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In this guide for enterprises, we’ll explore how to leverage digital adoption.
First, we’ll start by defining digital adoption, then explore:
- Why digital adoption is so important – and why enterprises need to get it right
- How digital adoption should be executed
- When to begin adopting new technology
- Where in your organization you should focus your efforts
Let’s get started.
How to Leverage Digital Adoption in the Enterprise
As mentioned, this digital adoption guide is aimed at enterprises.
Specifically, this is for enterprises who understand the need to adapt to today’s digital marketplace.
To start off, we will explore what digital adoption is and why it is so important.
What
Digital adoption is the adoption, deployment, and implementation of new technology – used for its desired intent and to its fullest extent.
It is not enough to simply install new software.
To achieve real ROI on that investment, it’s necessary to fully use and implement that technology.
Digital adoption involves a few key stages, which can differ slightly depending on the situation.
A common adoption process looks like this:
- Choosing a new technology
- Testing it with a pilot group
- Training and onboarding
- Installation and deployment
- Implementation and optimization
Below, we’ll look at these stages in more depth.
Why
Any technology that isn’t fully exploited will not deliver on its intended purpose.
On the one hand, it won’t deliver a return on investment.
But there are other reasons to ensure technology gets fully implemented and adopted.
Full digital adoption has a ripple effect across the organization:
- It improves employee productivity, which improves workflows, results, and the work environment
- Each digital adoption process improves the organization’s digital maturity and competitiveness
- Technology that is adopted will achieve its intended objective, which directly impacts that business function
At the end of the day, digital adoption helps an organization evolve.
Without effective adoption, an organization cannot stay modern and competitive.
And it won’t be generating the returns expected from its new technology.
When
When should an organization adopt new tools and technology?
The short answer is “as soon as possible.“
Today’s marketplace is fast-paced, and enterprises that wait too long will get left behind … by competitors who adopt first.
The long answer is that every business has different needs, budgets, and contexts.
It pays to examine your industry to gauge the impact of digital technology. After all, not all industries are affected in the same way or at the same pace.
The healthcare industry, for example, will be impacted differently than agriculture.
As a result, hospitals or medical providers would adopt different types of technology at different paces.
Here are a few things to consider:
- What problems the technology is designed to solve
- What competitors are doing
- How the technology would help and what its ROI would be
- Obstacles, such as budget constraints or resistance within the enterprise
Today, many business professionals feel the need to evolve in the digital arena.
However, as with any business transformation, “when to change” is a complex question that needs careful consideration.
Where
Another consideration is where to focus your digital adoption efforts.
That is, within the enterprise, which departments, areas, or business functions should adopt first?
This question also needs careful consideration.
Business leaders will need to examine things such as:
- The organization’s overall strategic direction
- The benefits of potential solutions
- The costs for those solutions
All digital adoption involves organizational change to some extent.
Therefore, it is critical to explore digital adoption as a business change … not just “installing new software.”
Installing the right software – in the right place and at the right time – can offer big benefits.
This is why it’s important to answer these questions carefully and correctly.
How
Finally, an organization must answer the question of “how” to adopt.
This question is just as important as the others. After all, the digital adoption process impacts:
- Acceptance, implementation, and engagement rates among users
- Competence and productivity levels with the new technology
- Satisfaction and frustration levels
- Overall ROI of the new tool
To succeed at digital adoption, follow a few key steps:
1. Uses a digital adoption platform.
A digital adoption platform, such as WalkMe, drastically improves the digital adoption process.
These platforms offer in-app guidance and training, which reduces training time, improves learning, and positively impacts productivity.
Such platforms greatly improve the onboarding process and the user experience.
WalkMe’s digital adoption platform is being used by some of the world’s largest brands, including Microsoft, Adobe, and Cisco.
2. Has a modern onboarding program.
The onboarding program should be thorough and sophisticated.
It should include modern training methods, such as e-learning tools and digital adoption platforms.
And it should be personalized, so that waste is reduced and engagement is increased.
This approach will help improve the chances of successful adoption and decrease the costs of implementation.
3. Evolves.
Today’s modern organization understands that digital adoption is a journey … in every area.
And this is yet another reason to employee digital adoption platforms such as WalkMe.
It includes in-app analytics, usage statistics, and AI-driven data analysis. These help you understand what users need, what their sticking points are, and how onboarding can be improved.
Ultimately, it lets you create an onboarding program that continually improves.
Conclusion
Digital adoption is a crucial step on the journey towards digital transformation.
Effective adoption helps organizations:
- Overcome obstacles, such as resistance to change
- Improve success rates for digital adoption
- Achieve their ROI objectives
The best way to achieve success with digital adoption, as mentioned, is to use a digital adoption platform.
Today’s leading platform provider is the pioneer in the space, WalkMe.
Their product offers the best solution for companies that want an efficient, streamlined adoption process.
