Adding new technology to your business is both exciting and empowering. Well-implemented technology comes with lots of benefits, but navigating through the implementation process can be tricky.
Even though you may want to jump right into implementing new technology, there are some important steps you need to take to ensure a smooth transition.
Align with your strategy
Everybody loves new technology, especially when it makes their jobs easier, but adding technology into your processes that doesn’t actually align with your overall strategy is probably going to do you more harm than good. Before deciding to take on this new technology, make sure it aligns with all of the ins and outs of your long-term and short-term strategies.
Communicate the vision for buy-in
Once you know how this new technology is going to work in your day-to-day processes and exactly how it is going to improve operations, you need to communicate your vision with the team. Nobody is going to blindly accept a change in their usual routine, especially when it comes to new technology. In order for this new technology to help your processes, you need to get buy-in from your staff. Communicate to them the positives of implementing this new technology and gain their trust.
Training
The biggest risk to technology implementation is lack of proper training. The new technology that you were so excited to get started with won’t do you any good unless everyone knows how to adequately work with it. Before you begin implementing it into your processes, hold a couple of training sessions to ensure that every member of your staff feels comfortable with using the new application.
Slowly implement the technology
When implementing a new technology, the worst thing you can do is try to rush implementation. You definitely don’t want sloppy work to be the standard for your newly implemented process. Instead, slowly integrate the technology into your everyday work. Whether that’s starting with an integration team to find any kinks or keeping the floor open for discussion during the first week of implementation, it’s important to take it slow.