Back in the day, employees’ expertise was the main thing that differentiated two companies. Nowadays, a team’s efficiency isn’t only predicated on skills but also on the software they’re using.
Marketing automation has become a necessity, allowing brands to streamline various daily tasks. Besides saving time, modern technology can almost eliminate human error, ensuring the highest quality products and services for end-user.
Unfortunately, introducing a new tech isn’t without its challenges. Companies have to allocate resources and introduce their staff to the system, which takes time and inadvertently leads to errors. Sometimes, companies make mistakes during the planning phase, buying software they don’t need that much.
In this article, we talk about six tricks that will help you implement new technology, emphasizing risks and challenges.
Find the Right Model
Before you even consider specific tools, it’s vital to find a suitable software model for your brand. Nowadays, most companies rely on SaaS solutions as they provide increased flexibility and accessibility. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t develop internal solutions tailor-made for your specific business needs.
The choice of software model often hinges on price, control, and requirements. SaaS is the best option if you want to introduce a quick solution and have no problem relinquishing control to a third-party provider. However, if you want to gain a competitive advantage by having a customized platform, you might want to consider in-house software development.
Test the Available Tools
Depending on the model you’ve opted for, there are several ways to test the quality and see if it fits your business needs. SaaS products usually come with free trials, which mitigates purchasing risks. Unfortunately, traditional software doesn’t have this option, and you’ll have to trust user feedback to find the best solution.
As for creating an in-house tool, the quality of the platform will vary depending on the expertise of the software development team. So, the best way to ensure you’ll receive good software is by hiring a top-tier provider with experience working on similar projects.
Hire Software Experts
If you’re not sure what your company needs, but you still want to improve internal processes via tech, you should pay for software consulting services. Of course, this trick only works if you don’t have an IT team on the payroll.
These software experts take a look at your existing software and technology, assess your realistic business needs, and make suggestions accordingly. Consulting companies might also offer development services, creating a perfect tool for your business based on their initial analysis.
Although you might be reluctant to pay for this service, rest assured that the money will be well spent. Besides making recommendations, consultants can also help with implementation and employee onboarding.
Measure the Benefits
In theory, almost any industry-specific software can provide some kind of improvement to your business. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean every program will be worth the investment.
For example, getting a finance tool might sound fantastic for tracking your revenues and expenses. However, if you employ an external accounting team, you can ask them to send periodic reports. Although you won’t be able to access data every day on-demand, you can still easily track financial performance.
Measuring benefits is also vital when deciding between two programs. In these cases, margins matter, as using the wrong platform can rob you of potential competitive advantage.
Warn Your Staff
Given the way the economy is trending, it’s only to be expected that businesses will add more and more software to their arsenal. Nevertheless, if you wish to implement a comprehensive suite, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to warn your team in advance.
Notifying your team a few weeks in advance provides a few major benefits. First off, it allows employees to prepare mentally for the challenges that the new tool brings. More importantly, it will give them time to check out the platform and its features online, which can significantly quicken the onboarding process.
Create a Pilot Team
Before the full-scale rollout, it’s wise to create a pilot team that would use the tool for a few weeks. This step is critical when introducing custom-made solutions or implementing complex technology.
The pilot team’s main task is to focus on glitches and potential challenges of using the technology. After going through basic features and understanding the tool’s pros and cons, the team can also recommend integrations or different tools for specific tasks. Later on, the pilot team can work as trainers for other company employees.
