A tool is only useful if you use it, and people are only likely to use a tool if they know how it works. You could spend millions of dollars and months of employee time on the latest and greatest piece of technology, only to watch it languish, unused, because you didn’t invest in adequate training. With that kind of monetary investment and time commitment… wouldn’t you want to take every possible step to ensure your employees take full advantage of the technology?

Effective training is a crucial part of solution adoption, especially in the days immediately following deployment. Yet, in spite of that, businesses often fail to properly invest in building their training plans, leading ultimately to stalled adoption and failed implementation. Tech training can’t be something thrown together last minute; it has to reflect employees’ specific needs, take into account their backgrounds and passions— and, at the end of the day, it has to be engaging enough to keep their attention.

In this episode of Transformation @ Work, we’re looking at what makes a highly effective training plan, and how that feeds directly into high levels of solution adoption.

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Key Insights

04:04 - Key reasons businesses should invest in a tech training plan prior to deploying new digital technology

04:58 - Why industries have historically underestimated the need for training (and how that impacts adoption of new CRMs)

06:29 - Gap analysis: the importance of identifying employee needs and pain points before training begins

08:10 - Identifying and cultivating champions during the tech training process

10:49 - Why being flexible is one of the most important qualities to possess during tech training

12:48 - Positioning new technology as a natural part of employees day-to-day lives

13:44 - The role gamification can play in making tech training more engaging for employees

15:25 - Addressing the “boring” parts of training: how to make technical and detail-oriented sections enjoyable and engaging

17:32 - Potential pitfalls in the tech training process, and how team leaders can avoid them

19:41 - How team leaders can address employee resistance to new technology through their training plans

21:02 - How training and change management work together to drive employee adoption of new technologies

22:48 - Putting the pieces together: How effective training can deliver huge wins in employee engagement, adoption, and enthusiasm