How to Help Your Employees Embrace New Technology
Posted 21 July 2014 12:00 AM by Technology
Embracing new technology can be challenging for many. Even for those who are tech-savvy can feel uncomfortable or threatened with new types of technology. The fact is, employees (humans in general) become comfortable with a certain way of doing things. Long-time employees get used to the specific processes and systems they have used for years. Understandably, changing everything can be more than overwhelming for these employees.
It is okay to be nervous when introducing new technology to your employees, but remember that ultimately the technology is there to make your business run smoother.
Here are a few training tips to make these transitions a little less stressful:
Personalize it. Ensure training is personalized and focuses on the tasks not the tool. Make sure the training on the system addresses the business processes. It's not just "click this button" and "fill in this field". Managers and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) should explain why their staff is doing things, so the underlying business objectives are understood.
Ensure support. Make sure there is accessible and ongoing support within each department. Use mangers and SMEs who understand the work being performed to lead training efforts for new hires and ongoing training for existing employees.
Develop a program. This program should train all business departments and users, not just system administrators. Training all team members on the system will prevent administrators from being bombarded with questions and reduce the number of team members who resist the technology due to lack of understanding.
Always be patient. Wouldn't it be great if team members were on board and running at full-speed from the get go? Unfortunately, this is not always realistic. Be patient with team members while they are trying to learn the new processes. While training will help, it still takes time for things to run smoothly. Anticipate that team members will have questions and challenges as they work with the new technology.
At the end of the day, when you invest in new technology, you alsoinvest in your people. The quality of employees and their development through training and education are major factors when determining if there will be a return on investment for the new technology. Hopefully with proper training and implementation, new technology can help contribute to long-term profitability for a company.
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