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In today’s hyper-competitive business world, organizations that adapt themselves to change are the ones that grow. Transformation is necessary for any business to deliver feasible solutions to its growing customer base. Given that it is inevitable in the business world, it is wise to try and predict transformations as far as possible.

Changes may be hard or uncomfortable, but with the help of the appropriate management techniques, businesses can overcome them all seamlessly. To achieve successful implementation leverage Change Management Models that could help you achieve your business goals.

Some of the famous theories and models you can explore are:

  • Lewin’s Management Model
  • ADKAR Model
  • The McKinsey 7-S Model
  • Kotter’s theory
  • Nudge theory
  • Bridges’ transition Model

But one of the more popular models in change management is the ADKAR Model, which is what we will be exploring.

What is the ADKAR Model?

ADKAR Change Management Model is a 5-step framework that deals with organizational transformation goals. This methodology was developed in the year 2003 by Jeff Hiatt, the founder of Prosci.

ADKAR is an acronym of Awareness-Desire-Knowledge-Ability-Reinforcement (more on this later).

What is special about the Prosci ADKAR model?

The Prosci ADKAR change management model is one of the most widely known and applied models that focusses on “the people side of change”. It is a step-by-step structured approach that ensures organizational change management.

Here are the Pros:

  • Easy to understand
  • Simple yet powerful framework
  • Outcome-oriented approach
  • Understands human behavior
  • Implements transformation in personal and professional life

Why the Prosci model?

The Prosci Change Management Model is employee-centric and outcome-oriented. It helps to identify the place of resistance and enables transformation by setting clear milestones to be reached throughout your process.

The ADKAR methodology helps in understanding a change process by breaking it into three distinct elements or states.

The 3 states of change in ADKAR

  • Current state
  • Transition state
  • Future state

The name ADKAR takes each of the state into consideration and here’s how:

  • Current state – Awareness and Desire (A & D)
  • Transition state – Knowledge and Ability (K & A)
  • Future state – Reinforcement (R)

Three key takeaways from this figure,

  • To move out of the Current State and into the Transition State, one needs proper Awareness about the present scenario and the Desire to change.
  • In the Transition state, Knowledge on how to transform and the Ability to implement the essential skills is required to move on to the Future State.
  • In the future state, to sustain the transformation of needs Reinforcement.

Now, let us take a look at how the ADKAR methodology should be implemented.

Create Awareness of the need for change

By implementing the transformation, you are making your employees come out of their comfort zone. None of your employees will be willing to do so unless you make them understand “why” it is essential. The answer to “why” sorts out many problems and builds a better relationship between the management and the employees.

The mantra is simple. Make your employees aware that a change is going to come, and the reason for the same. It means not simply announcing the change but communicating in detail with your employees and addressing the questions that arise.

For example,

  1. What is the nature of transformation?
  2. Why is it happening?
  3. Why now?

Explaining the need for change and addressing such questions well ahead of time will make your employees more likely to accept it.

Obstacles in building awareness:

  • Miscommunication
  • Rumours and gossips
  • Internal debates
  • Employee resistance

To overcome the obstacles and to build awareness – certain things that you must keep in mind are:

  • Make your employees understand the problem
  • Provide clear explanations
  • Enhance 2-way communication
  • Prove them by showing examples
  • Be patient and open-minded
  • Showcase the benefits

Nurture Desire to support the change

Just because your employees are aware that doesn’t mean they are willing to transform. Once awareness is created, we must kindle a desire among your employees.

During this time, two situations might occur:

Situation 1 Situation 2
Employees understand the need for change and believe it is highly beneficial Employees are aware but they are not willing transform
The process will be very easy and smooth It turns into a kind of toxic situation
You get their complete support and an enthusiastic response Explain the benefits in detail and foster desire throughout the process until they feel more comfortable

Situation 1 is a direct win. But to overcome situation 2, you must gauge their reactions to identify the level of desire and act accordingly.

With proper explanation about the need and benefits of the change, you can improve desire over some time. Only by creating desire, individuals will engage and support.

Ways to kindle their desire to change:

  • Share some case studies
  • Show them your findings
  • Build commitment
  • Address their concerns
  • Provide an answer for ‘what’s in it for them’?

Develop Knowledge on how to change

The next step in the ADKAR change management methodology is to provide Knowledge to your employees. The more you provide educate them, they are more likely they are to transform. This Knowledge is primarily about training and education that you provide your employees to begin the transition.

In this stage, companies start training their employees to provide the necessary skills. Unfortunately, businesses try to jump-in to this stage directly, bypassing the preceding Awareness and Desire stages. This is not an effective approach as it creates more resistance and increases adoption time.

Certain things that you must answer to your employees at this stage,

  • Why do I need to learn this?
  • What kind of training should I undergo?
  • What are the skills required?
  • How do I obtain those skills?

Companies must understand the two distinct types of knowledge sharing here:

Knowledge 1 Knowledge 2
How to change How to perform effectively in the near future
Do’s and Don’ts for the transition phase Provide knowledge on behaviors, responsibilities, skills, and tools needed
Identify knowledge gaps in advance Monitor the situation and ensure a smooth process

Make sure your employees have proper awareness and also desired to engage, then proceed with your training. This ADKAR change management training will be highly effective and your employees will soon adapt.

Factors that influence knowledge:

  • Current knowledge base
  • Resources available
  • Training methodologies
  • Employee contribution

Ensure Ability to establish skills & behaviors

Ability is the fourth framework of the Prosci ADKAR model.

Now, the action part comes into play. The Ability stage is the practical implementation phase where your employees start applying what they have learned. This phase takes more time to complete based on the performance level of employees.

Before getting into ensuring Ability, we need to understand the difference between knowledge & ability. Though both sound similar, there are several differences between them.

Knowledge Ability
Understanding How to change Knowing individual capacity to make the change
The risk factor is minimal, as they are not actually doing it The risk factor is high, one needs to develop adequate skills and make it happen
Comparatively, needs lesser time Takes longer time depending on individual performance
Example: Understanding how to drive a car Example: Driving the car

Ability is all about an individual demonstrating the process, so you need to help your employees learn new skills and behaviors that are required and put their knowledge into practice.

Things that can be done to ensure ability

  • Train them with experienced people
  • Provide innovative training – leverage digital tools
  • Monitor their performance
  • Hands-on practice
  • Build a 2-way communication
  • Address the pain points and support them

Focus on Reinforcement for long-term success

Reinforcement is the final (fifth) building block of the ADKAR model and it is an ongoing process. If making a change is difficult, then sustaining is 10X more!

Once a change is live and gives the desired outcome, the tendency of management is to “move on”.

Many companies get overwhelmed with the short-term outcomes and will not focus on that transformation any further. You shouldn’t be doing that. Focus on reinforcement must stay strong to sustain and deliver the expected outcomes for the long-term.

As we discussed above, sustaining the process is not easy, what if your employees revert to the old way?

