A Wake-Up Call for Change Enablers with Status Quo Bias

If you’ve read our last two installments (here and here), you know:

• The best time to switch to Real-Time Enablement for internal software training was before you made a major investment in your tech stack. 
• The second best time is now. 

If you’re about to roll out new software to thousands of employees and you aren’t thinking about ways to:

↳ Speed up time-to-value from their perspective
↳ Minimize the amount of change they have to experience
↳ Evolve your software training playbook to keep up with the times (and technology) 

…you should definitely be thinking about what you’re going to say to stakeholders about your process adoption numbers. 😅

Why time-to-value (for end users) matters

When you add another tool to your tech stack, it’s easy to forget how much you’re asking of your end users. 

The software you’ve been championing for weeks/months (and can’t wait to implement) might: 

😟 Replace somebody’s favorite tool
👎 Make their tried-and-true workflows obsolete 
😡 Force them to figure out a new system 
😬 Come with a steep learning curve 
💭 Trigger anxiety, fear, and resistance to change
💸 Pull people away from mission-critical work

…all before end users have a chance to experience how your new tool will make their life easier.

Notice that we said “experience.” Because training and documentation that attempts to tell people 1) why a tool is great, and 2) why learning your new SOPs will be worth it usually does nothing more than tell people to tune out.

First impressions in software matter. And that means that your approach to enablement can’t be an afterthought. 

Why “hoping for the best” isn’t a strategy

At the risk of stating the obvious for IT, operations, training, enablement, and L&D teams in charge of internal software training:

Crossing your fingers, hoping for the best, and leaving end user adoption up to chance isn’t a change management strategy (h/t Justin Norris). 

Winging it won’t: 

1️⃣ Drive the quickest time-to-value for employees 
2️⃣ Convince the change-averse to embrace new standard operating procedures 
3️⃣ Increase your odds of running a successful software rollout
4️⃣ Reduce the number of training and retraining requests in your future 
5️⃣ Help you show software ROI right off the bat

Change management needs to be a central part of your planning process—not something you address at the 11th hour or forget about after Launch Day. 💀

Why you shouldn’t run the same software training playbook you always have

Operations, training, L&D, IT, and enablement leaders often get frustrated with users who refuse to get on board with change for the better.

But sometimes (especially in the whirlwind leading up to a software rollout!), they have their own status quo bias. They want to run the same internal software training playbook they always have.

The trouble is, end users have spoken. And what worked once—if it ever did—won’t work now.

Digital Adoption Platforms (that use Real-Time Enablement to deliver step-by-step instructions in-application) are solving all the pain points associated with traditional software training. 

Not only do Digital Adoption Platforms:

✅ Teach employees how to use software while they use it 
✅ Make bite-sized SOPs brainless to follow
✅ Give teams time back to focus on more strategic projects 

But they’re also purpose-built to help people like you drive lasting behavioral change among end users who: 

📌 Were happy with the status quo, thank you very much 
🫠 Aren’t invested in anyone’s “digital transformation” project 
🫤 Feel some type of way about having to change their habits, routines, and processes
🤷 Are vaguely aware of your new SOPs, but aren’t super concerned about adopting them
🙏 Just want to focus on bringing in revenue, building great products, and delighting customers 

TL;DR: If you truly want to serve your end users, drive higher process adoption across your entire tech stack, and make an impact at your company, don’t keep asking people to learn how to use software the old way. 

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