated method of training that can take the place of
manuals and help documents is video tutorials or elearning management training. Today,
you can actually create interactive tutorial videos (pretty easily and
cost-effectively), that literally take the user “by-the-hand” and walk them through a
series of steps that they need to understand before the use the system. This type of
training can be very effective in “showing” a user how to effectively leverage the
system to their advantage… the right way vs. the wrong way to do things and how to be
organized and efficient.

The problem with training is the most companies do not do it correctly (through the
proper blending of repetition, frequency and reinforcement), which leads to poor use of
the systems.

The second type of training that is as important to ’system training’ (if not more
important) is “positioning training”. By “positioning training”, I mean putting together
a structured training plan that helps to ensure end user buy-in, right from the start.
Incorporating PowerPoint slides or a video presentation that speaks specifically about
the “whys” the system will make their lives easier is where you start. When information
is carefully put at their fingertips, information that they would never have had readily
available without your new technology is a huge benefit. Make sure you have some
information to share about just that. An organized and orchestrated workflow process is
another benefit that you want to purposely “push” to the front of their training. The
key to all of this is proper positioning or “framing, if you will. When you position the
benefits (not the features) properly and create some training around the “psychology” of
why and how the new system will literally change their lives and the companies overall
effectiveness and competitive edge - you go a long way to gain the proper mindshare and
buy-in. Also, you may want to consider putting together small surveys or “poll” your
employee audience with specific questions that will enable you to determine present
skill levels. The survey method will actually help you in putting together your training
presentations.

Having an elearning management solution working for you can be a very cost-effective
method to generating fantastic employee buy-in.

Management Buy-In

Another key factor and the second principle is having your managers become advocates of
your new technology. They really need to set the example for the rest of the group. The
way you do this is to set up specific training (there’s training again.. that’s why I
say it is probably the most important thing you can do) for management that includes
reporting, advanced tools, and methods to monitor and evaluate the use of your new
system. Managers lead. When you can show the managers how many of their
“administrative”, time-consuming managerial “duties” are removed and their lives change
as a result of using the system, e.g., better monitoring of their employees, quick
information at their fingertips, increased productivity… they end up caring more about
the system, and when they care and use it daily - the rest of the organization usually
follows.

The Isolation of Champions

My highest recommendation in rolling out a new system, no matter how big is to start
small. Elect a small group, a test pilot group to work through your system and provide
feedback. By getting feedback from a small group of heavy users.. you are able to work
out all the “kinks” before pushing the system out to the entire company. Pilot projects
are also great in helping to establish realistic expectations, benchmarks and business
goals of your new system.

You’ll need to make sure you have “key” people representing all functional areas of the
departments that will be using your new system… this way no group is left out, no
stone left unturned and no room for excuses or complaints later on. When all employees
get the sense that their opinions are important and more importantly, have been
considered during the development and implementation process… their buy-in becomes
more natural.

When you do this and you do this right - you actually develop “champions” of your new
system, who will help bridge the gap between implementation and usability. Your
champions will rally the troops around your new system and will help make your “launch”
as successful as it can be.

George Ritacco

Copyright © 2006 George Ritacco (All Rights Reserved)

About the Author: George Ritacco is the Director of Client Services for Global Vision
Technologies, Inc (GVT)., http://www.globalvisiontech.com a premiere software developer
specializing in powerful, easy-to-use Internet systems for online training and
development (http://www.omnitrackplus.com), sales and marketing intelligence,
pharmaceutical sales ops, case management, and court reimbursement. GVT’s primary goal
is to provide our customers with tools for improving productivity, profitability,
employee morale and turnover.

You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as
long as you leave the article fully intact and include the “About The Author” resource
box. Thanks!

::About the Author::

About the Author: George Ritacco is the Director of Client Services for Global Vision
Technologies, Inc (GVT)., http://www.globalvisiontech.com a premiere software developer
specializing in powerful, easy-to-use Internet systems for online training and
development (http://www.omnitrackplus.com), sales and marketing intelligence,
pharmaceutical sales ops, case management, and court reimbursement.

Subscribe To Our RSS Feed
You can trackback from your own site.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.