How to adopt a new tool into your business

We get it; sometimes the time and effort it takes to learn, roll out and adapt to using any new tech can make you question its value - even when the new tool or software seems like a better alternative to the one you’re currently using, or clearly has the potential to improve things in the long run.

So how can you make integrating and embracing new tools easier? Here are 5 ways to ease the discomfort during the transition period.

1. Look for training courses offered by the software provider, or plan your own internal training

Encouraging your team to take an hour or two out of their day to sit down and learn everything they need to know about a new tool within the first few weeks of purchase, will make everyone feel more confident and knowledgeable (hopefully even excited) about using it.

Most reputable, customer-focused software/technology providers offer an introductory course or a training session for you to take advantage of. Alternatively, you could choose to take some time to get to grips with the tool yourself and then carry out an internal training session to show the wider team all of the benefits and perks.

Either way, setting aside a few hours for everyone to properly understand the software will save you time in the long run and be a much more efficient way to introduce a new tool as opposed to relying on intuition and learning how to use it gradually.

ContentCal offers the ContentCal Skills Diploma for this exact reason enabling you and your team to complete one 90-minute course (broken down into 9 modules) and then be equipped to hit the ground running.

Anyone can enroll for free, and we recommend encouraging as many of your team to take the course as possible.

2. Incentivize training programs

Whether you’re asking your team to take a specific course, attend a training session, or complete specific onboarding within a product, offering an incentive to everyone (or the first few members of the team to complete the task in hand) will be sure to speed along the process and drum up some motivation.

The ContentCal Skills Diploma conveniently comes with its own incentives. Not only does the course give you a great understanding of how to improve your content marketing by using ContentCal, those who complete the course receive a graduate pack and an official certificate for social media bragging.

3. Set deadlines for rollout and tool adoption

Set a specific time and date for your team to start using the new software and make it clear that there’ll be no more use of the previous software or process beyond that date. Even if you are forcing your team to be a little uncomfortable, it’s only for a short while. Fully immersing yourselves and committing to the new tool will stop procrastination and get everyone using and understanding the new tool quicker.

4. Include your team in the decision-making process

Adopting a new tool will happen much slower if it’s a tool that your team isn’t on board. Including your team in the decision-making process will ensure that the best tool for the job is selected. Your team’s input is essential to confirm that the software has all the features they need, that it’s definitely a step-up from whatever the current tool or process is, and that they are happy to use it on a regular basis.

5. Lead by example

One person fully adopting the new software or process into their day-to-day can really encourage the rest of the team to do the same. If the team starts seeing their colleague producing better results and saving time by using different software to get the job done, they’ll be very keen to secure the same improvements.

Encourage your team to take the ContentCal Skills Diploma course and use the above tips to make the transition to your new social media calendar so much smoother. Enroll now for free or download our prospectus.