FACT CHECKED
“The truth? You can’t handle the truth!”
If you’re the kind of person that would rather stick their head in the sand than take the bull by the horns, this article probably isn’t for you.
But for those of you who want to learn, evolve, innovate, and win at digital transformation, this is your digital adoption 101.
Digital adoption 101: what is digital adoption?
Digital adoption is defined as:
“Achieving a state in which digital tools are being used as intended, and to their fullest extent.”
Remember, adoption and usage are not the same. True adoption is about becoming expert at using a particular digital tool. It marries technology with the people using it, aligning them so well that digital tools become digital assets.
Customers that successfully adopt your digital offerings are able to achieve their goals quicker and/or easier. They have a better customer experience (CX) and are less likely to churn.
Employees that properly adopt an organization or enterprise’s digital systems are happier and more productive. They can achieve more with their time and their overall performance improves.
Digital adoption, as an approach, simplifies the user experience (UX) of technology, so that users quickly become comfortable and capable using it.
There is no more important factor when it comes to achieving ROI from your digital investments.
What influencers are saying about digital adoption
Industry influencers realize that digital adoption is super important for successful digital transformation, and that it’s not necessarily all that easy.
Renowned blogger and entrepreneur, Zach Johnson says: “For both B2B and B2C businesses, it’s important to make sure you aren’t just changing with industry trends and technology, but also making sure these advancements are working for you as well.
“In short, [digital adoption is] the ability to look at your business and know that everything is running at max optimization and potential.”
At the end of the day, however, digital adoption is a people issue, not a technology one. When new technology is rolled out, users are required to change their behavior to adopt new features and processes.
And this takes time.
But the digital revolution arrived long ago and most enterprises know that the deadline for upping their digital presence was yesterday. So if enterprises want their digital investments to be worthwhile, digital adoption 101 says they need to prioritize their users.
Reuben Jackson writes:
“If your staff or customers are unsure of how to use these technologies or reluctant to use them, you won’t derive any of the benefits these tools promise.”
The employee experience (EX) or customer experience (CX), depending on your users, needs to be simplified and improved in order to accelerate adoption. This is where digital adoption software comes in.
The Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) is a software layer that can be applied to any web-based system. It learns user behavior and provides contextualized help to users, in-app, when they need it.
This real-time help desk functionality is transforming new technology roll-out for enterprises worldwide.
70% of change initiatives fail, say McKinsey. But when your change is a digital one, the DAP provides a simple way to ensure its success.
Lilach Bullock notes that the main challenges with technology implementation are:
- Difficulties educating users of benefits and/or vision
- Poor trouble-shooting, help, and support
- Inadequate training and onboarding
- Change fatigue and resistance
The DAP can help with all these challenges. For example, it can:
- Point out system changes and functionality in-app
- Provide personalized guidance and suggestions
- Deliver training in real-time
- Combat user resistance by improving the user experience (UX)
Digital adoption software, like WalkMe’s DAP, helps new users to interact with a website or application quickly. It also assists returning users in navigating new features and updates.
In a nutshell, it facilitates and accelerates successful adoption.
In fact, the DAP has been game-changing in terms of enabling slow-moving enterprises to transform digitally at pace.
Usually, it takes months for large organizations to roll-out new technology and teach users how to operate it effectively.
With a Digital Adoption Platform, it takes a fraction of the time. Training happens in-app and “on the job” so to speak, so there’s no loss of productivity due to traditional training methods.
The evolution of digital adoption
To conclude this digital adoption 101, we’re going to take a look at where the big idea come from.
The term “digital adoption” was actually coined by WalkMe Inc., pioneer of the DAP.
The premise behind their software, released in 2012, was to help users navigate the features of other web-based services.
Since then, digital adoption has found its way into technology, HR, training, and general business lexicon.
It has been written about extensively in CIO.com, Techno FAQ, Forbes, Digital Connect Magazine, and Entrepreneur.
It’s now a truly established concept, with review and comparison websites having added the Digital Adoption Platform Software category to their sites.
We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for digital adoption! digital-adoption.com was designed to help readers bridge the gap between technology investment and digital transformation via rapid adoption.
Concluding remarks
It’s good news that you’re learning your digital adoption 101. As technology continues to evolve, there’s a need to accelerate the learning process for users.
Whether they’re employees or customers, users are harnessing the power of technology more effectively with digital adoption software — and businesses are achieving good return on their digital investments.
