Everything you need to know about digital adoption, answered.

In its simplest form, digital adoption is about helping people to use and embrace technology.

Typically used in relation to business software, this definition can be expanded to include internal teams, external customers, or entire companies. But whether used on a personal or organizational level, digital adoption efforts will always be focused on improving the engagement, experience, efficiency and effectiveness of digital tools, workflows and mindsets.

It is a common misconception for digital adoption to be linked to measurements like the number of users accessing a system or for it to be seen as a one-off achievement. However, digital adoption is not concerned only with the availability or apparent usage of technology. Instead, it is focused on improving the relationship people have with technology and ensuring tools are used well, in a timely fashion to achieve expected outcomes.

Done well, digital adoption not only enables and maintains these goals, but provides measurable benefits, from improved productivity and satisfaction to reduced support costs and time to value. While the use of a digital adoption platform like AppLearn Adopt is necessary to make sure of and measure success, digital adoption is a people problem and, like people, it should be supported inside and outside of technology.

A digital adoption platform is software designed to help people get the most out of other applications. It does this by simplifying tasks, removing the friction from associated support and measuring adoption across a software suite.

Sometimes referred to as a DAP, or even digital adoption solution, the most visible function of this software is the embedded in-app support offered to end-users. This is simply layered on top of the UI of existing applications, and usually consists of step-by-step guidance for key or complex tasks, as well as useful knowledge content. Making this support available in-app, at the click of a button is designed to make software easier to use and task completions more accurate, both key goals of a digital adoption platform.

The second crucial component of a digital adoption platform is enabling the measurement of digital adoption itself. By going beyond the data and analytics functionality typically provided by software vendors, the unique tracking of in-app interactions makes it simple to track metrics such as engagement with support content, time spent on tasks and the value of software itself. For application stakeholders, service delivery teams and C-level leaders, this makes it easy to demonstrate software performance and highlight problems to target with interventions.

As a digital adoption platform can enable this across entire technology estates, it’s able to bring consistency to the support and measurement of all applications. As software suites grow and become more complex, this will only become more important, and in turn make DAPs more prevalent.

Measuring digital adoption comes down to having two things, an understanding of what genuine digital adoption is and the ability to measure the metrics that matter.

While a digital adoption solution is ultimately required to access the data that proves whether an application is being used, and used well, this data is only as useful as what’s being tracked, and for how long.

To get a measure of true digital adoption, it is not enough to get a high-level snapshot on the number of log ins or visits to particular sections and equates this to success. Instead, it is vital to have an ongoing view on the usage of essential features, completion rates of key tasks and number of associated support tickets. We’d also encourage organizations to go further and track how this impacts the business outcomes of their technology, or enables their desired target operating model.

Just because an application is being used, it doesn’t mean it’s being used correctly, so quantifiable evidence of the latter is vital to any measurement. Simultaneously, digital adoption is not a one and done process that can be achieved once and then left forever. It is a complex, shifting process based on several variables, as the software, user interfaces and people within a business all change regularly.

While the anecdotal approval of apps will always matter, measuring digital adoption comes down to having sustainable, undeniable evidence of successful outcomes. 

A software adoption strategy is a plan that a business sets out to encourage its team to use digital tools in the most effective way possible. The strategy will involve identifying possible weaknesses or sticking points in how people interact with software, using this to outline how to deal with these issues ahead of time. It should also see you assembling a team to support with the implementation or improvement of existing software, and mapping out how you’ll measure and report back on adoption of said software.

Proper adoption of workplace software isn’t always easy. Without a clear strategy, you may risk your team not knowing how to use software, diminishing the return on investment for your enterprise tech.

You could be forgiven for thinking that a software adoption strategy is just useful for new software roll outs, right? Wrong! Software adoption strategies should also be applied to software your organization might’ve been using for years but are not getting the full potential out of.

So, if you’ve got a software adoption strategy in place and have identified areas for improvement, you’ll be ahead of the curve, tackling issues before they even crop up. For example, there might be a particular function of the software that’s difficult to get to grips with. A software adoption strategy will involve identifying these issues ahead of time, so you can put the support in place – whether it’s extra help materials, or specific training sessions – to tackle these. And as a result, you could see multiple benefits such as:

• Improved productivity and use
• Helping software feel more intuitive
• Less frustration with workplace tech
• Better return on software investments

A software adoption strategy essentially helps your software to work harder for you, and your people. 

Creating a digital adoption strategy starts with having a clear idea of the roles and objectives of your digital tools. Are you onboarding people on your software in the best way possible? Do your people know how to use it? Is there a specific business goal that you have in mind, that your application could help deliver on? By understanding this, you will be able to benchmark whether your people and business are getting the intended benefits of the targeted software, as well as identify the friction and gaps that need attention.

