With new technology brings an uncanny sense of optimism. With Rindle, information will be centralized, communication made easier, time and money saved, and mundane tasks automated. But a few months later when optimism runs out, you may see that overall efficiency hasn’t improved, processes are breaking down and only half your staff is using Rindle.
The truth is, no major technology investment is a “set it and forget it” solution. The right plan, efficient communication, and strong commitment are essential to organization-wide adoption.
Here are the steps to follow when creating your Rindle rollout plan.
Step 1: Identify Key Stakeholders and Users
While you and a handful of others made the decision to move forward with Rindle, many others will be affected by its implementation. For them, Rindle might bring new and possibly unwelcome changes to their daily work, especially if they are comfortable the way they currently work.
Having a clearly defined communication plan in place will help reduce any negative feelings. It’s extremely important to educate those who will be affected and explain how and when the change will come. Communicating early and often is the name of the game. It will prevent questions, doubts, and uncertainties.
But before you create your internal communication plan (we’ll discuss more on this in a bit), remember to consider everyone that will be affected. In addition to your core team, it’s easy to forget part-time employees, contractors, or consultants.
Step 2: Choose the Implementation Team
In addition to yourself, an implementation team should be formed. Rolling out a solution like Rindle requires internal champions to keep things moving forward and rally support.
Clearly identifying roles creates shared ownership and sets the team up for success. At minimum, make sure the following roles are defined and assigned:
Executive Sponsor: C-suite support driving the organization’s long-term vision and sustaining adoption beyond initial implementation.
Team Lead: The main point of contact for support, troubleshooting and product updates.
Implementation Support: Team members who will work together, along with the team lead, on the Rindle rollout plan, internal communications, product evangelism, and overall adoption.
The implementation team should include team members who will work most directly with Rindle and be responsible for its success. Internal champions must have the resources they need to be successful.
Step 3: Define the Rollout Process
Rindle can be introduced in a phased approach, which allows users to gradually adjust to the new software and avoid frustration. We recommend the following:
Rindle admin training, account setup and configuration (1 week)
Implementation team training (1 week)
Internal rollout (Internal Communication Plan, 3 weeks)
Ongoing support and training
We provide you with an Internal Communication Plan including pre-written messages, and milestones. Communicating early and often with your employees will expose you to uncertainties early on and allow you to remedy any concerns.
Step 4: Drive Adoption
Before your team can get onboard with Rindle, they must understand why their current processes are changing. Explain how this transition will solve current challenges and set-up everyone up for success moving forward. Express the importance of achieving these goals and how Rindle will make it possible.
In the Internal Communication Plan we provide you, we have included ideas to help drive user adoption in your organization in addition to commonly asked questions to equip your implementation team with.
Don’t expect Rindle to magically solve all your problems. It will certainly streamline workflow and communication in your organization, but the transition has to start and be driven from within. Changing the way people work is challenging, but never impossible. With the right team and rollout plan in place, you have the power to change the way your organization works.