10 Tips for Maximizing SharePoint Adoption on Your Work Team
Some like novelty and action, while others dread it above all else. Change, whether technological or otherwise, is not unanimous! Here are our top 10 tips for promoting SharePoint adoption among your team’s users at work.
1. Start with a SharePoint demo
By organizing a demonstration of SharePoint, you will allow them to become familiar with the software and see concretely how it can be useful. By the way, try to prepare a realistic demonstration with real metadata to make everything believable. Use more complex cases or demonstrate how SharePoint can help solve some irritants for your work team. In short, be creative … and positive in your demonstration of SharePoint!
2. Think about training, training and training!
Here, the training of your staff is essential. Why? Because it allows to introduce users to SharePoint features, but also to the working method that results.
In other words, take the time to teach SharePoint as a software and as a workflow. To do this, you have several options: training in or out of your office, lunch-and-learns, small group workshops, flash training sessions or online … Who says traditional training is the only way solution?
3. Involve your most receptive colleagues from the beginning
We all have work colleagues who fuel new projects. You know, those who love making discoveries and who are enthusiastic as soon as the boss announces a novelty. Well, it is these colleagues who must be rallying to your cause from the start!
Why not create a special team, a power team or even a brigade with them? Involve them from the beginning and at each stage to put the odds on your side. They will become proud ambassadors of SharePoint to the rest of the team.
4. Preach by example
Want to boost adoption of SharePoint among your employees? Start by introducing it to the team leaders and senior managers of your company. SharePoint is much more than just a software or work tool. It is first and foremost a new way of working together to achieve common goals. All must put the shoulder to the wheel, including the direction!
5. Facilitate the use of SharePoint
To be adopted and appreciated by your team, SharePoint must be pleasant to use. Make it user-friendly by customizing the interface to your brand’s colors and constantly improving its ergonomics.
Also consider developing your own information architecture to make it logical and consistent for your team. And, while you’re there, reduce the speed of loading pages – nothing more irritating than a high load time!
6. Go one step at a time
No, SharePoint is not going to revolutionize overnight. You will have to be patient and go step by step. This is especially important for some of your colleagues who are resistant to change.
Break your SharePoint migration into phases, steps, or projects. Go ahead in order of priority to move forward in a harmonious and meaningful way. Clearly inform your employees of each step and the road traveled. In other words, use the Agile method, which is to divide the work into a series of attainable goals.
7. Train your SharePoint champions
Beyond the leaders particularly motivated by the novelty (see point number 3), there are necessarily also champions of technology in your team. Who are they? Identify those who have the best knowledge of SharePoint to offer them private training.
Bring them to discover new features and explore interesting avenues. They can, in turn, guide the rest of the employees by acting as coaches. A great help when you know that people are generally more receptive to the advice of their peers.
8. Demonstrate the results obtained
Success is motivating! Use good moves and results from one division or department to encourage others.
In concrete terms, explain how the adoption of SharePoint has reached new heights. Highlight facts, figures, or other relevant information that will serve as a lever for employee motivation. And why not integrate testimonials to make everything more human and friendly?
10. Encourage feedback
Rome was not made in a day! It’s the same thing for SharePoint implementation and adoption. Continuously improve your interface to create a quality user experience.
Watch your team in their use of SharePoint. Watch how everyone navigates and spot any optimization that would help improve efficiency. Do not wait for an employee to ask you for an adaptation, go ahead!
Some do not speak much? Pay attention to their nonverbal, he may tell you more than you think! Above all, be attentive and open so that everyone feels comfortable expressing themselves.
10. Encourage feedback
The success of any organizational change, whatever its nature, relies heavily on positive feedback. Invite your employees to give their comments and suggestions in a constructive way.
Some do not speak much? Pay attention to their nonverbal, he may tell you more than you think! Above all, be attentive and open so that everyone feels comfortable expressing themselves.
The key to success for SharePoint adoption
Keep in mind that implementing SharePoint is an ongoing process. The adoption by your work team should be gradual as you integrate new features. Hence the importance of regularly polling your colleagues by email or – why not! – with SharePoint. Find out about the positives, challenges and features they would like to use in the future.
A world of endless possibilities awaits you with SharePoint, but everything depends largely on its adoption by the users of your team. It’s up to you to make it a success!
Need help implementing SharePoint? At LS2, we have the power to simplify things and support you in this technological change for a successful implementation.
Communicate at no cost with our IT experts.
Psst! If you want to know more, check out the blog post we wrote about SharePoint.
Need help implementing SharePoint? At LS2, we have the power to simplify things and support you in this technological change for a successful implementation.
Communicate at no cost with our IT experts.