It’s important that you thoroughly train your team on the use of different digital tools – don’t assume that people are using technology to its fullest capabilities. Whether it’s training on a new platform or refresher training for existing applications, your digital adoption strategy should also encompass how this is delivered – in person, in-app, virtually – and how people can access support materials whenever they might be needed. Your strategy should also consider how to gather data that can continually improve the uptake and adoption of the technology in question.

A digital adoption platform (DAP) can help this digital adoption strategy truly come to life. It layers over software to help users through key tasks and processes, delivering useful training and tips intuitively within the application, and gathering data that can help you optimize the platform in question—improving digital adoption. 

Digital adoption planning is important as it means you can get the most value out of your workplace applications. By focusing on the uptake and use of key tools as part of a digital adoption plan, you can keep an eye on efficiency savings and streamlined processes. It positions digital adoption as a priority for your company, by focusing on how your employees get use out of the technology they use every day. It also offers your business a quicker return on investment, as just having the tools and launching them is not a guarantee of adoption or success.

If a business doesn’t have digital adoption planning in place, it risks team members not getting the most out of workplace tools and applications. For example, people might spend a lot of time figuring out how to use applications, but this could be addressed with proper in-app support and training. It could risk losing time and impact your ability to get true ROI on technology investments. Employees who struggle to use the software effectively may also feel frustrated without the proper digital support around them to complete their tasks.

These risks can be addressed with thorough digital adoption planning. It allows your business to prioritize getting people properly up to speed on workplace technologies, so you can get real value from your digital investments. 

Digital adoption platforms (DAPs) bring many benefits, from saving money on training budgets to reducing admin burdens or improving software adoption. Ultimately, a DAP can help enhance uptake, improve understanding and accelerate time and cost savings associated with the application in question.

Whether you’re introducing new software or handling updates to existing applications, the changing nature of enterprise technology means gaps can emerge in how people understand, use and achieve success with digital tools.

Ultimately, a DAP can help to make these processes easier – enhancing uptake, improving understanding and training, and accelerating efficiency savings associated with the application in question. This might be through tailored guidance, hints and tips that are offered to the user in real-time or gathering analytics that helps you see where people need support with particular features or tasks, to improve the use of software.

It can result in a better return on investment, by using your organization’s digital tools to the fullest extent and making sure your staff feel supported in using workplace technology.

Technology adoption can be divided into three distinct stages: identification, implementation and continuation. By understanding and following these three stages, your organization can then plan your technology adoption strategy thoroughly.

Identifying a need should be the first stage of any technology adoption. Companies or specific individuals (you’ll know them as your internal software sponsor) identify a need for improvement in work processes. They’ll then research how innovative technology could help meet that need, often gathering insight from employees into current use, and seeing how this could be improved. Once the sponsor has built a case for the new technology, they’ll share the vision and planning with their leadership team, who will sign off budgets, if needed.

This brings us to the second stage of technology adoption: implementation. This is where you’ll speak to your internal teams about the new software plans and begin the rollout. This should also be when training starts to take place, and you continue to gather employee feedback on how they’re getting to grips with any new processes.

And the final – arguably most important – stage of technology adoption, is continuation. The software has been fully rolled out. In an ideal world, your staff should be fully confident in using it. But, crucially, if technology adoption has been followed correctly, they’ll know why they are using it, and understand how the tech adds value by making their day-to-day work more seamless.

While adoption might feel and sound like it is something that is achieved with a natural end point, it’s actually an ongoing process. As the name suggests, continuation means that your business should continue to monitor and make improvements – whether in line with software updates, organizational needs or feedback from your people on how they’re finding using the tech.

The continuation stage can be tricky to reach, as you may find people are resistant to change or don’t fully understand why they need to use this new software. That’s why it’s really important you create a watertight plan for encouraging software adoption in your company. 

Put simply, the digital employee experience is how people interact with different technologies throughout their working day.

You might not have come across the phrase before, but the digital employee experience is an important and very real aspect of a person’s working life.

As in thousands of other businesses, your teams are likely to rely to some degree on technology to complete their roles. And given the level of digital transformation many businesses have undergone since 2020, it’s even more vital that businesses pay attention to their organization’s digital employee experience.

But remember – even in a world where most people use technology in their working day, everyone’s digital employee experience is different.

This could be due to different roles, different levels of tech-savviness or using different applications. It could even be down to how much time an employee spends using technology. Some people spend most of their day using applications such as Teams, whilst others may only log into Workday, for example, to occasionally access key HR docs.

