To gain a competitive edge, companies are increasingly digitizing their entire operations with business applications designed to enhance efficiency and assist employees in completing their daily tasks. The shift towards hybrid and remote work environments has further accelerated this digitization. However, each new software application typically comes with its own learning curve, requiring employees to invest time and effort to understand and use them effectively. In many enterprises today, employees rely on 11 or more applications to perform their work. When users do not adopt and effectively utilize the organization’s digital tools, it can negatively impact software ROI and overall productivity.
Companies are realizing that it is unrealistic to expect employees to quickly master these new tools with traditional onboarding methods. Employees become less productive when it takes them more time to complete tasks on new platforms or while using new features on existing platforms. Since software applications are essential for an organization’s growth and success, change management becomes key. A subpar user experience is detrimental and limits progress toward larger organizational goals. This software adoption challenge is a major contributor to the digital skills gap.
So how can employers combat these issues and foster a culture of productive and happy employees enriching their digital journeys across software? Here are several best practices to consider.
Often, software experiences are centered around the software application itself, requiring users to take particular actions because of how a tool was designed and adapt their workflows to account for the platform’s idiosyncrasies and feature updates. Software applications that treat every user the same way will create friction in the digital journey of employees of different backgrounds with different levels of digital exposure and experiences. For example, a 40-something employee might be more proficient in business applications than a 20-something employee who might need more guidance on the application despite better technology proficiency.
Organizations can improve employees’ efficiency and productivity by prioritizing the unique user experience and building contextual software experiences for platforms to provide more intuitive, natural workflows. This “userization” approach to software experience makes technology more user-centric, rather than expecting users to inherently be technology-proficient. The key to increasing software adoption is building a compelling product and enabling users to realize the full extent of the platform’s capability.
Change management is inevitable in today’s digital workforce. Employees are now expected to be, or make themselves, proficient in a variety of business applications. But most software features aren’t inherently easy for users to learn. According to the Whatfix Digital Adoption Trends Report, 84% of employees struggle to use core software features and workflows in their daily tasks. It’s more difficult to train employees on applications in the age of distributed workforces as traditional in-person training sessions are no longer practical. New trainees may be spread across locations and time zones, or they may not work in an office setting at all. Moreover, remote employees can experience difficulties finding someone to ask for help, placing heavier burdens on IT teams as they receive more support tickets. This is not only true for new applications but also for existing applications launching new features.
The Whatfix trends report also found that 78% of software users lack training to use the applications they need to successfully do their jobs. Further, 33% said they received an hour or less of onboarding for new software platforms. Poor software adoption minimizes a company’s ROI and has a domino effect on various departments, negatively affecting business goals, employee productivity, and satisfaction. Organizations can address these shortcomings by offering on-demand support and additional self-service employee resources to bolster their employees’ engagement with all applications.
Businesses must improve their digital employee experience (DEX) to address the issue of poor employee engagement. According to Gartner, 50% of IT organizations plan to establish a DEX strategy, team, and management tools by 2025. Additionally, more than half of IT organizations will use DEX to prioritize and measure their digital initiative success rates by 2025.
New DEX tools, like data-driven Digital Adoption Platforms (DAP), can enable companies to measure and enhance employee experience by analyzing application behavior. This will provide valuable insights into areas of friction within the application to reduce employee frustration, driving greater productivity and satisfaction. DAPs are integrated within business applications for CRM, ERP, SCM, and HCM to provide proactive, self-help tips directly in the software. This includes guided learning through automated nudges, simulations, and in-app suggestions so employees can feel empowered to seamlessly navigate the application and self-solve issues.
Establishing a more productive employee base stems from using data analysis to reveal areas that can be improved. For example, if users are underutilizing a feature of an application, it means they may not be familiar with the feature’s functions, may have trouble using it properly, or may not understand how to use it at all. Tapping into the data on DEX tools will help provide an accurate picture of organizational progress, including how many users are successfully adopting new platforms and where attrition occurs.
Fostering a more inclusive, user-centric employee experience can make employees feel more valued and supported in their roles, while helping to close the digital skills gap. A positive user experience can also entice team members to stay longer at the company, as they are less likely to be dissatisfied with their performance and responsibilities. As a result, HR and IT leaders can improve talent retention through increased digital adoption while driving greater productivity across their organizations.
