6 Keys to Drive User Adoption

Want ways to maximize your Salesforce investment? Look no further! Our User Adoption Services experts are pros at change management and learning programs and are here to share their six user-focused Salesforce adoption tips.

Whether you’re a new customer or a seasoned Trailblazer, your company has invested in Salesforce and made you one of the people responsible for implementing changes and increasing adoption at your company.

That’s no small task! It’s going to take careful planning and preparation… Enter Trailhead Academy User Adoption Services (UAS) — the people experts. Focusing on user needs and behaviors, our team of Salesforce experts develops change management and learning programs that drive customer success.

According to a whitepaper published by Deloitte, seven of the top 10 roadblocks to implementation success can be traced back to change management, or the lack thereof. That’s why the people side of change management is so important.

So much focus is placed on the new technology that’s being implemented that the individuals who need to utilize it are often overlooked.

The number one roadblock in the survey is employee resistance. Our team’s goal is to remove this roadblock by ensuring users feel prepared for the upcoming transition by understanding what changes are coming, why they’re happening, and how it’s going to help them.

Our team of 100+ advisors has enabled more than 40,000 Trailblazers around the world (that’s a lot!) — and we’ve learned a lot along the way. Let’s take a look at some of the top tips we’ve learned that will help you implement change and drive user adoption:

1. Identify your stakeholders

The first thing you need to do is think about who will use Salesforce at your company.

Is it just your business users, like sales reps or service agents?

Or do managers, leadership, and executives need access as well to be able to run reports, forecast, assign territories, and analyze metrics?

It’s important to identify your stakeholders across all levels and departments. Some tiers you might consider include Executive Sponsors, Leadership, Managers, and Core End Users.

Each group of users will have a unique way that they use Salesforce, tied directly to their role in the organization.

2. Assess impact

Now that you’ve identified your stakeholders, it’s important to understand the current and future state of how your users do their day-to-day jobs, and how this new technology will impact them. Let’s use our sales reps as an example.

How do sales reps currently manage their leads and accounts? What systems do they use to input their leads? How do they track leads and manage their accounts? Understanding the current state of their jobs will help you better support them as you roll out Salesforce.

Next, think about how their day-to-day operations will change after the rollout. How will they access their leads and accounts using Salesforce? Understanding the future state of their jobs will help you communicate what has changed.

Finally, you’ll need to grasp the impact on users. Put your sales rep hat on and focus on the benefits. We call it a “What’s In It For Me?” mindset (WIIFM).

Maybe it’s fewer clicks to create a lead, better visibility into their account details, or an easier way to generate quotes. To bring them fully on board, you’ll want to make sure they see the benefits first-hand.

Now that you understand how all of your users will be impacted by your Salesforce implementation rollout, it’s time to talk about it.

3. Communicate, communicate, communicate!

A plan for open communication is essential. Take this opportunity to have an open conversation with your users and stakeholders to address their questions and concerns.

Your communication strategy should keep everyone in the loop and align with key implementation dates. It will also lay the groundwork for change management, training, and communication plans.

Change can be unsettling, but as you communicate, share change management plans, and implement training, you’ll see your users move from a state of unease to a sense of buy-in and commitment.

4. Provide the training and tools needed for success

Some of your users might be familiar with Salesforce from a previous job, but everyone will be new to how your company will use it. It’s your job to give them the confidence they need to utilize Salesforce successfully. A great way to do this is with custom training for each set of users.

To support you in this journey, Trailhead Academy UAS can enable your teams with learning programs aligned to your business goals — delivering both ready-made and custom-tailored resources for every Salesforce user, at every tier.

These programs include one-on-one instruction, virtual trails and user guides, how-to videos, and more. Your training plan should be part of an ongoing strategy and align with key implementation dates.

Part of that strategy should include how you make your users aware of enhancements or new features that can help them be more successful.

5. Use myTrailhead for ongoing learning and skilling up

As your users get comfortable with Salesforce, they might start to ask for changes that can make them even more productive. You can easily share important and new functionality or enhancements with your employees by using myTrailhead, Salesforce’s customizable learning experience.

Not sure how to get started? Check out these free Content Kits or take a look at myTrailhead Content Services, where our team of Content Advisors and writers can create original content that meets your learners’ specific needs.

6. Encourage feedback and build a support process

Continual opportunities for feedback should not only be established for your users but also convenient. Be creative and encourage your team to be transparent. This is the best way for you to stay on top of how everything’s going.

It’s also important that your users know where to ask questions and get support. Leverage resources like a monitored Chatter group, timely and relevant knowledge articles, and group forums to exchange information and ideas. After all, Salesforce is all about sharing information.

If you make this your top priority, you’ll notice an impact on team productivity and platform adoption.

Jump in with User Adoption Services

With these six tips, you’ll be driving adoption in no time. Looking for more guidance

Learn more about our change management and customized training services.

Reach out to your Trailhead Account Executive, or fill out this form to get started.