Even if a new learning technology has the potential to save your company millions of dollars every year and has the potential to teach your employees everything under the sun, it won’t matter if that potential isn’t actualized. In other words, everyone in your organization will have to actually want to use a new learning technology if your organization is to reap all the benefits that it has the potential to offer. That is, of course, much easier said than done.
Here are three ways to get employees to see the light.
1. Create a Rollout Plan You Can Sell
It’s not wise to just send an e-mail on a random day with information about a new learning technology that employees are mandated to adopt that instant. They need time to warm up to the idea and start thinking about it before it’s necessary for them to use it. Before officially rolling out a learning technology, send them teaser information that highlights how the new learning technology will benefit them and make their jobs easier in the long run. Give them time to sit on the value of the technology, and allow them to complete a module or two to see what it’s like first. You can also have ambassadors who adopt the learning technology early before it’s rolled out so they can tell everyone else in your organization about how great it is and why they should use it, too.
2. Provide Support and Training
Offer on-demand video tutorials for how to use the new learning technology, as well as digital instructional booklets and other how-to content that’s easy to understand. When necessary, host training seminars for the new learning technology. Some people are more technologically inclined than others, so don’t assume everyone will just pick up on how to use it over time. Also, be sure you have ample technical support to maintain your learning technology, since employees will stop using it if it is constantly unavailable or difficult to use because of outages and slow upload times.
3. Offer Experimentation Opportunities and Follow Up
Above all else, if you want your employees to continue to use your learning technology, follow up with them once they start using it to see what they like and dislike. Truly decipher what value they’re getting from it and what’s working, and make any necessary adjustments. Also, offer employees opportunities to do different things with the learning technology, too, so they can explore the different parameters of its features, and figure out innovative ways to interact and consume learning content. The more they’re invested in how the learning technology works, the more likely they are to adopt it.