Your company has spent a lot of time and money researching, selecting and implementing brand new technology to make your staff more efficient and revolutionize the way your company does business. But one thing you may have overlooked is the end user, the people that will be using this new system. Despite a new product’s potential for boosting productivity, it’s often the system’s end users who determine a successful software implementation or a failure. Just look at it from their perspective: They are abandoning the way have worked for years. Feelings of discomfort, fear of change, and a perceived loss of control are all natural reactions.
It doesn’t help that users are often considered last. Decisions are made to implement new software without any input from the people who will ultimately use it. Sometimes they are not even told until after the software has been purchased! This can start the implementation process off on the wrong foot and make users resistant to change.
According to a recent study done by Netherlands-based Unit4, one in five workers hate, and one in three dislike, their business software applications. The survey was based on 1,057 full-time U.S.-based professionals who work in enterprise-sized organizations. We all know that the numbers are likely worse for small and medium sized businesses. Scott Kamieneski, Unit4’s North America president, said, “In our collective rush to unlock and evangelize next-gen tech like artificial intelligence and machine learning, vendors need to be careful not to overlook foundational things like usability and integration.”
Other survey results included:
· 34 percent were negative about their tools.
· 20 percent said the applications made work more difficult.
· 8 percent said it makes their day miserable.
· 6 percent have considered quitting their jobs because of them.
When asked which answers most accurately reflect their feelings toward workplace technology:
· 76 percent selected “meh”.
· 17 percent chose, “I hate it with the power of a thousand suns”.
· 7 percent selected, “I’d sooner give up my first born than stop using them”.
· 20 percent would rather not submit expense or time reports again even if offered an extra vacation day a year or free lunch weekly.
What they would like to see is greater usability (33 percent) and application integration (34 percent).
The key to a successful business software implementation will always be choosing a software that makes sense to the people that use it. Ultimately, without employee advocacy, any new technology will be a lost investment. The only way to guarantee success is to ensure that the value of the system is clear to the users and that they understand how to reap the value in their daily work lives. FIELDBOSS is a fully integrated, end-to-end, user-friendly solution that is built within the Microsoft Dynamics platform. As a result, it simplifies user adoption because the functionality is similar to Windows, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook and other common products for office employees.
Contact us today for a free demo and see why users love FIELDBOSS.
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