How to manage technology change across your business

With 42% of the workforce across all industries being aged over 50 and increasing, it’s important that with any technology change a business considers the digital knowledge of every generation, not just the younger digital natives. This is why we’re firm believers of involving people from across all your workers, from end-users to senior managers, through every project phase from project definition to rollout, so they understand from the outset what’s happening and how the new solution is going to make their lives easier.

When working with any organisation, whether it’s for the first time or a continued relationship, we always work through the following five steps to ensure that everyone is bought into the future picture.

Our 5 steps for changing employees into tech champions

1. Understand

Not everyone works in the same way, so it will take more than one conversation to properly understand how the people that matter (your employees) are using the systems you have today and identify any deal breakers for the future. Run group sessions across different workers to allow people to have a voice from the outset.

2. Communicate

It’s better to communicate little and often throughout the project, taking people on the journey with you, rather than relying on one big announcement at the end. We like to use a simple process of talking everyone through the WHAT, WHY, WHEN, HOW and WHO… it’s simple and effective.

3. Listen

Let people talk while you listen. It’s the best way to find out what challenges they’re currently experiencing that you may be able to address with your new solution. Answering the “What’s in it for me?” question is an important element of gaining buy-in for any change – by making their future life easier and better, you’re articulating a tangible benefit and a reason for them to feel engaged.

4. Involve

Find ways throughout the project to involve as many end users as possible. This might be through working groups and project champions, or it might be through something more tangible. We love to get employees involved in project rollouts, providing simple installation and setup guides that allow self-install of the end solutions. We’re only ever on the end of a video or phone call if help is needed, but it’s a great way of passing ownership of the solution straight into the users’ hands, plus it saves costs that can be used better elsewhere, and also gives users a better understanding of their system.

5. Train

Finally, make sure you have a clearly articulated and communicated training plan ready to execute before go-live. If you’re using a ‘train-the-trainer’ model, then be clear at what level the trainer role lies so they’re close enough to truly understand the needs of the users. Consider floorwalkers (your bought-in tech champions) for the first few days of the new solution, having someone on hand to answer questions or give guidance immediately will stop small concerns growing, and make sure that even when they’re left alone, they know exactly where to go for help.

For us, following these five steps can make a mountain of difference to the speed of user adoption and buy-in, turning even the most digital novice to tech champion.

If you’d like to talk through any technology change that you’re considering, please get in touch on 0800 160 1111 or email hello@windsor-telecom.co.uk and we’ll work together to find the right solution for both you and your team.