To avoid things going wrong, here are some tips to follow:

  • Give rewards to encourage employees
  • Keep your employees happy and satisfied
  • Monitor and measure their progress
  • Provide incentives for good performers
  • Celebrate successes

Many companies invest a bomb in the first 4 building blocks of the ADKAR cycle (ADKA- Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, and Ability). But without the ‘Reinforce’ stage, your investment is being wasted and the probability of getting the desired outcome diminishes.

Accelerate the change by your support

The Prosci ADKAR model provides an excellent solution for various types of organizational transformation. Nonetheless, to cross each milestone you may require additional support from your employees, leaders, and management. Continued support throughout the process is highly essential.

How Can the ADKAR Model Be Used for Organizational Change?

To apply the ADKAR change management methodology for organizational change, keep in mind the following:

  • Awareness: Communicate effectively and help employees understand the need for change.
  • Desire: Empower and engage employees to support the change and to reduce change resistance.
  • Knowledge: Provide employees all the information and resources to carry out their work once the change is implemented.
  • Ability: Make sure your employees have the ability to work in changing environments.
  • Reinforcement: To make the change stick, the change in processes have to be reinforced with ongoing training and support. Ensure that you provide that to your employees.

In order to accelerate the process leverage Apty, a world-class Digital Adoption Software.

Apty provides guidance in training, onboarding with the help of interactive walkthroughs. Leveraging the Prosci ADKAR model with Apty’s support paves way for successful, sustained change.

Acquiring new customers and retaining the existing ones are the biggest business goals. Especially in the new normal that is now upon us, it is of paramount importance that companies walk the extra mile to keep their customers, new or otherwise, fully engaged to make sure they don’t take their business elsewhere.

One of the most effective ways to inspire delight in customers and prevent churn is to make sure that you have a flawless customer onboarding process in place. This is crucial because a detailed onboarding gives them the confidence they need initially to get started with using your application.

This apart, it also helps you built product usage and adoption rather quickly because your customers get familiar with it sooner when onboarded properly.

What is Customer Onboarding?

Customer Onboarding is the process of introducing your customer to your product, making them understand it completely, and use and adopt it to the fullest potential.  

According to wyzowl, approximately 63% of customers say that onboarding – the level of support they are likely to receive post-sale – is an important consideration in whether they make the decision in the first place.

This only reiterates the importance of customer onboarding. With effective customer onboarding in place, you can lower your churn rate, increase customer retention, provide a better customer experience, reduce support costs, and increase your revenue.

What is a Customer Onboarding platform?

A Customer Onboarding software is a tool that helps you to onboard your customers quickly and make them realize the WOW moment of your solution. A Customer Onboarding platform ensures that customers find value in every little feature and offering of your tech solution and that your product is being used to the fullest potential.

Top 8 Customer Onboarding software

  • Apty
  • WalkMe
  • Whatfix
  • Userpilot
  • Appcues
  • Nickelled
  • Inline Manual
  • Chameleon

1. Apty

Apty is the world’s fasted growing Digital Adoption Platform which helps companies of all sizes transform their onboarding initiatives. Apty’s Customer Onboarding Platform is as powerful as it is easy-to-use.

With its code-free editor, creating onboarding material is quick and hassle-free. As a one-stop solution for all software adoption needs, Apty empowers organizations and employees alike.

Apty follows the Digital Adoption Platform(DAP) cycle, that helps you understand your employees’ interactions with the application and analyze the way it is being used. It gives you a complete picture of where your users are getting stuck so you can proactively resolve challenges by providing them with the right help content as and where needed.  

Apty’s advanced analytics gives you detailed information on how your workflows, tooltips, announcements, launchers are being used, and basis these actionable insights you can deliver a superior software training experience to your workforce.

2. WalkMe

WalkMe is a Digital Adoption Platform that makes your customer onboarding effortless. They provide various solutions such as customer onboarding, customer care, and customer success. Combined with proactive, step-by-step guidance and automation your employees can finish their tasks easily and effectively. 

With a customer onboarding platform like WalkMe, you can onboard new employees, improve employee engagement, and reduce churn rates and enhance UX. WalkMe’s key features include comprehensive analytics, effective user onboarding, improved customer experience, and seamless digital transformation.

3. Whatfix

Whatfix is a customer onboarding platform that helps you to unlock the full potential of your web-based application. Make your digital adoption journey a successful one by empowering your employees to derive maximum value from your software investments. Use Whatfix metrics to see what flows are used most and identify the ones that must be further built or need to be altered. 

Whatfix, a SaaS solution, make your employee training effective by adding instructions and helps your end-users with customized in-app contexts. Some key benefits of Whatfix include a personalized user onboarding experience, omnichannel presence, on-the-job training, and useful widgets.

4. Userpilot

Userpilot is a code-free customer onboarding platform that helps you to increase user adoption by allowing you to provide the right in-app experience at the right time during their journey. Userpilot provides you with a customized product experience that will blend seamlessly with the application.  

The best part is the customized in-app messaging that helps keep your users engaged with timely hints and tips. Userpilot allows you to test your hypotheses to identify dropouts in the user journey. It provides a seamless user onboarding experience based on their persona and helps them achieve company goals.

5. Appcues

Appcues is a product-led growth platform that provides better UX that leads to faster adoption and more profitable growth. Appcues make it easy to get actionable insights that help optimize your user onboarding experience. Leverage in-product announcements features that outperform your email campaigns.  

With a customer onboarding platform like Appcues you can onboard and engage your new users, drive your product adoption, collect feedback and user data, deliver personalized in-product campaigns, and provide self-service support. Also, you can provide on-demand support – when & where your users need it.

6. Nickelled

Nickelled is a customer onboarding platform that provides onboarding experiences that are interactive, self-paced, and completely immersive.

With Nickelled, you do not need any software or code installation, as they are delivered from the cloud. Launch a guided tour in minutes without any file change requests or coding skills.

With a platform like Nickelled, you can get good insights into how your customers are using the product and understand where they need help. Create new workflows, without recording the entire workflows again, and update the new version in minutes. 

7. Inline Manual

Inline Manual is a SaaS onboarding platform that allows onboarding teams to build product tours, videos, interactive tutorials, announcements, and support articles that are all incorporated right into your app. You can also work together with your team to produce onboarding content.

A suitable alternative for small software companies to onboard customers more practically, based on pricing. It allows you to quickly save and change onboarding content to accommodate updated versions of your app. Provides several onboarding contents and displays content to customers according to the path they take.

8. Loom

Loom happens to be another great customer onboarding software. Loom is a video recording format supported beneficial for your product’s informational message and step-by-step guide. Also, it can access and operate different device specifications that businesses can use for their external and internal communication, which is the most necessary feature for their customer’s interaction and support.

Loom helps business personnel to create a platform where video sessions are being done and the customers get to know about their product features. It promotes good communication between the team and customers with the extra aid of sharing important videos through different platforms if necessary.

Best Practices of Customer Onboarding

The Customer onboarding experience should be specific to your employees and their needs. Each account should be individualized through valuable experiences, client portals, personal profiles, and readily available support.

It’s not enough to have a good product, you need to make sure that your customers know how to use it, otherwise they’ll be lost and frustrated.

