FACT CHECKED
In the business world, there are whippersnappers and there are dinosaurs.
The whippersnappers are young, digitally-forward, agile entities. They’re capable of moving swiftly, changing continuously, and operating in a wholly digital space.
The dinosaurs, however, are a little different. They’ve been around a while. They’re big, have a lot of moving parts, and find it difficult to change direction.
Which term do you think best describes your business?
Whichever it is, it’s important that today’s businesses are constantly striving for digital adoption maturity.
What is digital adoption maturity?
“The most crucial objective of any major IT transition is outstanding adoption.”
Santarosa Consulting
We love this quote and we use it a lot. Why? Simply because it’s true.
As new technology enters the corporate world all the time, organizations need to determine not only what is relevant to their business but how it’s going to aid performance.
Without rapid digital adoption by the users themselves, technology is merely an expensive mix of code, hardware, and software.
If enterprises aspire to become digitally-forward businesses, they must prioritize digital adoption.
How to fast-track your journey to digital adoption maturity: 4 tips
1. Strategize
Neither digital transformation nor adoption just happens. You need to have a documented strategy in place to get you from A to B. There are too many steps along the way not to.
Many traditional enterprises need to transform culturally before they’re able to begin their journey to digital adoption maturity.
Old hierarchies and processes need to be ditched in favor of new corporate contexts that align with and are flexible enough to adapt to constant digital evolution. Digital transformation needs change management to succeed.
Priorities and goals need to be clearly outlined. What does your organization need in order to reach those goals? What skillsets, what tools, what values, what vision?
Digital adoption maturity is so much more than buying new technology for your employees to use. It’s about people and technology working in a harmonious symbiotic relationship, where each helps the other to perform better.
2. Communicate
Any organizational change requires great communication in order for it to be executed properly. All employees and stakeholders need to understand:
- the vision and benefits of the change;
- the strategy being employed to get there;
- what their part in the process will be/what’s expected of them.
It’s important to reassure employees during periods of change. Upheaval breeds frustration and fear, neither of which are conducive to seamless adoption.
Employees must feel inspired and motivated to change. It’s never an easy thing to pull off. But there are tools and techniques to help — in particular, when it comes to digital change, the DAP which we’ll look at next.
(Find out more about countering resistance to change here.)
3. Use a DAP
This is the tool that is going to make your enterprise’s journey from technophobia to digital adoption maturity easy.
DAP stands for Digital Adoption Platform. It’s a piece of software that was specifically designed to facilitate users’ ability to navigate and excel using digital tools.
The DAP works by using AI, machine learning, and advanced automation to guide employees as they’re using digital tools, understand their needs, improve the user experience, and autocomplete tasks for them.
This accelerates user time to competency and rapidly improves productivity. In short, the DAP is the enabler that turns enterprise technology into a profitable digital asset.
Find out more about how to use the DAP here.
4. Evolve
The thing about change in the digital era is that it’s ongoing. You can’t expect to execute digital transformation and for it to end once the technology is in place and adopted successfully.
Enterprises today need be prepared to evolve continuously to match the ongoing evolution of the digital marketplace.
New technology is being created all the time — technology that promises to transform the way you (and your competitors) do business.
Not only that, but there’s so much to learn from the digital adoption insights provided by the DAP.
This information can be used to accelerate or otherwise improve your digital transformation. It can even help your organization to become more innovative, more creative, and offer a better service to your customers.
In conclusion
So, to wrap up, your enterprise’s journey to digital adoption maturity needn’t be as long and painful as you expect it to be.
With a strategy in place, good communication, the help of a DAP, and a commitment to continuous evolution, you can become a digitally-forward business in comparatively little time.
