New technologies like mobile devices, smartphone apps, or cloud-based solutions have changed the B2B playing field in the past two decades. 

Implementing these new software solutions has been dramatically simplified, with little or no technology resources required.

But while operational, financial, and HR systems promise everything from better resource and time management to lower costs, the tools and solutions themselves, don’t actually do all the work. It’s the people using them that define the success for a new IT technology at an organisation. 

When adopting a new technology– you need to plan, identify and address implementation challenges early. The work does not stop here. Management team responsible for the change needs to drive engagement, enhance efficiencies and improve user adoption – enabling you to maximise your return on investment. 

Otherwise, your technology is just an expensive tool that none of your employees use effectively.

Get a head start on your competitors with these six best practices for successful technology adoption in your organisation.

Assess The New Technology Strategically

Often technology teams choose a specific technology based on the recognition of the vendor and brand (ie. SAP, Microsoft, Oracle), and not because it is necessarily the best solution for their business and team’s goals. 

When choosing a new technology to implement for your organisation don’t just look for a popular brand name or the price. Carefully assess your strategy. 

Think about how this new IT solution will help you achieve your strategic goals. Will it help your team and make their tasks easier? After all, the purpose of introducing a new solution is to improve business performance. 

When looking for a new technology, start with the goals you want to achieve, and then plan backwards to find a technology that best supports those goals. 

People are more likely to adopt new technology if they can see how it helps them to achieve their goals and objectives.

You may also be interested in: How to Find the Right Software and Save More With Digital Transformation

Audit Your Current Technologies For Compatibility

Software upgrades or introducing new technologies carry compatibility risks.  Your new systems may turn out to be incompatible with existing systems or the integration may require more effort than expected. 

To prevent these possible issues, make sure to review all your current IT solutions thoroughly before deploying anything new. Don’t just gather detailed requirements for the new technology. Also check whether the functionality of your current software can support and integrate effectively with your new IT solution. Performing this audit upfront will prevent system redundancies, reduce costly build times, and keep you on the budget.

Get Involved With Your Teams

Support from the management when introducing a new IT solution is critical. In fact, lack of management support is often the primary reason an implementation fails in an organisation.

The most successful implementations are typically driven by a technology champion who takes complete ownership for communications, issue resolution, and avoidance. This individual should ideally have an authority within the organisation. This champion should also be empowered to make decisions, and be accountable over the success of the initiative.

In addition, key management should stay on top of the new program. Email updates to these important roles are not enough. Other stakeholders in operations, administrations, or executive directors should also be familiar with the technology to have insight into the value to be gained by it.

Communicate The Upcoming Change (Well In Advance)

Managers should make sure that everyone at the organisation understands what’s coming next before it gets there. Responsible management team should set expectations for how the technology will affect each and every person involved.

Get your employees well prepared for the new tools in advance and make sure they understand its value to the workflow and processes. Answer all their potential questions - how will their jobs change? What are their new responsibilities with the tool? How soon can they expect to see the benefits?

Management should hold a kick-off meeting with key stakeholders to define the upcoming changes, reinforce the reasons the technology is being adopted, and clearly outline the roles and responsibilities for everyone involved. 

Develop A (Customised) Training Approach Early

One of the biggest risks to employee adoption is lack of adequate and customised training. 

Many software vendors offer training as part of the purchase package, however, most of this training is generic and not specific to your business processes. 

Specific product training should be more than just a series of screenshots and PowerPoint presentation. Your employees need to see and play in the system, prior to go-live, in the context of their specific work processes. 

To increase adoption chances, make sure that training is specific to each group and their workflows. 

Not everyone learns and adapts a new technology in the same way. Offer multiple training methods – electronic, classroom, smaller hands-on training labs – various options ensure users feel most prepared.

You May Be Interested In: Employee Engagement- Why It Matters 

Monitor, Manage And Measure

It is critical to closely work with the software vendor at the very beginning of the partnership to identify and agree upon expected results. 

Management should be realistic in expectations. They should continually monitor progress toward the goals of the technology initiative and understand where tweaks are needed. What kind of measurable impact does the technology delivers? Is it living up to expectations? If not, understand why and take measures to fix the gaps.

