How To Ensure A Successful Customer Adoption Process

By Kevin Chan, Sales Director, Lava Protocols.

It’s all about keeping measures and a clear cut strategy.

A common thread I see amongst Lava Protocol‘s customers is that the request for the system to ‘go live’ would usually be ‘yesterday’. When companies rush through without considering the impact of the system on the personnel or have a clear direction on the necessity for a management to mandate the usage of a system, all of these become risk factors which contribute to a failed implementation of any system.

I personally gauge a successful system based on its user adoption and the business results that ensue after the system has ‘gone live’.

There are two prongs that assist a successful customer adoption: the initial scoping performed on current requirements and a post implementation standpoint where issues are identified and solutions proposed.

Initial Scoping:

• User Behaviour: Try to understand the obstacles that are affecting any user adoption internally in a pre-existing system and why it isn’t assisting the customer in achieving their goals.

• Analysis of current requirements: Apart from technical, sales and service issues, one must also address the impact caused by the implementation of the system, who it affects, as well potential performance issues that could arise. Next, ensure that the right people with the right expertise and proven track record of driving and sustaining user adoption will be the ones performing this analysis.

Post Implementation Strategy:

• Identify user groups: Build personas to identify the way main user groups interact with the system in their daily work and involve selected end-users to participate in this process. Find out how staff members use their existing system and ways the new solution can improve their working process.Also consider the capabilities of the new system, develop use cases to define areas of difficulty and identify methods to manage these areas.

• Early detection of ‘red flags’: Implement early indicators that will alert you if the organisation’s change approach is likely to flounder.

• Manage change resistance: Manage the change and planning before the project is underway. Get users, stakeholders and project advocates on board early on so they can help motivate others on the team.

• Develop relevant training materials: Create relevant use cases on how to use the system and ways to navigate around it. It should focus on the benefits of the new solution and how it can improve the jobs of the end-users.

• Explain the benefits: Distribute news, raise awareness, provide details about training, and incorporate information from the executive sponsors to help demonstrate the importance of the initiative.

• Maintain assessment even after deployment: Continue gathering feedback in terms of user adoption and ease of use. Find the biggest concerns and address them directly. You can also provide surveys and have a short session with certain users regarding their feedback.

In a Nutshell 

There is no exact formula for a successful customer adoption – only a guideline to observe, follow and most importantly adapt to methods which your users are most receptive to.

We at Lava Protocols can help take your business to greater heights by ensuring the new approach you take is noticeably better than the old and we do this by getting everyone on your side involved from ground zero. Email us at asklava@lavaprotocols.com or call us at 03-7885 9720 to make an appointment with one of our consultants/ experts. 

Lava is an authorised Cloud Partner of Google and is a reseller of G Suite (previously known as Google Apps, Google Maps for Work, and Google Cloud Platform) in Malaysia. With more than a decade of experience in the industry, we’re proud to say we’re one of the leading cloud consultants and service providers in the Asia Pacific region.