"We brought a new software six months ago. But nobody's using it.
"We've wasted our money."
I'm sure this isn't your firm.
But whether it's a practice management system, an AI resource, a CRM, or even a marketing tool, I bet you can think of some small business owner you know who's dealt with this.
I sure can.
Why Software You Paid For Goes Unused
The problem is almost never the technology at issue.
In fact, it happened just today.
In a group conversation with one of my client teams, one of the leaders mentioned a possible technology migration to begin planning for later in the year.
It wasn't a new-to-me conversation.
But for some participants - most in fact - this was new news.
The reactions were subtle but they ranged from one person quickly looking up the options and getting excited about the potential upgrades...
To another in the "huh, wonder what this means to my current work" camp...
And another who worried they'd been left out of the conversation entirely and wondered if they're contributions were still valued after a recent role change.
The reality is... these reactions aren't far off from what you'll see anytime you're managing any kind of change in an organization.
And trust me, you'll want to manage that change.
Because even though as an owner you might want to go into authority mode, and your sales person assured you all would be amazing...
It can make sense (and cents) to pay attention and plan accordingly.
This is what will make the difference at 6 months in whether you're smiling and saying, "YES! We've accomplished exactly what we needed to and more."
Or looking at your P&L and your still-existing-problem set and realizing "we've wasted our money."
Tips To Ensure Your Investment Pays Off
Here's a few quick hints:
Use the early adopters as change advocates.
Get the grass roots excitement going with use cases and templates for success developed by someone your team can relate to.
Talk about the change in terms of impacts that go beyond profit.
Profit may be what you care about (as is appropriate), but others will care about the impact on clients, culture, and their own individual opportunities and place in the world. Check out the 3 I's for more details.
Not everyone will have the reaction you expect.
It's like my client with the unsubstantiated-but-still-there worry of having been left out. So you may need to take off your I'm The Boss hat for a moment and amp up the EQ. While you may be ready to move ahead to the next thing, a little reassurance or a 1-1 conversation can often go a long way.
Develop your requirements and wish list beforehand.
Before you ever get to the vendor review and demo stage, put some time into the process. You don't just want a new tool. You want a new tool that works to solve problems and amplify your opportunities for growth.
Interview stakeholders.
Your opinion matters but so does the opinion of the day-to-day users. And they are often the best source to identify those pain points to solve and desired features.
This early feedback means you don't miss out on important details, skyrocketing the effectiveness of those time-sucking demos. Plus it gets better buy-in down the road (even if that's just being able to say "you knew this was coming and you were given the opportunity to speak up").
That early stakeholder engagement also makes sure anyone working on a decision in parallel won't have to backtrack. This is less likely in a small business where you're likely still in-the-know on all-the-things. But as you grow, cross-functional collaboration (even just a heads up) can save a lot of frustration.
Develop prioritization in advance of trade-offs.
The stakeholders interviews also equip you with prioritization factors to consider (and talking points to use) when deciding what's not making the cut as trade-offs inevitably get made to optimize your return versus your investment.
Communicate early, often and with consistency.
Be sure to telegraph the changes early enough and often enough - both for others having to make related decisions without backtracking and so that what's coming sinks in for the people who need to hear it multiple times.
And announce the changes with consistent messaging but in different communication styles - small group meetings, emails, training sessions and materials, even bringing some of your potential "feet draggers" into a late stage demo. Again, you're looking for buy-in - not whiplash, in-office gossip, or distraction.
Good Preparation Drives Profit
Maybe this sounds like a lot to add to an already exploding to-do list. But the more disruptive the technology (or other) change is, the more the behavioral side of things matters in determining your success and ROI.
These tips re the basis of effective change management and provide a foundation for driving profit from your investments.
If you have an initiative that you can't afford to fall flat or juggling all-the-things is no longer serving you, let's talk.
Our fractional COO services are not just the "no homework" plan for getting those strategic initiatives accomplished, we're tuned into the levers that expand your enterprise value, your opportunity and that behavioral buy-in every step of the way.