The key thing to remember is that everyone’s tech experiences are considered in the digital employee experience. No matter how big or small someone’s daily interactions with technology are, it can all play a part in their overall employee experience.

Creating a digital employee experience framework is key to making technology work better for your business – and improving your employees’ experience.

But where do you begin? Don’t worry, we’ve done some of the hard work for you. Here’s our simple-to-follow digital employee experience framework:

1. Set clear goals
2. Gather employee sentiment
3. Get the right teams involved
4. Gather and use intelligent data points
5. Consider any training needs
6. Communicate your improvements
7. Measure success

Set clear goals: What do you want to achieve when addressing the digital employee experience? Improving employee satisfaction? Boosting productivity? Saving costs by reducing time lost to inadequate tech? Faster technology onboarding and training? Clearly defined goals will help you shape a framework that works for your organization’s needs.

Gather employee sentiment: Improving digital employee experience must start with employees themselves – the aim is to improve their working lives after all. Think about how your people interact with technology at work – and gather their feedback. Consider what tools they use every day, which ones they might struggle with, and any applications or training that could help them improve.

Get the right teams involved: Different teams – different people – will have different digital employee experiences. Your framework needs to keep this in mind. Co-ordinating a team that is made up of people from across your organization means you can gather a range of viewpoints and roll out changes exactly when and where they’re needed.

Gather and use intelligent data points: You need a deep understanding of the digital environment your people work within, and data could be key. Most software vendors provide a surface-level view of how people use applications – which can make it difficult to find recurrent pain points. Look to digital adoption platforms – or DAPs – (trust us, they’re useful) to really dig into the data, using this to understand where people need the most support. 

Consider any training needs: You’ve spoken to your employees. You’ve combed through the data. You probably have a clearer understanding of the changes you need to make now to improve the digital employee experience, and additional application training might play a big part. If that’s the case, this training needs to take different digital employee experiences into consideration, so that it meets their needs – including the type of device they typically use, their role, and their tech savviness.

Communicate your improvements: If your framework involves any major overhaul to how people work, you must make sure your teams are aware of any changes. By communicating improvements, you can gather support for your overarching goals, show your people you’re taking their feedback onboard, and point them in the right direction for further questions or support needs.

Measure success: You’ve done the hard miles and have plans in place to improve the digital employee experience. It doesn’t stop there though – you need to make sure these changes are having a true impact. Measure your framework goals against qualitative feedback from employees, application usage analytics and again, see how DAPs can shine a light on user behavior.

The best way to measure digital employee experience is to take an integrated approach. This involves gathering feedback from your employees and using intelligent data points to build the full picture.

If you followed a digital employee experience framework – such as the one we’ve helpfully laid out in our digital employee experience guide – you will have set, clear goals on what your tech should help you achieve.

Now, it’s time to measure how technology is performing against the goals you’ve put in place.

First, gather qualitative feedback from your employees. This can be done through surveys and forums, asking questions such as: what tools do they use each day? What works and what doesn’t? What can be improved?

Alongside this, you can gather and use intelligent data points to weigh up against employee sentiment. There are two ways to do this:

In-application analytics can measure basic data, such as the number of logins or widgets clicked. This can be useful, but let’s be honest – it only scratches the surface when it comes to really understanding how people are engaging with technology

Digital Adoption Platforms (DAPs), on the other hand, are designed to analyze and improve business applications. They do this by layering on top of multiple existing applications, which allows them to go far beyond the insight typically offered by in-app analytics. We think DAPs are a perfect starting point for measuring the digital employee experience – we might be a little biased. Our platform, Adopt, allows you to answer questions such as:

• Which function do people redo the most?
• Which user groups are taking more than 5 minutes to request an absence?
• What journey are users taking to navigate to certain tasks?
• What areas do users need more support in?

As you can imagine, there are many different tools that support the digital employee experience. Generally speaking, we can sort these into the following broad categories:

• Communication software
• Tools that keep you in touch with colleagues. For example, Slack
• Collaboration software
• Applications that enable you to work alongside others. Think Microsoft Office or the G-Suite
• HR systems
• Software to access key HR functions, such as CoreHR
• Learning software
• Technology focused on skills development, including tools like Cornerstone
• Productivity tools
• Tools that help you complete your role, from project management applications like Monday to CRM software like Salesforce

Technology should make our lives easier, including at work. When it comes to the digital employee experience, we need to make sure that these types of tools are working for your people and your organization. Luckily, there are a number of intelligent tools that can support with this.

A digital adoption platform – or a DAP, for short – is a dedicated piece of software that layers over other applications, observing how people use and interact with the program in question to learn from and improve this behavior.

