Ready to find your Microsoft Teams early adopters?
Introducing new technology into your business can be daunting. No matter how positive the side-effects of this tech might be, you’ll always have a range of complex responses to deal with, from excitement to outright refusal to adopt new tools.
Solutions like Microsoft Teams aim to transform the modern workforce. With Teams, companies can build a connected hybrid workplace, enhanced by everything from simple cloud sharing to video calling and even external business telephony. However, you can only enjoy the benefits of Teams if everyone adopts the tech.
Early adopters are essentially the front line of your Microsoft Teams adoption strategy. These professionals, like champions, can help to lead the way to a faster, more streamlined introduction of new technology into the company.
What Are Microsoft Teams Early Adopters?
Like any technology, the various people in your company will respond to Microsoft Teams in a variety of ways. Early adopters are the most flexible, agile, and versatile of your team members, under Microsoft Teams champions.
The biggest difference between champions and early adopters is champions actively encourage enthusiasm about a new technology. They may even provide training and guidance in some cases. Early adopters are simply the first people to embrace a new software solution. These professionals can offer feedback which helps companies to roll out the technology more effectively.
Early adopters may already have some familiarity with Teams or similar technology. They might also have absolutely no experience with Teams, but feel comfortable embracing new tools, and learning how to use them. Remember, like your champions, your early adopters will likely need some additional help to understand Teams and how it works. Microsoft early adopters also lead the way for other members of staff, including the people who would otherwise feel nervous about using tech.
The late majority and laggards in your organisation will often struggle to explore new solutions without seeing other people use the solutions first. Early adopters (as neither innovators nor champions) give other team members someone to relate to, and peace of mind about the adoption process.
Why are Early Adopters so Valuable?
Early adopters won’t necessarily be the educators in your company keen to train your staff members, or the people suggesting the addition of new integrations and tools. However, these team members still play a crucial role in the way you introduce Microsoft Teams to the rest of your community. Early adopters feel comfortable exploring the technology just like another user.
Although early adopters might be first in line to test out something like Microsoft Teams, they’re also a good insight into your everyday employee. These professionals can often provide a lot of feedback about which features your other employees might find more difficult or need extra training on. Early adopters can also answer basic questions and provide some assistance to team members who need more guidance when it comes to working in a UCaaS environment.
The early adoption team members in your organisation will provide you with relevant updates, information, and timely responses to how they feel about each feature in the Teams environment, so you can actively improve the product before you deliver it to staff, or at least prepare with the right training and guidance. You might even ask your early adopters to participate in the creation of training content. For instance, you could record a session on Microsoft Teams where you and your early adopters test out things like virtual backgrounds.
Is Phased Adoption Necessary for Microsoft Teams?
For most companies, the easiest way to ensure adoption of Microsoft Teams en masse will be with a phased strategy. Today’s organisations are filled with multiple generations and different types of employees. Every staff member will have their own opinion of which tools work best, and each will feel comfortable with a different kind of learning experience.
A phrased approach means you can start your Microsoft Teams introduction slowly and reduce the risk of confusion and chaos when people are getting used to the new technology. After all, even with something as simple and intuitive as Microsoft Teams, there will be a learning curve for some employees. Having everyone in your office figuring out how to use a new service at once can often lead to confusion, lost productivity, and even silos in departments.
Your early adopters will follow soon behind the innovators and champions in your organisation in the order of who should have access to Microsoft Teams tools. Once you’ve gathered plenty of feedback from those professionals on the extra features they need, or the tools they feel uncomfortable with, you can then begin to bring other staff into the mix.
Follow early adopters with the early “majority” – the largest group of people you want to introduce to your new software. These people can turn to early adopters and champions for advice when they need it. However, most of these professionals will be comfortable exploring Teams on their own, provided they have the right training, and plenty of time.
Only after the majority of your employees have embraced the benefits of Microsoft Teams fully should you begin to look into bringing the laggards and late adopters into the fold. These are the professionals who need one-on-one training and guidance from champions and innovators to feel comfortable within the Teams environment.
Build the Right Adoption Strategy
New technology only thrives in the business landscape when adoption is universal. Microsoft Teams is a UCaaS tool dedicated to bringing people together – even in the hybrid landscape. If your employees don’t feel comfortable using this new tool, they won’t make the most of it.
Building the right adoption strategy which involves both champions and early adopters offering feedback to business leaders and stakeholders should help you to avoid some common issues with innovation and growth. Good luck bringing your early adopters into the world of Microsoft Teams.
