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In the workplace, digital adoption rates directly affect employee productivity, which is why it is so important to find ways to boost digital adoption rates whenever possible.
There are many strategies and techniques for achieving true digital adoption.
First and foremost, however, it is important to understand the meaning of digital adoption.
Digital adoption refers to the state where users are using digital tools for their intended purpose and to their fullest extent.
If employees are only using some of a platform’s features, after all, the tool will never generate its full ROI.
Once employers have this definition clarified, it becomes much easier to set goals and create strategies to boost digital adoption rates.
Below, we’ll look at five tips that can help business leaders and managers improve digital adoption in the workplace.
5 Tips to Boost Digital Adoption in the Workplace
Here are five things managers can start working on today to improve their adoption programs:
1. Hire a digital adoption specialist
One of the best places to start is by hiring an experienced digital adoption specialist.
As the job title suggests, these candidates are experienced at designing and implementing digital adoption strategies.
Among other things, digital adoption specialists will:
- Work with business units to improve software onboarding
- Create training content and strategies
- Implement and manage digital adoption platforms (DAPs)
- Collaborate with business leaders when deploying new digital tools in the workplace
The exact job description and title will vary from organization to organization.
Other job titles include:
- Digital adoption technicians
- Digital adoption managers
- Digital adoption leaders
The job title, however, should matter less than the actual function of the job – to create digital adoption programs and boost digital adoption rates.
2. Deploy a digital adoption platform (DAP)
Digital adoption platforms (DAPs) are platforms that streamline and automate software training.
These platforms are software-agnostic UI and training layers that operate independently of their target application.
When using WalkMe for ServiceNow training, for instance, the WalkMe DAP will provide users with contextualized guidance and training as they learn the platform.
DAPs contain a set of useful features that can boost digital adoption rates, such as:
- Software walkthroughs that take users step by step through workflows and tasks
- Chatbots that can help users find answers to questions quickly and easily
- Software analytics that can track software usage and offer insight into users’ training needs
- Product tours that speed up software onboarding and create a smoother digital experience for users
Given these features, it should come as no surprise that the DAP market is projected to grow rapidly in the coming years.
3. Create a structured digital adoption strategy
It is important to set clear goals and measurable objectives for the digital adoption program, as mentioned above.
For instance, when defining the digital adoption rate for one’s own organization, it pays to examine metrics such as:
- Employee productivity
- Employee time-to-competency
- Overall proficiency levels
- Software utilization
In addition to other relevant metrics, such as financial metric, these data points can be used to quantify the adoption rate.
Once these metrics are quantified, digital adoption managers can design strategies for improving phases of the digital adoption process.
These include:
- Software onboarding
- Digital training
- Technical support
- Customer support
In short, the user journey should be mapped out in a stage-based strategy that follows them through onboarding, training, and long-term development.
4. Continually optimize the program around employees
Digital adoption has become a permanent fixture in many companies, and for good reason.
Modern enterprises recognize that digital adoption is an ongoing process – and that this process directly affects organizational performance, agility, and profitability, among other things.
In other words, business leaders should not “set and forget” their digital adoption programs.
Instead, those efforts should be data-driven and user-centered.
This means:
- Continually evaluating key program metrics, such as those covered above
- Regularly experimenting and testing new ideas to improve the adoption program
- Learning from employees and designing personalized, user-centered training experiences
Consistent, continual effort that leverages user insights is one of the surest ways to boost digital adoption rates.
5. Innovate
Innovation drives disruption, digitization, and growth. This is true whether we are discussing large scale disruptive changes or changes that occur locally, within one’s own company.
The same can also be said of individual business systems and processes, including digital adoption.
Digital adoption managers who want to boost digital adoption rates, therefore, should not be afraid to innovate and try new things.
This is why it is important to:
- Be creative and try new approaches to onboarding and training
- Use innovative training tools, such as DAPs
- Experiment with emerging technologies that can boost adoption rates, such as AI-powered software analytics
- Stay agile and respond quickly to new information and changes
“Thinking outside the box” has often been a cliché, but it is cliché for a reason – because thinking outside the box works.
As we have seen over the past several decades, after all, the leaders in the digital realm are those who are willing to innovate and try new things.