  • Define what you expect from the customers to the employees and set appropriate and achievable milestones rather than unachievable ones.
    Customize the experience, onboard your team, and gather sufficient data associated with the onboarding process. Ensure that the onboarding process you set is accessible to all, repeatable, and flexible.
  • Focus on building the relationship with the customers, try to communicate with them as much as possible, and follow up once the onboarding process is complete. Assess the customer needs continuously and onboard product add-ons.
  • Make it as easy as possible. If the onboarding process is difficult or complicated, customers are much more likely to decide to walk away altogether. Provide assistance at their disposal. If they have a question or need help, they should be able to reach out and get the assistance they need right away.
  • Allow users to bypass extensive, detailed explanations if they are not interested. This gets them into the swing of things and gives them the option to depart if they aren’t comfortable with the onboarding process.

Why is customer onboarding software so important?

Customer onboarding software increases user adoption and reduction rates by teaching the new users how to use the app and get the most out of it, decreases customer support costs by offering self-help services to the customers in the form of tooltips, videos, and walkthroughs to understand the features of your product better.

Customer Onboarding Software Benefits

Helping your customers be more successful can be achieved with onboarding software. Customer onboarding software enables you to teach new users how to use the app and extract more value from it, boosting their likelihood of utilizing it regularly and increasing product adoption.

The onboarding software has a robust and intuitive user interface that allows employee onboarding to be effortless. It also has a user portal that is easy to navigate around and great customer service. It offers in-depth analytics on user activity, allowing you to see how your employees are performing.

Based on user behavior in your product, customer onboarding software gives you information on which aspects new customers are utilizing and which features they’re most interested in. They also provide customers with self-service support in the form of videos, walkthroughs, and tooltips, decreasing the need to contact customer care.

Why Apty is the best customer onboarding software:

Apty has been the highest-rated Digital Adoption Platform on G2, for the last four quarters consecutively. Apty powers the onboarding efforts of several Fortune 500 giants, helping them overcome challenges relating to not just onboarding but also digital adoption, digital transformation, change management and more.

With Apty, you can reduce your onboarding & training costs up to 60%. If you’re still on the fence about which Onboarding tool to invest in, we recommend seeing Apty in action and find out for yourself why Apty is the best one around.

Adapting to change is critical for businesses striving to maintain a competitive edge and ensure long-term success. Misconceptions about change management often paint it as cumbersome and rigid; however, when executed well, it streamlines processes, enhances agility, and reduces disruptions. Implementing change management best practices is vital for organizations looking to thrive amidst ongoing changes in technology, market competition, and regulatory environments.

Statistics indicate that about 50% of organizational change initiatives fall short, underscoring the importance of effective change management strategies. This significant failure rate highlights the need for companies to improve their approach to managing change, which is critical for staying relevant in an increasingly competitive market. Failure in change management can lead to stagnation or, worse, organizational decline.

Recognizing change management as a crucial factor for success, businesses must adeptly manage transitions to remain resilient. Change management encompasses the methodologies aimed at preparing, supporting, and helping individuals and groups adopt new changes, driving positive outcomes for the organization.

Given the rapid changes in technology, shifts in consumer behavior, and the introduction of new regulations, the demand for proficient change management practices is evident. More agile competitors might outpace organizations that cannot adapt to new opportunities.

Mastering change management best practices is essential for those tasked with leading significant change initiatives or aiming to take on such responsibilities. It is recommended that you follow these change management best practices to keep up, thrive, and succeed in the long run.

Definition of Change Management

Change management is the deliberate approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. It aims to maximize the positive benefits of change while minimizing any negative impacts. The process involves preparing for change, managing the change as it happens, and ensuring that the change is effectively embedded into the organization.

A key aspect of change management is addressing and mitigating resistance to change. Resistance is a natural human reaction to unfamiliar situations or adjustments in the workplace. It can manifest as skepticism, reluctance, or outright opposition, and managing this resistance is crucial for the successful implementation of change.

The essence of change management lies in its ability to streamline the adoption of new processes, technologies, or business strategies, ensuring that they are embraced and utilized effectively across the organization.

Change management facilitates smoother transitions and helps individuals adjust to changes more comfortably by employing a structured methodology that includes communication, training, and support. It encompasses assessing the impacts of change, planning for its implementation, and monitoring the change process to address any issues promptly, including resistance, ensuring the organization’s goals are met efficiently.

Understanding the Different Facets of Change Management

In the heart of navigating the complex maze of change management, two distinct paths emerge: Organizational Change Management and Digital Change Management. Both are critical to the success of any transformation project, yet they dance to very different tunes. Let’s decode these rhythms:

Organizational Change Management

  • Focuses on People: The core of organizational change management lies in guiding people through change. It’s all about the human element, ensuring teams understand, accept, and embrace the shifts in their environment.
  • Strategic Alignment: It aligns the change with the company’s overall strategy, ensuring that everyone’s rowing in the same direction.
  • Culture and Leadership: A significant chunk of the effort goes into shaping the organization’s culture and leadership to support the change, emphasizing communication, training, and support systems.

Digital Change Management

  • Technology-Driven: As the name suggests, digital change zeroes in on implementing new technologies and digital tools within an organization.
  • Process and Workflow Reengineering: It’s not just about new software or systems but also rethinking how things are done to improve efficiency, agility, and innovation.
  • Data and Insights: Digital change leans heavily on data analytics and insights to drive decisions, monitor progress, and measure the impact of change.

Exploring Types of Change Management: From Project to Digital Transformation

Both organizational and digital change management play pivotal roles in the grand scheme of transformation, yet they address different needs and challenges. Integrating these approaches with the Top 6 Change Management Best Practices ensures a holistic strategy that embraces technology and nurtures the human element. Incorporating best practices such as effective communication, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement, within the context of these change management types, paves the way for a seamless transition and sustainable success.

Here are a few additional types of change management to consider weaving into your narrative:

Project Change Management

This type focuses on changes within a specific project’s scope, ensuring that any alterations to project plans, schedules, or resources are meticulously managed and communicated. It’s pivotal for keeping projects on track and within budget.

Integrating monday alternatives provide flexible project management solutions that support better change tracking, collaboration, and cost control throughout the project lifecycle.

  • Scope and Objectives Alignment: Ensures project changes align with project objectives and overall business goals, maintaining strategic coherence.
  • Change Control Processes: Implements structured procedures for requesting, reviewing, and approving changes, minimizing disruptions and scope creep.
  • Communication and Documentation: Emphasizes the importance of documenting changes and communicating them effectively to all stakeholders to maintain project transparency and accountability.

Enterprise Change Management (ECM)

ECM takes a bird’s-eye view, embedding change management capabilities and practices into the fabric of an organization. It’s about creating a culture ready for change, capable of responding swiftly and effectively to new challenges and opportunities.

  • Capability Development: Focuses on building an organization-wide capability and readiness for change, embedding flexibility into the organizational DNA.
  • Strategic Integration: Integrates change management practices into all levels of strategic planning and execution, ensuring that change initiatives support overarching business objectives.
  • Culture and Leadership Engagement: Cultivates a change-ready culture, led by proactive and supportive leadership, to foster an environment where change is embraced as a constant.