In addition, management should work with their technology partners in tracking important milestones. Management should make an effort to speed up the time between training and go-live, avoiding any prolonged gaps that could put adoption at risk. 

Gather feedback from users at the beginning and then two weeks into the implementation. If adoption isn’t going as well as hoped, work with the technology partner to find out why and identify what can be improved.

Management should also demand a quarterly review with the technology partner to check progress toward deployment milestones and the value achieved. This can provide for short-term course corrections and good visibility into the success of the project. After all, continuous improvement is a core part of every successful technology adoption.

In conclusion, successful technology adoption requires a foundation of motivated people, processes, management commitment, and best practices to deliver the benefits of a solution that it promises to deliver.

Ongoing support, best practices, and successful services from the technology vendors along with internal teams and processes are just as important as the new products themselves.

Did you recently invest in a new IT solution? We can help your team come around the technology adoption challenges. 

Start here to check out our TAP aka Technology Adoption Program for your organisation.

So you have invested in a cool new IT technology for your business. All is going great, except...your employees are not using it yet. 😥

Employee adoption is one of the biggest challenges in digital transformation for any organisation. Getting new software into your organisation can boost your entire business' operations. It can increase productivity, generate more leads, improve customer service and help the C-suite make better decisions.

Employees are the key to adopt new technology and to the successful digital transformation of your organisation. The sooner the new technology becomes part of the day to day work routine in your organisation, the better. 

Here are some tips to get your employees to adopt new technology in the workplace. 

Set Their Expectations

Make sure that you inform your employees properly of all the advantage of the new technology. Will this new tool save them time (or nerves), will it boost their productivity? Or will it alleviate their stress job-related and make their work-flow more efficient? 

Paint a detailed picture for them because they probably will not know this at an early stage. Once they become aware of all the benefits associated with the new software, they will be more likely to get on board. 

Empathise With Your Team

Humans are creatures of habit. It is not as easy as you may think for some of us to adopt new tools and gadgets. This especially true if your team has been working with the same workflow and tools for the past several years. 

So before giving them deadlines or ultimatums, put yourself in their shoes. Consider their age and general attitude towards change. Are they young and grew up with digital technology? Or are they enthusiastic about new technologies? Based on this information create the best possible plan and timeline for the adoption of the new IT technology.

You may notice that each employee may have a different speed of adopting and becoming proficient with the new system. And that's okay. Just make sure to give your team a reasonable timeline to switch over to the new tool.

Assign an Early Adopter

Find a team member who is known to be great with new technology and assign them the role of a champion. Seek their help in promoting, training and gathering employee feedback on the new software. 

Having a relatable influencer can positively impact the attitudes of the employees and help them transition in a much easier way. 

Offer Incentives to the Early Adopters

Encourage your team members to train and adopt the new tool. Reward those that do adapt quickly and use the new technology at work. These incentives can be gift cards, perks, swag, or anything that really excites the employees about the new transformation.

In conclusion, introducing new technology to your team can be demanding and difficult, especially when it comes time to motivate employees to use it. But with a little tact, patience and empathy you and your team can get there. Besides this, don't forget to make it a fun process for your team. And they will reward you with cooperating and getting on board with you and the new technology. 

Are you currently struggling to implement new technologies in your company?

Learn how Exceeders' Technology Adoption Program (Ta7awul) can help your employees get on board with the new technology at your organisation. 

Exceeders: Connecting businesses with hundreds of innovative IT providers for cost-effective digital transformation.

Gitex 2019 is back after a year, with latest and greatest in the world of technology and business. Top technology enterprises, startups and think-tanks from around the world are waiting to reveal their eureka moments and life-changing innovations for all tech nerds out there. 

As always, the event will take place in the Dubai World Trade Center, between 6th - 10th October. The five-day event will showcase more than 100,000 gadgets and visitors will have the opportunity to discover new technologies from 4,800 global exhibitors and 97 countries. Over 250 pioneers & industry experts will share powerful insights on new technologies like 5G, Smart cities, AI, and much more!

Exceeders is excited to be back at GITEX for the 2nd year in a row. Here is an overview of what to expect when you visit THE biggest tech show in the Middle East, North Africa & South Asia.

