FACT CHECKED
Wordsmiths usually hate dealing with figures. And data nerds normally aren’t so great with words.
Sure, it’s a generalization and it’s not always the case. Often though, it’s just the way it goes — maybe it’s a left brain right brain thing.
The bottom line is that, unless you’re a Data Analyst, you probably aren’t overjoyed about the prospect of looking at lots of data. But unfortunately, we need data, in order to do our jobs properly.
When it comes to technology implementation or change, you need to know how successful your adoption is, who is struggling with tasks, and when.
So today we’re going to talk about digital adoption insights.
Usage and adoption are different
Shockingly, more than 75% of companies can’t measure the impact of their digital efforts, according to McKinsey.
This could be because lots of enterprises confuse usage with adoption.
“The most crucial objective of any major IT transition is outstanding adoption.”
Santarosa Consulting
Just because you discontinue a legacy system and make everybody start using a new one, it doesn’t mean adoption has been successful.
True adoption happens when technology is being used to its fullest capability. It must be used as intended. Users are completely comfortable, familiar, and proficient with it.
When changes to that technology happen, users adapt and respond quickly — so there’s no decline in productivity.
Usage, on the other hand, merely indicates that users are active on the technology.
So, what does this mean for adoption vs. usage insights?
Digital usage insights
Let’s take a look at Google Analytics as our example of usage data. What can you learn?
You can find out how many users (or visitors) you’ve had. You can learn how long your users are spending on your platform and which are your most visited pages.
But traditional usage analytics give you top level information about your users as a group. They don’t drill down into each individual user and their behavioral patterns.
For this, you need real digital adoption insights.
Digital adoption insights (for data-phobic decision makers)
We explore how to measure digital adoption here. But broadly speaking, adoption metrics measure the changes in behavior that result from changes in technology.
Aaron Goldman, CMO of media technology company 4C, says:
“You need to make sure your organization is using the tools you’ve employed. Adoption should be measured no less than weekly. It’s the only way to gauge and generate momentum.”
An easy way to make sure your enterprise is using — and fully adopting — your digital tools is to use a Digital Adoption Platform (DAP).
WalkMe, the leading DAP provider and creator of the term “digital adoption”, has taken digital adoption insights to a whole new level.
With WalkMe, you get real insights — not just analytics. And instead of just giving you a picture of who’s dropped out at what point, the DAP actually learns and responds to user behavior. So if a user looks like they’re going to churn, the DAP proactively engages them, keeping them within the platform.
These insights allow businesses to drive transformational change by showing them where users struggle, where inefficiencies exist, and what features are underutilized.
WalkMe’s insights include:
- The ability to track user behavior easily
- Monitoring adoption of processes and features over time
- Using AI to find user behaviors that lead to mistakes and wasted time
- Understanding why users churn during important workflows
- Going beyond a simple dashboard to watch real user session videos
The WalkMe video below mentions valuable digital adoption insights for enterprises selling technology, like:
1. Engaged new users and returning users
2. Funnel metrics (views, visits, clicks) and conversion rates
It also covers useful insights for enterprises introducing technology to their employees, such as:
1. Task fails and goal completions
2. Engagement and progress per user
Final words
When you use a DAP, it doesn’t matter if you’re a wordsmith or a data nerd. You’ll get useful digital adoption insights that can be applied immediately, to aid digital transformation.
Whether your organization sells digital or simply uses it, the DAP is an essential tool for measuring user adoption.
