If you’re reading this post, there’s a good chance you run a team that uses SharePoint. Chances are, you’ve been tasked with increasing the adoption rates of the platform and improving the user experience for users. You might be wondering: How do I get more people to use SharePoint? You are not alone.
It can be challenging to increase user adoption of SharePoint, especially when your company has limited resources and teams that need to specialize in different aspects of adoption. However, there are many different ways you can improve user adoption of SharePoint and increase the number of users that adopt it within your company.
Read on for a complete guide to improving user adoption, from identifying areas for improvement to implementing all-star techniques your team can use right away.
What is User Adoption?
When it comes to increasing user adoption, one of the most important things to realize is that it is never a one-time event. Instead, it is a long-term process that takes a variety of different tactics to bring about. This includes things like training, education, and communication — not just one-time marketing campaigns. Overcoming the adoption challenge can be challenging for organizations, but it is absolutely possible. It all comes down to focusing on the user experience and making the most out of what you have.
Adoption is about getting people to try SharePoint and keeping them engaged by providing an intuitive and easy-to-use experience. By engaging with users, you can get a better understanding of their needs and increase user retention through customization. Therefore, before you can start increasing user adoption, you first need to get a few things straight. With that in mind, let’s dive into how you can improve user adoption of SharePoint.
How to Improve User Adoption of SharePoint
In order to increase user adoption, you must first get users on-boarded with the platform. So, how do you get them interested in trying SharePoint? Here are a few tips:
Make it Simple:
When trying to increase user adoption of any technology, the first step is to make it easy for people to try it out. If it’s challenging to use or doesn’t feel intuitive, most people will be hesitant to try it out. Be sure to make SharePoint easy to use and integrate it with other tools within your organization.
Make it Great:
Great is in the eye of the beholder. The best way to know if a user adoption strategy is working is to ask your users. Get real-time feedback by surveying your users and collecting data on key areas for improvement. The best way to do this is by creating an engagement survey.
Be Ready to Change:
Changes are inevitable in the software world. Start with the basics, such as getting everyone in your company familiar with the platform. Then, take it one step at a time and make small changes to your platform that you can roll out frequently and with ease.
Don’t Rely on Promotional Tactics Alone
Promotional tactics are great for getting new users onboarded with SharePoint. However, long-term success requires more than a few marketing campaigns, or you risk losing any momentum you’ve built. Instead, it is essential to invest time in improving user experience and user adoption.
Here are a few ways to do this:
Offer training:
Training is essential because it allows your team to customize the platform and ensure that new users are getting the most out of it. Make training fun and interactive by integrating it with your team’s culture and leadership philosophy.
Create a customized experience:
Be sure to personalize your experiences with users by creating a customized user interface (UI) that reflects your organization’s branding and colors. It will help you create a consistent, intuitive experience for your users.
Make it easy for users to get help:
Many users will feel overwhelmed when first getting started with the platform. Make sure to provide resources for users to turn to for help, whether that be documentation, training videos, or community forums.
Roll out Smaller Changes Frequently:
User adoption is often a challenge for organizations that are looking to make a big change. In order to make improvements, you need to be ready to roll out small changes regularly. This will allow you to iterate and make corrections as they are needed, while also maintaining an effective user experience. When making tweaks to your platform, be sure to prioritize making it easy for users to get the help they need. This will allow you to improve adoption rates and ease the transition from using other tools, like Gmail or Slack.
Conclusion
To make user adoption successful, you need to have a user-centric approach. You have to center your attention on the needs of the users, and work hard to make their experience with the product as easy as possible. You have to see the person using the product as a fellow human being, whose needs you have to satisfy. User adoption is challenging, but it is possible with the right tactics and the right mindset.