As its understanding becomes more advanced, a DAP can provide interventions when it detects users are struggling with particular functions. For example, providing a step-by-step guide to complete a task, saving the user time, and preventing tech frustration – as well as improving the digital employee experience in the process.

DAPs help you get the most out of your business applications, and tailor support by program, person, or role. 

Software change management is the process of rolling out new applications or tech processes within an organization. It will involve identifying, preparing, and supporting the implementation of application change to maximize successful roll-out.

We can all see how drastically the way we work has changed – especially in the type, volume and complexity of digital tools many of us need to support our roles. Wide-scale transformation needs proper change management planning and support to make the switch to new applications or processes as seamless as possible.

At this point, it’s important to make the point that change management software is not the same as software change management. Software change management is a crucial element of the change process, and needs meticulous planning, to make sure you have the best tools, training and teams in place to enjoy a stress-free (or as stress-free as possible!) transition to the proposed new way of working.

Change management software is tools designed to support such projects, whether that’s storing documents, creating plans or coordinating requests. And supporting this, are applications that can specifically support onboarding, training and targeted support for the people using the new tools – making sure the digital change is properly adopted.

One example of these is digital adoption platforms, and we offer one of our own. Tools like these can be invaluable in providing proper support, training, analytics and resources to make the change to new applications a success.

Digital adoption platforms (DAPs) and change management tools work together – but they aren’t exactly the same thing. Change management tools direct and oversee organizational change initiatives, while DAPs are specifically designed to accelerate the uptake of new software, providing targeted support to help people get to grips with new ways of working. In a change management program, DAPs can be invaluable.

So how do they work? DAPs layer over other software applications to help users learn how to use them effectively. It might be leading users through daily tasks or providing relevant support docs and tips as they go. These platforms can help familiarize users with the new software quickly and identify when a little extra help might be needed.

When you’re onboarding multiple people onto new applications or tech processes, you can see how DAPs can be a key piece of the change management jigsaw. DAPs can help you achieve:

• Increased uptake of the new software
• Less reliance on IT support staff
• Better user proficiency
• Enhanced employee engagement with new tech
• Improved overall productivity

Every software change management program will come with its challenges. In fact, research from McKinsey suggests only 30% see long-term success. So how do you become part of this successful 30%? With effective planning, tools that can drive digital adoption and training that supports your people in making the switch to new systems and processes.

When it comes to change management, success is measured by the uptake, confidence and time spent on getting to grips with the new software. The happier and more effective users are, the more successful the change management has been. So how do we make this happen?

When embarking on a change management program, there are a few key aspects that you need to pay attention to make it a success. Communication is one vital area so that your people are aware of the planned changes and how they will impact their day-to-day. Consider how it will impact users in both positive and negative ways and anticipate any questions. Where possible, run an initial briefing session and address these questions – or concerns – early on – it may provide a useful steer on the roll-out and any training needs.

It’s also important to make expectations on behavior shifts clear from the start. Set goals for uptake and communicate how you’ll be measuring this. Make sure people are aware of the training they can access to get to grips with the new software and have ‘best practice’ examples available for any new processes they’ll need to use. Finally, training is critical and cannot be underestimated – the support you provide in this area can make or break your change management program. Offer tailored support, that considers how a user will be using the new software – whether that’s dependent on their responsibilities, tech savviness, or familiarity with the application(s) in question.

We might be biased, but this is where a digital adoption platform (DAP) can really make your program fly. A DAP adds an extra layer of support to pieces of software, improving training, user experience and helping people get to grips with tech more easily. And don’t just take our word for it – have a look at the latest research from Everest to learn about the benefits of DAPs for change management programs.

It’s important to keep a close eye on your software change management program, so you can see if your investment in new technologies is paying off. But where do you begin with measuring software change management? There are a number of metrics – from simple measures to in-depth data – that you can benchmark your overall goals against to track if you are getting a true return on investment with the new software in question.

You’ll have some simple metrics available through the software itself, such as number of log-ins. But keep in mind, that log-ins are surface-level and don’t necessarily show you true uptake of new software.

You need to delve deeper.

How effectively are people interacting with new applications? Are people able to use the software to its fullest capabilities – or are there frequent issues with the same features or functions? A digital adoption platform (DAP) working in the background will learn how a user interacts with different software. It allows you to analyze how people use your workplace tech, removing the guesswork and frustration from wide-scale change management programs.

One of the most important measurements of change management success is how your people perceive the change. Alongside some of the above more quantitative metrics, gather qualitative feedback to through internal surveys and forums, you’ll be able to see if the change is delivering value for your people – who are often at the coalface of these programs. Proper engagement with the feedback and analytics you gather is key to becoming one of the change programs that last long-term.