We live in a world driven by information and technology. Although this is helpful, it does not come without a few unique challenges. Over the past seven years, we have helped quite a few companies who have transitioned to deTASO learn some helpful lessons along the way. To ease your software transition, try discussing the following topics with your team before, during, and after the transition.

Managing Expectations

Often, during a software transition, there is an unrealistic expectation that this change is magically going to solve all of your problems. We strive to understand the industry requirements and build practical solutions to address these. As you lead your team, we would encourage you to involve as many team members as possible for a complete software demo. Having more individuals in the demo will help identify key benefits and potential growth opportunities early.

Change is Hard

Everyone intuitively knows this, but in a software transition, we all tend to forget. We have noticed that even when change is for good, like reducing redundancy, reducing manual entry, eliminating billing errors, and streamlining processes, people prefer their old way of doing things. As a leader, you need to be prepared to offer grace to your team. You need to be realistic and identify with them that the migration will be challenging and remind them often why it is worth it. We would even suggest you celebrate the transition and the hard work your team accomplished in the change!

Change Takes Time

Transitioning to new software may have a "go-live" date, but that does not mean that everyone will embrace or understand the latest software and how it impacts their role within the organization. From our experience, it takes employees at least two to three weeks to start to see the value and understand precisely how this software directly impacts and benefits them. Remember, bad attitudes are contagious, but so are positive ones.

Just Start

There is only one way to learn a new software - start using it. It doesn't matter how great the trainer is, how many videos you watch, or how many manuals you read. Employees will only learn new software when they start using it. Employee tendencies will be to not use the software, because they do not understand it. If the software is built correctly, then there is nothing that an anyone can do to mess up the data or the application. It would be best to encourage them to try; then, they will gain confidence and learn how the software works.

Have a Support Team

Most research suggests that we might only retain 80% at best of any training event. This means there will be gaps in what the software can do and how to do it within your team’s retained knowledge. This is why a solid support team, we call this our Customer Success Team, is essential to providing the complete adoption and utilization of any new product. At deTASO, we won’t set everything up and leave - we are here for the long run!

There Are No Dumb Questions

The only dumb questions are the ones never asked. If you do not ask for clarity, understanding, or context, how can you truly understand how and when to use a feature in any software? The best questions always arise after you have started using new software. Unfortunately, many employees feel like it is too late to ask. It is so important that employees ask questions to gauge when additional training may be necessary. Encourage your team to keep asking until they understand the "why."

Keeping the above six items in mind, you can minimize the frustration and help your staff embrace change and get the most out of your new software. We are here to help you at every step along the way.