Individual Change Management

At its core, all change happens at an individual level. This type focuses on understanding how people experience change and what they need to successfully change their behavior. It involves personal coaching, training, and support systems.

  • Personal Transition: Recognizes and addresses the personal journeys individuals undergo during change, tailoring support to meet their unique needs.
  • Resistance Management: Identifies and mitigates resistance at an individual level, leveraging personalized strategies to encourage adoption and engagement.
  • Training and Support: Provides targeted training and resources to empower individuals to succeed in the new state, ensuring they have the skills and confidence needed.

Operational Change Management

This variety deals with changes in business operations, including processes, workflows, and procedures. It’s essential for improving efficiency, quality, and productivity in day-to-day operations.

  • Process Optimization: Identifies and implements changes to business processes, aiming to enhance efficiency, quality, and adaptability.
  • Workflow Reconfiguration: Examines and adjusts workflows to optimize operational performance and responsiveness to changing market or business needs.
  • Performance Monitoring: Utilizes metrics and KPIs to track the impact of operational changes, ensuring continuous improvement and alignment with business goals.

The Span of Digital Change Management Across Types

Digital change management indeed intersects with various types of change management, underscoring the pervasive impact of technology across all aspects of an organization. Here’s how digital change management intertwines with the types outlined:

  • Project and Operational: Digital tools and systems are often at the heart of project and operational changes, requiring careful integration and adaptation.
  • Enterprise and Individual: The digital transformation necessitates a cultural shift at both the organizational and individual levels, promoting digital literacy and agile responses to digital innovations.
  • Across All Types: Digital change management strategies are essential for guiding the implementation of new technologies, ensuring they deliver value and are embraced by users across the board.

Key Types of Change Management: Strategies for Organizational Success

  • Strategic Change Management:
    • Revitalizes a company’s direction through changes in policies, processes, mission, and vision.
    • Aims to enhance competitive edge and capitalize on new opportunities, necessitating clear communication of the strategy’s long-term value.
  • Structural Change Management:
    • Adjusts internal structures, like management hierarchies and job descriptions, often triggered by mergers, market shifts, or regulatory changes.
    • Requires enhanced communication and reassurance to help employees navigate changes in their daily work environments.
  • Cultural Change Management:
    • Strengthens organizational culture to boost employee engagement and productivity.
    • Involves promoting new mindsets and behaviors, such as through DEI initiatives, and demands gradual implementation with continuous reinforcement.
  • Technological Change Management:
    • Keeps pace with technological advancements to prevent falling behind.
    • Focuses on demonstrating the benefits of new technologies to employees, supported by adequate training and empathetic leadership during the transition.

These facets underscore the intricate balance required in change management—between advancing strategic goals, reshaping organizational structures, nurturing cultural evolution, and embracing technological innovations. Successful change management practices are not just about the “what” and “how” but also profoundly about the “who” and “why,” emphasizing the psychological and human elements at the core of transformational efforts.

Change Management Best Practices

Navigating the currents of change management, transformational leaders blend the art of human-centric leadership with the science of digital innovation. This “Change Management Best Practices” section unravels the synergy between strategic change management solutions and the transformative power of digital adoption platforms (DAPs). It highlights how DAPs streamline technological integration and champion a culture of adaptability and continuous learning, ensuring organizations thrive in an era of perpetual transformation.

  • Explain Your Change Vision
  • Stakeholder Engagement and Communication
  • Data-Driven Strategy and Planning
  • User-Centric Training and Support
  • Leadership Alignment and Support
  • Continuous Monitoring, Feedback, and Adjustment

1. Explain Your Change Vision

Aligning your change initiative with the company’s vision is a fundamental practice in change management. It enlightens employees on the impact and integrates the change into the organization’s values. This vision should articulate the company’s guiding principles, preparing the ground for a comprehensive change management action plan. This plan should clarify business processes and identify resource gaps.

Incorporating the mission statement while presenting the vision clarifies the organization’s purpose. Maintaining a clear vision is crucial despite the rapid pace of change in today’s world. Changes may evoke a range of responses among employees, from excitement to apprehension. Therefore, providing a supportive framework and appropriate tools is vital for navigating change effectively.

DAP Solution: DAPs facilitate the communication of the change vision by providing interactive and engaging platforms where this vision can be shared vividly across the organization. They enable personalized messaging and content delivery, ensuring that every employee understands how the change aligns with the company’s overarching goals. DAPs also offer analytics to gauge employee engagement with the vision, allowing leaders to adjust their communication strategies as needed.

Relevant Read: How Apty Helps Enterprises Overcome Employee Resistance to Change

2. Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

Success in change management heavily relies on early and consistent stakeholder engagement. Identify and involve key stakeholders from the beginning, using transparent communication to outline the change’s rationale, benefits, and implementation plan. Addressing different groups’ specific concerns and needs strengthens trust and minimizes resistance.

Understanding the various perspectives and concerns within the organization helps tailor the change narrative, making it more relevant and accepted. Continuous communication about the change’s benefits and alignment with the organization’s core values encourages a collective move toward the desired future state. Early and transparent dialogue with all organizational levels builds trust and ensures inclusivity. Tailoring messages to different groups minimizes resistance and secures broader buy-in.

DAP Solution: DAPs excel in delivering targeted communications and engaging stakeholders through customized pathways. They allow for the segmentation of user groups, enabling messages to be tailored according to different departments or roles’ specific needs and concerns. Interactive feedback mechanisms within DAPs provide real-time insights into stakeholder sentiments, facilitating a two-way communication channel essential for successful change management.

3. Data-Driven Strategy and Planning

A strategic, data-driven approach underpins effective change management. Analyzing the current state to set clear, achievable objectives is crucial. This strategy should include detailed planning for resource allocation and timeline setting, informed by data, to anticipate and mitigate challenges.

Relying on data for decision-making throughout the change process ensures a methodical approach to achieving goals. This careful planning helps manage expectations and provides a roadmap for navigating the complexities of change, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives.

DAP Solution: By leveraging DAPs, organizations can collect and analyze user interaction data, gaining valuable insights into how changes are being adopted in real time. This data-driven approach identifies areas where users may be struggling, enabling the refinement of strategies and plans to address these challenges. DAPs help set measurable objectives and track progress towards these goals, ensuring the change process is aligned with desired outcomes.

For example, a leading beauty product company that sold its products through a multi-level marketing channel decided to use Salesforce cloud. Their internal team of experts realized that the adoption of new processes and applications would be challenging. This meant they had to replace over 30 legacy applications in over 34 countries.

The Salesforce rollout across the organization was even more challenging because of language barriers. The size of the implementation added to the complexity, as this rollout would impact over 3 million users globally.

Training is not a viable option to ensure successful adoption as every user in a different location has different needs. Customizing training for those users would cost millions of dollars.

So, the company dissected the change process into four phases. In the first phase, they ensured that the rollout of Salesforce would only impact 10,000 users and deployed a generic training program and a Digital Adoption Platform. These helped new users easily navigate through the complex processes, so they were more focused on sales rather than the new Salesforce interface.

