Hi! I am Robert, from South Minnesota. Welcome to ManageMart, I will be posting some useful information from time to time. I myself used management software and was surprised how this new tool divided my employees. I encountered both resistance and approval.
Change is hard, especially if your teams aren’t used to remote/online management. Yet, from my own experience, overcoming this challenge will highly increase your odds of success.
Plan ahead and discuss
Before you decide to shift to online management, you need to act like a strategist. Identify your goals, estimated costs, incentives, and the scope of your idea. You can’t just force your employees to act upon your desire (always remember to put yourself on the place of your workers). Discuss your plans with your team, make them feel responsible for this decision as well. Then, it will be easier to find the most suitable consensus.
Just a few months ago, my employee John approached me with a question about resources in our stock. He apparently lost the paperwork. Well, all of that has been already uploaded to our platform. He was so happy to find that information was right in front of him. Since then, John has been promoting the software among everyone.
Be the leader, not dictator
If you expect others to change, be the example and take the action. If you show interest and involvement in the change you planned yourself, your workers will be more incentivized to act similarly. Speaking of incentives, I made a big mistake while implementing the software – I talked solely about interests of the company as a whole. I failed to explain those amazing benefits users will get for them, not in the light of an entire company. So, be mindful of how your present the software. Show the benefits your workers will get, not the estimated grown of profit margins.
Communicate and engage
Did you know that the main reason why transformations fail is because company owner forgets about front-line employees and their managers? Don’t refuse from delegating your powers and sharing the rationale behind your decision.
Don’t be a perfectionist, let things work out in the way that will be both advantageous for company’s growth and your workers. I myself strongly recommend to give your crews some time to digest your drastic change. And, the earlier you will engage with your workers, the better and smother will be the transition.
Promote the notion of change
Training is key. It’s great that you quickly adapted to the software. Well, this may not be the case for your employees. They need to have the option of training workshops, where they could clarify all the details. But, remember not to bombard them with lengthy lectures. They are just as human as you are, and can get bored.
Be sure to examine how the change is going, offer your help, and personalize the change. Always provide clarity around new processes, don’t leave your workers wonder around. Be mindful of their job satisfaction.
Take small steps and set the right expectations
Again, change doesn’t happen overnight. Don’t discourage your workers with your over-the-top enthusiasm. Take small step and celebrate success. Demonstrate how the new software will make life easier, and identify all the benefits. Incentive is very important on this stage, don’t underestimate it.
Establish project milestones and be flexible if they need to be changed.
Be a listener and analyse the outcomes
Finally, how important is customer feedback for your company? I’d say it’s crucial. Well, what about employee feedback? I was a fool not to realize its importance. So, don’t do the same. Talk with your workers and engage in solving their questions. This will not only help to implement the change, but will also improve the general atmosphere on the workplace. Be the leader, not dictator!
I am not here to teach, but to share my experience. You can choose any path you prefer, but why not choose the easiest one? And, especially, if I already gave you the right strategies to approach the change. If software is successfully implemented, you will encounter an exponential growth in your productivity and efficiency.
Omitting widespread support will cost you a lot of money and efforts. But, if you take the right steps, and use a field service software you will enjoy the growth! In just 3 months, my plumbing company tripled its profits. Both workers and clients are satisfied. Isn’t this a great incentive for you?
Stay tuned for more posts from me!