Top Tips for Effectively Introducing New Business Software

Top Tips for Effectively Introducing New Business Software

With the growing number of cloud products that are highly flexible and scalable, even very small businesses are finding that they have the option of utilizing advanced software solutions. Software can be used to improve productivity and efficiency, save money, improve overall operations and increase the competitiveness of a business.

At the same time, rolling out a new software platform isn’t without its challenges, particularly if you have employees who are resistant to change, or uncomfortable with using a new kind of software.

Below are some of the leading tips you can keep in mind when introducing new software into your business, regardless of the comfort level of your employees, or the complexity of the platform.

Choose Software with Your Employees in Mind

First and foremost, you need to choose new software carefully. Assess the overall comfort level of your employees with new technology, and make sure that you’re not choosing something that’s going to be too complex or intimidating for the people who work for you.

If you’re a company with Millennials or a tech company, you’re obviously going to have more flexibility regarding how sophisticated the software is, but if you’re a small, owner-operated business with a few long-time employees, you might need to think more simply during the selection process.

Highlight the Advantages

Also important when choosing new software for your business is knowing the real value and benefits it can bring not only to your business but also to your employees.

When you announce the rollout, be prepared to outline not only to the company as a whole, but also each of your employees, not just how it will benefit the business but how it will make their daily lives simpler and better. You want employees to see the software as something that will make their jobs easier, not something that will make their day-to-day life harder. Keep this in mind when you’re making a buying decision as well.

The more clearly you can outline not just the benefits of the software, but the objectives, the better the results will be for your employees.

Define Processes

Along with setting goals and benefits, as the employer, you should also be prepared to clearly and specifically identify how workflows, roles, and responsibilities will shift with the use of the new product. Employees tend to respond well when they definitively know what’s expected of them, but there’s often frustration and resentment when they feel like they don’t know what they should be doing.

Outsource Training

If you’re going to be investing in new software, you might also want to factor outsourced training into your budget. You can work with a technology training company, which will develop customized training to make sure your employees aren’t just comfortable with the new technology but are also able to maximize its use and improve the ROI.

Introducing new software in a business setting can be an exciting time, but employers should be prepared to let employees know why and how it’s being used, to make the implementation as smooth as possible.