Does product and technology onboarding work?
Hmmm …this is a very tough question to answer, not because I don’t know the answer but because it will be hard to accept
As a rule…”NO”
Now I am not referring to new employee onboarding, I am referring to new software or technology (solution) onboarding
For example, a new HRIS, CRM, ERP, or Sales Enablement platform…
Over the years I have seen so many product onboarding projects that frankly the only reason I remember some of them is because of the colossal failures they were
To provide some context…
- Let’s assume your final decision as to the technology solution you have chosen was the best and for all the right reasons…
- Let’s assume that your leadership team is all on board…
- Let’s even assume that your teams seem to be eager…
- BTW all of these assumptions make a huge difference in and of themselves!
So, how can this possibly fail?
It’s not the solution that fails, it’s the onboarding and training process itself that fails…
Now let’s clarify by saying that not all product onboarding processes are the same and some are more successful than others
The key is not the initial training which is critical…
The key is what happens after the onboarding and training process is complete
“NOTHING”
This is the problem
Without ongoing individualized training, monitoring and coaching, most solutions will be lucky to hit a 40% retention rate…
I can easily and quickly name some big-name sales enablement & CRM platforms with far worse retention rates than that!!
So what to do…
Leveraging a managed training program instead of that 1-3 week crash onboarding project is the key
“Behaviors” do not change easily or quickly if you want your investment to pay off then creating a long term strategy and managed training plan is the answer
It’s not about the technology, it’s about people…
People learn by repetition, support, recognition, and just doing… over a longer period of time
More on “Managed Training Programs” to come
#digitaltransformation #ceo #leadership #humanresources #salesenablement
