Break the email habit - encouraging adoption of online collaboration tools

13 May 2008 in Support, Misc

Here are some suggestions for getting your users to break the email habit and adopt an online collaboration tool to share files, manage tasks, and communicate better. It obviously starts with using a really intuitive and easy-to-use technology platform, but it is equally important to pay attention to the "people part" and actively encourage adoption and use.

Change is hard. Especially when it comes to changing the way that people do their jobs.

To encourage "voluntary" use, any online collaboration tool must provide valuable services to its users. If the content and functionality helps busy users access information they need or to accomplish a task - they will log in and use the tool voluntarily. In addition, recognizing users who make valuable contributions can boost their incentives to pro-actively participate.

In other cases where volunteerism and peer recognition is not enough, organizations must set clear expectations and guidelines for members and reinforce them often. The incentive, then, is simply the desire to do what is asked. This may be another obvious-sounding recommendation, but it also tends to be lost in the rush to do other, higher-profile activities. In some cases, responsibilities requiring a significant contribution of time should be incorporated into individuals' job descriptions.

When an organization is ready to roll out a collaboration tool, they should prepare and send an announcement to all potential users. The announcement should be brief but should clearly articulate:

• The goals for the organization
• The "selling points" or the value it will provide
• An overview of the services it will contain
• A summary of guidelines and expectations for use
• A timetable for when they can expect to be able to use it
• A schedule for training

Lead by Example

Lastly, employees are never going to adopt an online collaboration tool unless they see management using it. Let team leaders be the guinea pigs that ensure the application works as advertised and let them inspire other team members to start using it.

Don't convert the entire organization to the new system overnight. Start out small with individual project teams to pilot test the tool. This allows the application to be tested and any problems solved. It also allows team members to dip a toe in and see that the water is fine.

Finally, offer training and technical support. Structured training eases the learning curve and the frustration of implementing a new product. Knowledgeable super users and technical support personnel can fix user problems quickly, again reducing the aggravation of adopting a new system. A well-designed implementation plan can have your new online collaboration tool, whether it is an online task management system or a knowledge management tool, operating smoothly within weeks, backed by the full support of the entire team.

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