Learning new skills—from riding a bike to baking a pie to figuring out a new software—takes time. There’s always a learning curve and sometimes people can get frustrated if they feel they’re not learning as fast as they should or if there’s pressure to learn faster than they feel they are able. Even if the software you are implementing is the best system your company has ever used, it can be a challenge to get employees excited about it. When employees aren’t excited about a new software, chances are they’re not going to use it to the degree they should which means your company will not experience all the promised and expected benefits.
But, all is not lost. We’ve assembled three tips to encourage your employees to embrace your new BI system. Most companies find that addressing one or more of these areas ends up solving the issues around BI system use. How many apply to your team?
Tip #1: Build a System Employees Want to Use
The best way to get your team excited and enthusiastic about a business intelligence system adoption is to build a system they want to use. This means including members from each team who will be using the system in the planning, vendor selection, and scope creation meetings so the resulting BI system meets the requirements of all teams using it.
If you look across your company data and see that one team isn’t using the BI system as much, check back on your process for creating the system. Did the system creation consider that team’s needs and issues? If not, there may still be time to resolve the issue.
The more a system works for your employees, the more they’ll use it. If the system doesn’t help them do their jobs better or faster, they won’t use it. So, make sure your new BI system is a system that people want to use.
Tip #2: Plan for Adequate Training
If you won a brand-new sports car, cherry red with leather and all the trimmings, but it was a manual and you only knew how to drive an automatic, how much would you use that new car? Chances are it would sit in the garage until someone taught you how to use a clutch and shift.
The same can be said for the best business intelligence system. It may be like the sports car—beautifully designed, intuitive, fast, and accurate—but if your staff isn’t taught how to use it, they’ll park it in the garage and return to the tools that are familiar to get their work done. The beautiful BI system will collect dust and your investment will languish.
Any time you’re launching a new system, plan for several training sessions. Make sure training sessions are scheduled around the time of system deployment so people can put their newfound knowledge to use right away. Unused knowledge unfortunately isn’t retained.
Next, schedule working sessions so employees can bring projects and project-related questions to the trainer. It helps to have someone on each team trained as a system expert, or someone with advanced knowledge, so once the system is deployed, you’ve got people on hand to answer questions.
Scheduling adequate training to use your BI system is not wasteful; without it, the system will go to waste. Give people the knowledge and skills they need to use their new tool wisely.
Tip #3: Address Information gaps
You can have a hammer in your toolbox but, without a nail, it’s difficult to hang a picture on the wall. Similarly, you can have a great new business intelligence tool in your toolbox but, without the right data inputs, you can’t study the problems you need to study.
Review the information feeding into your business intelligence system and talk to your employees about the outputs they’re getting from the BI system. Is the data feeding into the system adequate enough to address the issues they need to solve? If not, what can you do to rectify the situation?
Information gaps can create frustration, and often such gaps span multiple departments, and employees may not be sure how to resolve such issues on their own. Make it a priority to investigate and close any information gaps that may be precluding staff from effectively utilizing the BI system.
Ready to get full mileage out of your BI system? With Accounting Systems, Inc., you’ll experience a partner that is committed to helping your business and your employees be more efficient with the best software and training available. Whether you’re a large or small business, new to BI or an experienced user, you can count on ASI to provide the software solutions and support you need. Contact us now for advanced BI solutions and training.