Companies are realizing that it is unrealistic to expect employees to quickly master these new tools with traditional onboarding methods. Employees become less productive when it takes them more time to complete tasks on new platforms or while using new features on existing platforms. Since software applications are essential for an organization’s growth and success, change management becomes key. A subpar user experience is detrimental and limits progress toward larger organizational goals. This software adoption challenge is a major contributor to the digital skills gap.
So how can employers combat these issues and foster a culture of productive and happy employees enriching their digital journeys across software? Here are several best practices to consider.
1. Prioritize the User Experience
Often, software experiences are centered around the software application itself, requiring users to take particular actions because of how a tool was designed and adapt their workflows to account for the platform’s idiosyncrasies and feature updates. Software applications that treat every user the same way will create friction in the digital journey of employees of different backgrounds with different levels of digital exposure and experiences. For example, a 40-something employee might be more proficient in business applications than a 20-something employee who might need more guidance on the application despite better technology proficiency.
Organizations can improve employees’ efficiency and productivity by prioritizing the unique user experience and building contextual software experiences for platforms to provide more intuitive, natural workflows. This “userization” approach to software experience makes technology more user-centric, rather than expecting users to inherently be technology-proficient. The key to increasing software adoption is building a compelling product and enabling users to realize the full extent of the platform’s capability.
2. Establish On-Demand Support Resources
Change management is inevitable in today’s digital workforce. Employees are now expected to be, or make themselves, proficient in a variety of business applications. But most software features aren’t inherently easy for users to learn. According to the Whatfix Digital Adoption Trends Report, 84% of employees struggle to use core software features and workflows in their daily tasks. It’s more difficult to train employees on applications in the age of distributed workforces as traditional in-person training sessions are no longer practical. New trainees may be spread across locations and time zones, or they may not work in an office setting at all. Moreover, remote employees can experience difficulties finding someone to ask for help, placing heavier burdens on IT teams as they receive more support tickets. This is not only true for new applications but also for existing applications launching new features.
The Whatfix trends report also found that 78% of software users lack training to use the applications they need to successfully do their jobs. Further, 33% said they received an hour or less of onboarding for new software platforms. Poor software adoption minimizes a company’s ROI and has a domino effect on various departments, negatively affecting business goals, employee productivity, and satisfaction. Organizations can address these shortcomings by offering on-demand support and additional self-service employee resources to bolster their employees’ engagement with all applications.
3. Implement Strong DEX Strategies
Businesses must improve their digital employee experience (DEX) to address the issue of poor employee engagement. According to Gartner, 50% of IT organizations plan to establish a DEX strategy, team, and management tools by 2025. Additionally, more than half of IT organizations will use DEX to prioritize and measure their digital initiative success rates by 2025.
New DEX tools, like data-driven Digital Adoption Platforms (DAP), can enable companies to measure and enhance employee experience by analyzing application behavior. This will provide valuable insights into areas of friction within the application to reduce employee frustration, driving greater productivity and satisfaction. DAPs are integrated within business applications for CRM, ERP, SCM, and HCM to provide proactive, self-help tips directly in the software. This includes guided learning through automated nudges, simulations, and in-app suggestions so employees can feel empowered to seamlessly navigate the application and self-solve issues.
Establishing a more productive employee base stems from using data analysis to reveal areas that can be improved. For example, if users are underutilizing a feature of an application, it means they may not be familiar with the feature’s functions, may have trouble using it properly, or may not understand how to use it at all. Tapping into the data on DEX tools will help provide an accurate picture of organizational progress, including how many users are successfully adopting new platforms and where attrition occurs.
A More Inclusive Future
Fostering a more inclusive, user-centric employee experience can make employees feel more valued and supported in their roles, while helping to close the digital skills gap. A positive user experience can also entice team members to stay longer at the company, as they are less likely to be dissatisfied with their performance and responsibilities. As a result, HR and IT leaders can improve talent retention through increased digital adoption while driving greater productivity across their organizations.