With the release of new software into the market becoming even more prevalent, many organizations aim to keep up with these rapid advancements, continuously rolling out new software and technologies to their employees. Leading to today's digital worker using between 11 and 25 applications daily to complete work-related tasks.
However, adapting to new tech in the workplace can often be daunting, and the importance of having a strategy in place to aid this transition is often overlooked.
Neglecting digital adoption when launching new software can be costly, and the potential repercussions include loss of market share, employee disengagement, and a reduced capacity to adapt to innovation.
Here we break down four key reasons why digital adoption should be a priority for you and your organization.
Improve Employee Productivity
Organizations failing to embrace digital adoption can experience heightened frustration and increased friction with new tools, in turn, resulting in disengaged employees and loss to productivity. Remarkably, the cost of disengaged employees is staggering, with organizations in the US losing between $450-550 billion each year.
Whilst forecasting for 2024, it was predicted that increasing operational efficiency and transforming existing business processes were the top two business initiatives CIOs expected to drive business initiatives for the year. CIOs not placing efficiency and productivity at the forefront of their business objectives are likely to fall behind other more forward-thinking organizations already driving efficiency through digital transformation and adoption processes.
Unlocking the potential of digital adoption will yield many positive benefits relating to enhanced productivity for endless use cases across the organization. For instance, HR professionals will be able to allocate less time to providing software onboarding and training manuals, whilst the burden on technical IT teams will be reduced as a result of less support tickets.
Maximize Application Adoption
It is not uncommon for businesses to invest millions in new software, only to find it remains unused, resulting in wasted resources and decreased productivity. On average, organizations waste more than one-third of transformation investments on projects that fail to meet goals.
While most companies are eager to adopt software that supports their business goals, many are not fully leveraging the advanced features of the software due to a lack of motivation, engagement, and ongoing support among users and their organization. Consequently, many users barely scratch the surface of their software's capabilities, and in some cases, the application goes entirely unused. When an application or tool isn’t being used to its maximum potential then there will be a significant loss in ROI.
Beyond the initial role out of the software, it is only a matter of time before subsequent issues arise. This lack of adoption impacts not only the individual employee but also other departments within the organization. For example, a lack of understanding of new software often leads to a surge in support tickets for the IT team. This not only affects the individual struggling with the software but also hinders the productivity of the IT department. Not addressing digital adoption front on is likely to create a snowball effect of issues across the whole organization.
Software onboarding often results in extended learning curves and reduced productivity as employees find their feet with the new tool. However, investing in a robust adoption process can mitigate these temporary setbacks. While there may be short-term challenges, the long-term benefits of effective software adoption such as increased efficiency and increased employee satisfaction, far outweigh any initial productivity dips.
Enhance Employee Experiences
Harbouring an employee-centric organization is more important than ever. Almost 90% of digital workers now consider improving their digital technology skills as key components in career advancement, alongside improving work effectiveness and autonomy. Employees are increasingly seeking their organizations to invest in digital dexterity to ensure that they are equipped with the necessary digital skills to thrive.
If organizations have the goal of increasing the understanding of their applications, the more they can maximise the value of their software applications to create an enhanced working experience for all employees. Once this understanding is achieved and the digital tools are highly engaged with, employees will feel more confident in using them, resulting in increased productivity, and ultimately contributes to Digital Employee Experience (DEX) across the organization.
Support Change Management
When CIOs struggle implementing change, new digital products and technologies often remain dormant, causing the business to miss out on their potential value completely or experience significant delays in realizing it. Equally, not communicating change effectively can often leave employees feeling left in the dark when new software initiatives are rolled out.
Digital adoption is intrinsically linked to change management. To help employees embrace change, it should be proactively driven by incorporating employee-centric change practices into the organization’s digital initiatives. Learning a new tool or technology is not a one-time process, but it should be a continuous improvement and adaptation process. Employees should not only be provided with initial support when undergoing digital transformation, but also receive continuous assistance throughout the entire process.
By fostering a culture that views change as a force for good, organizations can mitigate resistance while boosting efficiency and innovation in their digital transformation efforts.
Constant evolution of digital technology means that the companies not embracing digital adoption, will miss the chance to leverage new innovations and may fall short on providing improved value to their employees and their customers.
Business leaders should adopt a holistic approach when embarking on digital transformation initiatives, to look at the business as a whole and develop an ongoing strategy considering the needs of both the employees and the organization. By doing so, employees will be able to use the tools put in front of them with absolute confidence, while the organization gains competitive edge from their software, delivering tangible and measurable benefits for IT leaders and CIOs.
Organizations should consistently remind themselves of why digital adoption is important, keeping this question at the forefront of any software implementation process.
