Rolling out new company software can be a very stressful process. Software represents a large investment for your company, especially if the program was customized for your business. These tips will walk you through some of the most important steps of the process!
Which Software Do You Need?
If you’re thinking about investing in new software, it’s important to consider your company’s needs first. For example, if you want better support for your current internal processes, you may need a payment processing tool, customer relationship management software, cybersecurity systems, a project management program, or an inventory management system. Think about where you’re handling processes manually at the moment, and how the right software could optimize these processes. You should also consider software that you may need for customer-facing processes.
Evaluate Your Options
Whether you need to choose software that will be utilized by your employees, customers, or both across different interfaces, you’ll have to carefully evaluate all of your options first. If you don’t find a program that suits your needs and preferences, you may need to create a custom version. This is a much more involved process, and you might need to bring additional team members on board to get the job done, such as a consultant or software developer.
Run Extensive Tests
Software testing is a crucial aspect of any rollout. You do not want to introduce a new software program to any users before testing it extensively first to ensure that all of its functions work as advertised. Testim states that software testing consists of several phases: you’ll start by creating a list of the program’s features and functions that need to be tested, designate testers or set up testing automation, run the actual tests, analyze your real results against your expected outcomes, and document your findings for your company’s IT department.
Manage Your Team
You’ve run comprehensive tests on the software program that you purchased off the shelf or developed internally, and now, you’re ready to bring your team on board. Smartsheet recommends holding several training sessions and migrating important content and processes to the new software early on to help your team adjust. If you worked with a consultant on this process, you may want to ask for their assistance as you develop training materials. Your management strategy might differ slightly depending on whether or not your customers will also be using this software in some form: in this scenario, you’ll have to prepare your staff to walk customers through troubleshooting and train them to answer questions that are likely to pop up.
Get User Feedback
Even if you’ve conducted lots of testing and hosted multiple in-depth training sessions, issues could still pop up with the new software that you didn’t anticipate. But if you’re not communicating with your users, you might not find out about the problems in time, causing a drop in customer or employee satisfaction. To collect user feedback, you may want to send out surveys, set up focus groups with your employees, or monitor messages on internal employee communications platforms or customer service chatbots. This will help you assess where users have encountered problems, and you’ll be able to develop and apply workable solutions with your team.
If you’re planning an important software rollout, you might be concerned about unexpected roadblocks. Yes, launching new software can be complicated – but with the right approach, you can pull it off seamlessly. By applying these tips as you navigate your next software rollout, you’ll be able to support your team and customers with ease.
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