Before we dive in - Click here to apply for a FREE a GITEX Day Pass contest

Exceeders at GITEX 2019

Exceeders will be participating in GITEX 2019 at the Dubai World Trade Center. At GITEX 2019,  we will launch a number of new products/partnerships, educate our visitors on the changing world of IT. Our team will also showcase the  importance of IT Service platforms and how customers in the region can consolidate all their technology efforts with one service provider helping them achieve growth and success.

Exceed Gulf has been operating in the G.C.C since 2001 with a singular mission of helping organizations in the region reinvent themselves using technology. With a core focus on providing great customer experiences Exceed Gulf has reinvented itself to focus on the 4 major pillars: 

• Customer Experience: Becoming the customer’s proxy into the IT World and supporting them always deliver successful projects.
• Exceed Products: Create world class products that solve our customer’s core problems and helps them In digital transformation.
• Talent Solutions:  Finding the best resources in the IT industry and transformation of fresh graduate to professional
• Incubation Services: Finding the most innovative startups and supporting their growth.

Exceeders’ Product Showcases at GITEX 2019

We will launch our flagship product- the Exceeders Collaboration Agreement (ECA) - during Gitex 2019. The ECA is one agreement that gives customers access to 100+ partners and 300+ products/solutions/services to support them on their Digital Transformation Service. The ECA has been created as an example for all organizations in the region showcasing the power of Digital Transformation in transforming traditional business models.

You May Be Interested In: Benefits of getting all your IT solutions from one organization

Besides ECA we will showcase a number of innovative products and services. Some of them are: 

Flairstech

DataLiva

insight 360

iSystems

Arqitek

Qpros

BluGrass

Ubility

And More!

Q&A Sessions with Exceeders' Panel of SMEs

Meet Dr. Stephane Niango, Managing Partner, Arqitek at GITEX2019.  

Stephane is a trusted advisor on complex high-risks programs with over 22 years of expertise in business and technology transformation advisory across EMEA.

Don't miss the opportunity to meet Dr. Stephane Niango and learn from his unique insights and experience of consulting leadership.

Tony Alam is recognized by stakeholders for turning around businesses, growing sales numbers, talent development and identifying future leaders, as well as building a trusted network across the private and public sectors.

Meet him at GITEX 2019 for a BluGrass Demo & Q&A session.

Khaled Dassouki is veteran CEO with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. With his knowledge and experience in AI he is someone you can't miss to meet during Gitex.

Visit him on Exceeders Booth at GITEX 2019 for a meet and greet session and learn more about Ubility from him.

Meet and greet Milen Manchev, Chief Business Development Officer - iSystems at GITEX 2019. 

Learn how iSystems can expand your business vertically and achieve sustainable growth for your organisation.

Stelios Leftheris, Managing Partner at Vestigos is an expert at transforming ideas to opportunities.

Meet him at Exceeders booth at GITEX 2019 and learn more about the breakthrough technological achievements in Risk Assessment, Governance, Infrastructure Security and more. 

Some of the Exceeders Team members you can meet at GITEX

Last but not the least, make sure to stop by and say hello to Exceeders team members while you are there. 

Ahmad Chayati: Ahmad is the Founder of Exceeders and the General Manager of EXCEED IT services for more than a decade. He has over two decades of IT industry and leadership experience. An avid technology enthusiast,  Ahmad works with businesses to achieve the desired results through Exceeders.

Abdul Rahim Al Moustapha: Abdul-rahim is an IT professional and an entrepreneur with 15 years of experience in the Middle East working in building and successfully launching strategic partnerships and alliances with global software vendors, service providers and technology startups.

You can also follow Exceeders team LIVE from GITEX 2019 via Twitter 

Tweets by eXceedersTeam

See you at GITEX 2019

Where: Dubai World Trade Centre | Hall8, stand no: H8-A1
What: 39th GITEX Technology Week
When: OCT 06 - 10, 2019

Don’t Forget! - Click here and apply for a FREE a GITEX Day Pass contest

EXCEEDERS: Connecting businesses with hundreds of innovative IT providers for cost-effective digital transformation.