[Webinar] 6 Key Steps to Boost Collaborative Software Adoption

With the rise of hybrid work (a mix of on-site and remote work), collaborative software has become indispensable in the workplace — both for getting work done and for keeping teams connected.

Yet, getting employees to actually adopt these tools can be a real challenge.

Read also: [White Paper] Hybrid Work: New Challenges for IT Departments

How can you convince employees to adopt a new tool? What role should IT, HR, and managers play? And what best practices can you implement to facilitate collaborative software adoption?

That was the focus of our webinar on October 19, 2021, titled "6 Key Steps to Boost Collaborative Software Adoption".

Two speakers shared their best practices at the event:

• Philippe Pinault, Co-founder and CEO of Talkspirit, a collaborative platform that streamlines team communication and work
• Pierre Leroux, CEO of Lemon Learning, a digital adoption platform that facilitates the rollout of new software

Here is a summary of their presentations.

Collaborative Tools: What's at Stake?

For Philippe Pinault, deploying a collaborative tool addresses 5 key challenges, namely:

• Boosting productivity
• Streamlining and centralising team workflows
• Bringing employees together
• Simplifying information sharing
• Reducing email overload

Read also: Collaboration: The Trending Apps and Features of 2020, According to Okta

How to Facilitate the Adoption of New Collaborative Software?

According to a 1E study, "37% of software installed in companies is never used by employees", notes Philippe Pinault. This issue can be costly for organisations and may also create shadow IT risks.

That is why properly preparing the rollout of your collaborative software is essential, and why you need to put several initiatives in place to drive adoption.

Read also: How to Facilitate the Adoption of New Collaborative Tools?

Here are 6 steps to boost collaborative software adoption:

1. Define a vision and identify your needs

"First and foremost, it is important to define your vision and identify your needs — in other words, clarify what the tool will be used for, how you plan to use it, and what role it will play alongside your existing tools.

To gather these needs effectively, you must of course involve all project stakeholders, including HR, Internal Communications, IT and project teams. And do not forget senior management, which lends legitimacy to the project", Philippe Pinault reminds us.

2. Prepare the launch

To best prepare the launch of your collaborative software, Philippe Pinault also recommends "setting up a steering committee tasked with mapping all the tools already deployed in the organisation and identifying how the new software will fit among them" (for example, will it replace or complement existing tools?).

Read also: 3 Key Actions to Successfully Launch Talkspirit

It is also crucial to identify the different types of groups you want to create on your collaborative platform — particularly which ones to deploy at launch and which to add later.

3. Launch the platform

"Communication also plays an important role in the adoption of your collaborative software", adds Philippe Pinault. To succeed with the launch step, you need to develop a communications plan that clarifies your vision, the tool's added value, how it works, and who it is for.

These communications should be relayed by internal communications, managers, and ambassadors identified beforehand. After all, nothing is more convincing than an enthusiastic user to persuade colleagues to adopt a new tool!

Read also: How to Succeed at Internal Communications on Talkspirit?

4. Invest in training

Once the platform is live, you naturally need to "invest in training", says Pierre Leroux. To succeed at this stage, the CEO of Lemon Learning recommends thinking in advance about your expectations and those of your users, in order to "set a clear objective and precise KPIs".

Also consider the timing of this training. For Pierre Leroux, "the ideal approach is to train all users at the same time, but focusing on only one use case at a time. That way, everyone gets the right information at the right moment", without being overwhelmed by irrelevant content.

You should also "favour simple, personalised, and evolving content, opting for example for micro-learning formats that introduce one feature at a time".

5. Support usage on an ongoing basis

As you might expect, driving adoption of new collaborative software does not stop at onboarding. Indeed, "the organisation must support change continuously, tailoring support materials as much as possible to different user groups".

To best target this support, you should "observe how different teams use the tool, including the best practices they have already adopted and the habits that still need correcting".

Just as at launch, communication will be essential. To give your messages maximum visibility, Pierre Leroux recommends "communicating continuously directly on the collaborative tools themselves, varying formats where possible".

6. Measure project outcomes

And above all, do not forget to set up and track key indicators throughout the project. "Thanks to the data collected, you will have a clearer picture of what is working and what is not. You can then adjust your support approach continuously, and also demonstrate the success of your change management, which helps justify future projects", Pierre Leroux explains.

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Want to discover more best practices for boosting collaborative software adoption? Watch the webinar replay:

Watch the replay

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Author: Emmanuelle Abensur