In the next phase, the rollout involved over 100,000 users, and the subsequent rollout involved even more users. Phase-wise, they deployed the solution to over 3 million users, and the Digital Adoption Platform ensured that this complex change was adopted seamlessly.

This change initiative helps us understand that change that starts at a micro level can be monitored effectively and handled better. The outcome generated from it inspires the whole organization, and all the stakeholders involved can come on board when the plan is well-defined and is deconstructed into different phases.

Organizations must first determine whether a change is incremental or exponential. Then, they must identify what behavioral change is needed. In our example, users were expected to use the new Salesforce cloud in accordance with their objectives and accomplish their goals.

The project team must reimagine the new processes and document the resources that they need in different phases. In this case, adoption was challenging, and they went with a Digital Adoption Platform, which solved their problem after the implementation of Salesforce.

4. User-Centric Training and Support

Tailoring training and support to user needs is essential in change management. Recognizing different learning styles and readiness levels ensures effective and inclusive training programs. Training should cover the rationale and benefits of the change beyond just the procedural changes.

Providing continuous support through various platforms encourages adaptability and competence among employees. This approach ensures individuals feel valued and supported, facilitating a smoother transition and greater acceptance of the change initiative.

DAP Assist: DAPs revolutionize training and support by providing just-in-time learning and context-sensitive help directly within the applications users work with. This on-the-job training approach ensures that support is available precisely when and where users need it, greatly enhancing the learning experience. DAPs adapt to individual learning paces and preferences, making training more effective and reducing the time to competency.

5. Leadership Alignment and Support

Leadership alignment with change initiatives is critical for success. Leaders must embody the change, demonstrating commitment through their actions and communications. This visible support motivates the wider organization to embrace the change.

Many organizations recognize that assessing leadership effectiveness in transformation is a proactive step toward ensuring decision-makers are equipped to guide teams through complex organizational shifts.

Leaders play a crucial role in fostering an environment conducive to change. Their active involvement and support are a powerful example, encouraging a unified approach to adopting new practices and achieving the change objectives.

DAP Assist: Leadership can use DAPs to demonstrate their commitment to the change by actively engaging with the platform and setting an example for the organization. DAPs can facilitate leadership communication, enabling leaders to address concerns, share updates, and highlight successes directly. This visibility and active participation from leadership through a digital platform reinforces the importance of the change and encourages widespread adoption.

6. Continuous Application Monitoring, Feedback, and Adjustment

Adopting a flexible approach through continuous monitoring and feedback is critical in change management. Regular assessment and readiness to adjust strategies in response to feedback ensure the initiative remains on track and relevant.

This dynamic process involves engaging with stakeholders for insights and addressing any issues promptly. Celebrating successes and making iterative adjustments based on feedback keeps the momentum alive, ensuring the change achieves its intended outcomes.

DAP Assist: DAPs are invaluable for continuous improvement, offering analytics and feedback tools that monitor adoption rates and user satisfaction. This constant monitoring allows agile responses to user feedback, enabling adjustments to training content, support resources, and communication strategies. By identifying usage patterns and potential bottlenecks, DAPs help ensure that the change initiative remains dynamic and responsive to user needs.

Application Monitoring and Change Management Use Cases

Salesforce Change Management Best Practices

Implementing change in Salesforce requires a thoughtful blend of strategy, communication, and leadership engagement, all while keeping the customer experience at the forefront. By adhering to these best practices, organizations can confidently and precisely navigate the complexities of Salesforce implementation.

1. Strategize Before Implementing

Begin with a comprehensive strategy that outlines objectives, timelines, and milestones. A well-defined strategy ensures that your Salesforce change initiative has a clear direction and is aligned with your organization’s goals.

2. Engage Leadership in the Change Process

Leadership involvement is critical to driving change. By actively participating in the change process, leaders can provide necessary guidance, resources, and support to ensure the change is embraced across the organization.

3. Clearly Define the Scope of the Change

Understanding the full extent of the change helps in managing expectations and resources. Define what is changing in Salesforce, who will be impacted, and how, to tailor your change management activities effectively.

4. Communicate the Change Effectively

Transparent and consistent communication with employees about the changes, the rationale behind them, and the expected benefits is vital. Tailor your communication strategies to address concerns and foster an environment of openness and collaboration.

5. Prioritize the Customer Experience

Ensure that the changes to Salesforce enhance the customer experience. Every modification should be evaluated based on its potential impact on customer satisfaction and engagement, reinforcing the customer-centric philosophy of your organization.

6. Test and Execute the Change

Before full-scale implementation, thoroughly test the changes in a controlled environment. This step identifies potential issues and ensures that the transition is as smooth as possible, minimizing disruptions to both employees and customers.

7. Provide Ongoing Training and Support

Adopting new systems or processes requires continuous learning and adjustment. Offer comprehensive training and accessible support to address user questions and concerns, enhancing confidence and competence in the new Salesforce environment.

Evaluating and Adapting

The journey doesn’t end with implementation. Evaluate the effectiveness of the change management practices you’ve applied, and be prepared to adapt them as your organization evolves. The right mix of practices depends on your unique organizational context and goals.

For organizations looking to maximize the benefits of their Salesforce implementation, these best practices offer a roadmap to successful change management. They emphasize strategic planning, leadership engagement, clear communication, and a steadfast focus on customer experience, ensuring that your Salesforce changes lead to positive outcomes for all stakeholders.

Read more: Best Practices for Salesforce Implementation

SAP change management best practices

  • Define workflows and responsibilities.
  • Make data-driven decisions
  • Communicate the change effectively to your employees
  • Overcome change resistance with proper planning
  • Automate mundane tasks
  • Execute the change

ServiceNow change management best practices

  • Resolve conflicts before implementing the change.
  • Assess the risk of implementing the change
  • Ensure that necessary parties are notified about the process.
  • Communicate the benefits of the change to your employees
  • Use the CAB (Change Advisory Board) Workbench to schedule, plan, and manage CAB meetings
  • Execute the change

These best practices and change management strategies provide direction for your change initiatives. A Digital Adoption Platform can assist you in your initiatives by helping employees adopt change quickly without much resistance.

The Path Forward

Understanding and managing change is crucial for organizations aiming to stay resilient and successful. Establishing a solid vision for change ensures that all organizational members are aligned towards common objectives while promoting a culture of teamwork guarantees widespread acceptance and implementation of change initiatives. Simplifying change efforts into smaller, more manageable tasks allows for more precise focus and achievable goals, making the transition smoother and more efficient.

Adjusting and enhancing the approach to change management is an ongoing necessity for organizations. Businesses can remain adaptable to new challenges through continuous evaluation and improvement of their change strategies. This proactive stance towards change management, rooted in clarity, collaboration, and a commitment to improvement, prepares organizations to face future disruptions confidently, securing their place in a competitive market.

Walkthrough software is an essential tool for companies implementing a new enterprise application in their organization or for SaaS companies looking to improve their product.

Onboarding and supporting users of any software is a challenging task. You only get one chance to make a first impression, and if users find your software challenging to use, they might not come back.

