Between the rapidly-changing tech world and the shifting needs of small businesses, employees today need to be flexible. One company may transition between three different software systems within a year or two. There’s software to manage client contacts, software for editing documents, software for project management, as well as programs for finances, accounting, sales, and inventory.
As a manager, your hardest job is acquiring efficient software, then putting it into action effectively in your workplace. Some employees will quickly learn and adapt to new software. Others will have to be dragged kicking and screaming.
Tips to Make Your Transition Easier
- Explain the overall benefits to them. No one wants change just for change’s sake, and they certainly don’t want it to adversely affect them. Explain the reasoning for the transition, and how it will affect the whole company in a positive way. Once the new software is rolled out, measure positive changes and share the victories that it enables. Celebrate the good moments and reflect a positive attitude.
- Give some extra time to employees so that they can play around with the software without feeling like they’re wasting time or about to screw something up. You can even consider rolling out a beta version and giving employees some exercises to do. The trouble with new software is that most of us will just learn a couple functions, and never expand past that to learn about what amazing capabilities and access they have.
- Get official, professional training for everyone. Navigator offers professional on-site training as part of our setup. Having a specialist on hand for the launch to explain it to employees gives everyone firsthand knowledge. This is much better than getting training from third-hand sources that are just learning themselves.
- Offer additional training for a few select employees in the office. You might choose the department heads, or just open up additional training for anyone who’s interested. Make sure that you’ll have a few people distributed around the office who can help others comfortably with the software. You might also think about mixing younger employees in with older employees, since the younger generation is more likely to be comfortable adopting new tech.
- Most important of all, choose your software wisely so you aren’t constantly switching to new systems. Investing in a good platform now can save you a lot of grief down the road. You’ll want a program with room for expansion and growing needs. Make sure that you have a plan in place before you launch the new software.
When positioning your company for the future the right Cloud ERP solution is critical. To learn more about the benefits of SAP software for companies just like yours, click here to register for a live webinar where you can ask questions and see the solution live and first-hand.