If you’re a large company implementing new software, failed onboarding could lead to poor adoption and a loss of productivity – not to mention the wasted money on your software and training.

If you’re a SaaS product when users bail after a poor onboarding experience, you’ve lost a paying customer. If people can’t figure out how to use your software, they’re not going to keep paying for it.

Using a walkthrough software to build an interactive walkthrough can solve product adoption challenges and improve your user onboarding experience.

In this post, we’re going to examine the most frequently asked questions about walkthrough software to discover the best ways to implement interactive walkthroughs in your application. We will cover:

What is an Interactive Walkthrough?

An interactive walkthrough helps users adjust to a new program or process with on-screen guidance. Pop-up balloons to show users where to click and give instructions on what to do next. Interactive workflows are frequently used as a part of user training and onboarding.

Common types include:

  • Product tours to show new users how to navigate the application,
  • Process flows to help users finish tasks correctly, or
  • Feature introduction to show existing users how a new feature works.

How do software walkthroughs help users?

Interactive walkthroughs can significantly improve user onboarding and adoption by making your application easier to use. The software tour is like having an experienced guide sit next to the new user and show them how to use the application.

Even the best-designed software can be difficult to master at first. A good product tour can help novice users feel like experts. Think about tax preparation software. Most people who use TurboTax or other do-it-yourself tax preparation services are not accountants. They’re not tax experts.

So how do tax novices end up completing their taxes without the help of a professional? The software makes it easy by asking a series of questions and guiding users through the process. This approach makes tax preparation simple and faster.

Essentially, the entire program is an interactive walkthrough for your taxes. While the tasks your users are completing may not be as complicated as taxes, they still reap the benefits of making their jobs easier with on-screen guidance.

What is Walkthrough Software?

Walkthrough software allows you to create interactive walkthroughs without having to code and program them yourself. They work as a layer that sits on top of any web-based application.

  • Loading a javascript in the header of your application,
  • Through a browser extension, or
  • Via an API.

Walkthrough software typically delivers content in one of three ways:

Why do I need walkthrough software?

So, if you want to help users with on-screen guidance, you may wonder why you need to buy walkthrough software? SaaS companies often think they could just make it a part of their products. Large organizations think their IT teams can make custom-guided workflows.

Yes, you can create on-screen guidance content without walkthrough software. But should you?

Creating and maintaining guided workflows from scratch is time-consuming. A Walkthrough software enables you to design and publish content quickly – without having to deal with any limits on your internal development team.

What types of walkthrough software are available?

Most on-screen guidance solutions are a part of a growing category of SaaS providers called Digital Adoption Solutions or Digital Adoption Platforms.

These solutions are designed to help users navigate and adopt digital technology like a new HCM or ERP system or a new CRM like Salesforce. They’re also deployed by SaaS companies to improve their user experience and adoption.

Digital adoption solutions vary significantly in their features and functions. Low-end products are best suited for simple guided tours as they tend to focus only on adding pop-up bubbles. Enterprise-grade applications will include robust analytics and automation.

What features should I look for in a walkthrough software?

Since there are so many Digital Adoption applications on the market, it’s crucial to select one that best meets all your needs. Use these checklists to ensure you’re making a wise choice:

Essential Walkthrough Software Features Needed in a Digital Adoption Platform

Features Description
Audience Segmentation Make sure the platform lets you customize your workflows, based on roles or user groups.
Multi-Language Support Make sure you can deliver support content in all the languages you support.
Mobile Support Some lower-end applications only allow you to create guided workflows for desktop applications. If your user base accesses your application in a mobile browser or app, make sure you can develop content for them too.

Features #1 – Audience Segmentation

Description:

Make sure the platform lets you customize your workflows, based on roles or user groups.

Features #2 – Multi-Language Support

Description:

Make sure you can deliver support content in all the languages you support.

Features #3 – Mobile Support

Description:

Some lower-end applications only allow you to create guided workflows for desktop applications. If your user base accesses your application in a mobile browser or app, make sure you can develop content for them too.

If you’re looking for enterprise-class digital adoption tools, consider evaluating your vendors to see if their platform has these features:

Enterprise Features in Digital Adoption Platforms

Feature Description
Cross-Application Support If you want to use guided workflows to help users complete a business process, make sure your walkthrough software works with every application users will need, to complete the process. For example, a user might need to input a deal in their CRM and then create an invoice in their accounting system. An advanced DAP would create a workflow that guides the user through both applications.
Automation Automation takes your interactive walkthroughs a step further. If it’s a repetitive process, can you leverage automation to complete some or all of it? Advanced Digital Adoption Platforms will include an option for you to automate some or all of the process, so you can eliminate time-consuming steps in your workflows.
Advanced Analytics An enterprise-grade solution should allow you to understand how people are engaging with your application and your workflows.

Features #1 – Cross-Application Support

Description:

If you want to use guided workflows to help users complete a business process, make sure your walkthrough software works with every application users will need, to complete the process. For example, a user might need to input a deal in their CRM and then create an invoice in their accounting system. An advanced DAP would create a workflow that guides the user through both applications.

Features #2 – Automation

Description:

Automation takes your interactive walkthroughs a step further. If it’s a repetitive process, can you leverage automation to complete some or all of it? Advanced Digital Adoption Platforms will include an option for you to automate some or all of the process, so you can eliminate time-consuming steps in your workflows.

Features #3 – Advanced Analytics

Description:

An enterprise-grade solution should allow you to understand how people are engaging with your application and your workflows.

How easy is it to create an interactive walkthrough?

The ease of creating product tours and guided workflows will vary depending on the platform you choose. To get the maximum value out of your walkthrough software, you should prioritize ease of use for content creators.

If it’s too challenging or time-consuming to create a guided workflow, then you’ll generate less content and not deliver the best experience for your users.

Look for software that includes a code-free editor that allows you to create and publish content quickly. Apty’s editor is one of the easiest to use in the market.

How do I know what workflows to create?

Knowing what workflows to create is one of the toughest challenges. Many people know how an application is designed to work, but don’t always know how it’s being used by ordinary users.

With a traditional or legacy digital adoption solution, you just have to guess what workflows to create. You then get analytics on how users interacted with those.

‘Guess and check’ is clearly not the most efficient way to create support content. Modern Digital Adoption platforms, like Apty, follow the DAP Cycle, which helps you first identify what workflows are needed before creating the content.

The cycle has four parts:

  • Setup tracking to determine how users are interacting with your application
  • Analyze your usage to provide actionable insights on how and where to introduce workflows
  • Create and deploy your guided workflows
  • Continuously analyze and optimize your workflows to better meet users’ needs

By following the DAP cycle, you don’t waste time or money creating content users don’t need. The DAP cycle helps you quickly identify where on-screen guidance is necessary and how to best support your users.

Read More:- Digital Adoption Done the Right Way: What You Need to Know About the DAP Cycle

What best practices should I follow when creating interactive walkthroughs?

When building your interactive product tour and on-screen guidance consider adopting these best practices:

  • Learn your users’ behaviors and identify their needs
    As discussed above, you shouldn’t go crazy, creating tons of interactive walkthroughs without first figuring out how your users are interacting with the program, so you can build workflows best suited to their needs.
  • Make the Aha! moment obvious
    When users start to understand the value of your application, they’ve reached the ‘Aha moment.’ Leverage interactive walkthroughs to create an onboarding experience that seamlessly guides them and allows them to discover the value of what your platform does. Remember, onboarding isn’t about telling someone why they’ll love your new application, it’s about showing them. You’ll know your product tour is a success if users think, “Wow, this is going to save me so much time,” or “this is so much easier.”
  • Customize each user’s experience
    Not every user has the same needs – which is why it’s good to have walkthrough software that allows for user segmentation. Don’t waste someone’s time with a workflow on a feature or process they’ll never use. Create unique onboarding experiences that include product tours custom-tailored by your different user types.
  • Establish and track metrics to measure your success
    It’s essential to measure how users are interacting with your product tours and on-screen guidance. One key metric to look at is utilization and completion. How many people initiate a workflow, and how many people complete it? If ‘not that many people’ are launching the workflow, it could mean it wasn’t needed, or the process for starting the guided tour isn’t apparent and If ‘not that many people’ are completing it, you need to identify why they’re dropping off. Is the content not relevant? Are they abandoning the process?
  • Remind people when they haven’t finished onboarding
    If you’re using guided product tours as a part of your onboarding, hopefully, your walkthrough software allows you to track who has and has not completed the flow. Leverage that data to remind people to finish the process. Setup automated alerts that nudge people to finish their onboarding.
  • Break up workflows and processes into bite-sized chunks
    If your workflows are 20 steps long, you should probably revisit them and your process, in general. The more straightforward and simple a process and the resulting workflows, the more likely users will complete them.
  • Test and revamp your on-screen guidance content as needed
    Before you publish a workflow, it’s a good idea to have a small group of users test it out. You’ll also need to monitor your workflows and continue to optimize them as you learn more about your user behavior.
  • Onboard existing users to new features
    Onboarding is for more than just new users. When you roll out new features and updates, you should create new workflows to onboard your existing users to the new features. Make sure your interactive walkthrough illustrates the value of how the new feature makes a task easier or saves them time.

How can SaaS products use interactive walkthroughs?

Interactive walkthroughs are great for SaaS products looking to improve onboarding, product adoption, and feature utilization.

Benefits of Using Interactive Walkthroughs for SaaS Products

Faster Onboarding Product tours can quickly introduce new customers to the application so they can start using it immediately.
Better Adoption Product adoption is one of the highest priorities for SaaS products. If people aren’t using your application, they won’t renew their subscriptions. Guided product tours make your application easier to use and more “sticky” for users.
Improved Feature Utilization SaaS companies don’t want to waste time and money developing features that never get utilized. Create an interactive walkthrough to make sure that every feature gets utilized by your users.
Decreased Support Costs On-screen guidance can also help your support teams. Workflows enable users to figure things out on their own and decrease the number of support tickets your team has to field.

Faster Onboarding

Product tours can quickly introduce new customers to the application so they can start using it immediately.

Better Adoption

Product adoption is one of the highest priorities for SaaS products. If people aren’t using your application, they won’t renew their subscriptions. Guided product tours make your application easier to use and more “sticky” for users.

Improved Feature Utilization

SaaS companies don’t want to waste time and money developing features that never get utilized. Create an interactive walkthrough to make sure that every feature gets utilized by your users.

Decreased Support Costs

On-screen guidance can also help your support teams. Workflows enable users to figure things out on their own and decrease the number of support tickets your team has to field.

How can companies use walkthrough software with enterprise applications?

Software tours and on-screen guidance are excellent tools for companies that are implementing a new enterprise software solution or looking to improve their utilization of existing platforms.

Guided workflows make software easier to use and improve your overall user experience and productivity. Typical uses of on-screen guidance include:

  • Training
  • Onboarding, and
  • End-user support.

Benefits of Using Interactive Walkthroughs with Enterprise Applications

Faster Product Adoption Guided workflows make applications easier to use, so employees familiarize themselves with the platform faster. Apty clients report they can fully adopt new software 2-3 times faster using Apty’s interactive walkthroughs.
Decreased Training and Support Costs On-screen guidance reduces training and support costs. Users are less likely to open a support ticket when they can use the workflows to show them where to click and what to do.
Accelerated User Onboarding Product tours and on-screen guidance quickly onboard new employees to your applications. With guidance from a workflow, new employees can start using your software on their first day, with no additional training.

Faster Product Adoption

Guided workflows make applications easier to use, so employees familiarize themselves with the platform faster. Apty clients report they can fully adopt new software 2-3 times faster using Apty’s interactive walkthroughs.

Decreased Training and Support Costs

On-screen guidance reduces training and support costs. Users are less likely to open a support ticket when they can use the workflows to show them where to click and what to do.

Accelerated User Onboarding

Product tours and on-screen guidance quickly onboard new employees to your applications. With guidance from a workflow, new employees can start using your software on their first day, with no additional training.

Another benefit of using workflows as a part of your training program is that many interactive walkthrough software applications allow you to export your workflows into multiple formats.

For example, after creating a workflow in Apty, you can export it into these formats:

Exporting an Apty workflow saves the Learning and Development Teams countless hours as they can create the content once and export it into all the formats they need.

Read More:- How to Create Training and LMS Content Using the COPE Method

Conclusion: Why You Need Interactive Walkthrough Software

Interactive walkthroughs improve your user experience, production adoption, and onboarding. If you’re looking for the most productive and cost-efficient way to implement on-screen guidance, remember creating workflows from scratch is time-intensive and requires a specialized skillset.

Walkthrough software enables anyone to quickly build and deploy custom product tours with no coding knowledge. By utilizing walkthrough software, your developers and IT professionals are free to focus on other product improvements while you create an engaging and customized experience for your on-screen guidance.

Product Walkthroughs are the key to unlock the full potential of your product to the world. But many companies are guilty of not utilizing them effectively to meet their customer’s expectations.

They go with one size fits all approach and create a product tour or product demo that gives unsatisfactory results.

This creates a negative impact on the efforts that your organization is taking to succeed in the market. Making your product adoption journey difficult results in an increased churn rate and poor retention rate.

An ideal Product Walkthrough solution should be contextual, and interactive which should ultimately help to increase the product adoption rate.

We put together a guide of Product Walkthrough to answer the most common questions about walkthroughs, including:

What is Product Walkthrough?

A Product Walkthrough is also known as Product Tour. It interactively guides users to realize the value and functionality of the product. They are the means to onboard new users or empower the existing ones.

Tours help your users to stay motivated and use your product properly. A good walkthrough should be valuable to users and help them identify how a new product can satisfy their needs.

Product Walkthroughs are not a one-time thing and can be utilized to introduce new or updated essential features to your users.

You can also customize your tours so that only specific features are shown in a product tour to a specific set of users. For example, you might create a tour that highlights premium features if you’re trying to upsell a user to the next subscription tier.

However, a feature walkthrough should be limited to a few relevant steps to get started. Once the user gets hang of your product environment you can go ahead to present other features when users are ready.

Why do you need a Product Walkthrough?

When a new user starts to utilize your product they usually encounter some kind of challenge. It creates a bad product experience and as a result, a user can drop-off.

Users must remain engaged and satisfied throughout the user journey. Businesses should keep them motivated by providing great user experience. You need Product Walkthroughs because they can help you:

  • Make Users take action:- A new user needs guidance and providing them with interactive in-app walkthroughs does wonder. As a user need not leave your platform to learn about your product; they can learn by doing, thanks to interactive walkthroughs.
  • Achieve better Adoption rates:- The product tour help users to achieve their goals immediately with fewer touchpoints. It reduces the learning curve. This makes users adopt your product seamlessly without being dependent on anyone. Which eventually increases the product adoption rate of your application.
  • Increase Retention Rate and Reduce the churn rate:- Acquiring a new customer is 5 to 25 times costlier for a business than retaining the existing one. With a software walkthrough, you can retain the user and reduce the churn-rate. Reducing churn and increasing adoption improves your bottom line.

What makes a great Product Walkthrough?

A well-designed Product Walkthrough can determine the success of your product. Here are the few aspects that make a great product tour:

  • Focus on providing value:-  Initially, a user wants to see the value that your product can provide. To achieve this ask a few questions upfront to know what they want to achieve with your product. Once you know that guide them to achieve those goals as soon as possible.
  • Keep it meaningful:- It can be tempting to showcase all the features to your users but doing so will overwhelm the user and they could drop-off. Show users the specific features they’ll find most important within a few-touchpoints.
  • Don’t confuse the user:- Don’t show too many things at once, and never jump from one task to another especially when they are very different. Doing so could overwhelm and confuse your user.
  • Mention the Next steps:- Once the user completes a task let them know what next steps they have to take. This is especially important when trying to convert free trials to active users. Leverage the end of a walkthrough to push to the next action such as making a purchase.

How Product Walkthrough can be Used?

Product Walkthroughs are one of the most powerful tools that SaaS products can use to pave their path to growth. Here are a few ways you can put Product Walkthrough to use:

  • ntroducing new features and updates:- In-app guidance tools have an announcement feature which helps businesses to grab the attention of the user. It lets users know about the latest update and how to make use of it.
  • Better onboarding experience:- When a new user opens the application for the first time, he could be confused and could find it difficult to start. Having a product tour in place guides users from one step to the other with the help of contextual walkthroughs and tooltips.
  • Training new and existing users:- Most users aren’t going to sit through video training or want to read a bunch of help articles. So providing complete training via walkthrough on their own time using in-app guidance tools makes more sense. This saves a lot of time for the user in comparison to traditional training.
  • Enabling sales:- A Product Walkthrough can begin from the moment a user visits your website and a well-built site backed by dedicated hosting ensures the experience starts smoothly. Use a walkthrough to guide users through your sign up process. It is an effective way to increase the conversion rate by creating a cohesive product experience across the board. It helps businesses to convert users into customers.

The product tour as a whole is helpful to boost your key business metrics. The product team should leverage walkthroughs to drive growth.

How to choose the right product tour tool?

A product tour or walkthrough tool guides users through each step by designing onboarding flow with tools like Tooltips, Announcements (Pop-up), and on-screen guidance.

The tools and software to create this content come under the umbrella of Digital Adoption Platforms (DAP) or Digital Adoption Solutions.

Selecting the right Product Walkthrough tool can be challenging. Having a basic tool could be helpful but for a more targeted user onboarding experience you must delve deep and go with a solution that offers mobility, flexibility, and customization.

Usually, companies must go with a product tour tool which offers the following:

  • Walkthrough:-  Step-by-Step walkthroughs are one of the basic things. It guides users from one step to the other seamlessly. Each of these steps could be highlighted in numerous ways. The main purpose is to let a user how to complete the step and what to do next.
  • Tooltips:- These are generally available right next to a field. On Hovering over the icon which is right next to the field will give users the basic information about that field. It includes information such as:-
  • Why the field is important?
  • Why it is mandatory?
  • Multi-Language-support:- Having support in multiple languages is essential as your user could hail from any country. It helps you to acquire new users from different regions and helps you to increase your retention rate.
  • In-depth Analytics:- A modern Digital adoption solution helps you to get two types of insights:-
    • Application Insights:- It helps you to understand how the user is utilizing your application.
    • Workflow Insights:- It helps you to understand how the user is using the deployed workflow or walkthroughs.
  • Customization:- Based on the insights available from the above steps a business can design their workflow based on each user type. Audience segmentation helps you to provide a customized onboarding experience.

How to Create a Great Product Walkthrough?

Traditional Digital Adoption Platforms are not capable of creating workflows based on user behavior. Product tours in legacy systems are created by assumptions made by the product team on what they think users need.

Creating workflows by merely using “assumptions ” is not an ideal way.

On the other hand, a Modern DAP(Digital Adoption Platform) like Apty does have capabilities to create a workflow based on each user type by understanding user behavior.

With Modern Digital Adoption Platform, you follow the DAP cycle which guides you to create a relevant onboarding flow-

  • Application Analysis:- Understand how the user is utilizing an application this helps you understand their pain points and the issue that they are facing.
  • Design workflows:- Based on the application analysis the workflows can be designed for each user type, this way you create effective workflows that a user will use effectively without dropping-off.
  • Analyze workflows:- Once the designed workflow is deployed then you can analyze how the workflow is performing and then tweak it based on the drawn insights.
  • Improve the adoption:- With all the data and insights available you can automate, improve, and build upon the existing workflows and make it more interactive.

What are the Benefits of using Product Walkthrough?

  • Enhanced user engagement:- The user is hooked after their first interaction because of the Product Walkthrough. They go from one step to another, accomplish one goal after the other and all this contributes to a better engagement rate.
  • Improved product adoption:- One of the biggest challenges is to enable customers to use your product. If a product is not used, then a SaaS company could lose their customer.
  • Effective utilization:- In the long run, better utilization of the product is of paramount importance. A well-designed product tour that helps users to complete one task at a time and makes them realize their goals at their own pace ensures better utilization of the product.
  • Decreased support-ticket:- Since the in-app guidance tool has all the relevant documents, knowledgebase links, videos, and walkthroughs. It empowers users to do the tasks on their own. It reduces the user’s dependency on any kind of support. It helps the organization to save costs and utilize their resources in a much effective way.
  • Decreased churn-rate:- Once the user is able to properly use the product it helps the businesses to reduce the churn-rate as the users tend to use the application more often.
  • Increased ROI on training:- Digital Adoption Platform helps you to save time and money by enabling your customers to adopt your application in less time. On-screen guidance quickly shows users how your product works and guides them towards mastering it.

Here’s how Apty makes Software Training simple, better and faster.

Dos and Don’ts

Here are a few tips that you can follow to get most out of your Product Walkthrough:

  • Do align your Product Walkthrough strategy with the overall organization’s strategy:-  This might appear far-fetched but it is essential to align your Product Walkthrough strategy with your overall organization strategies such as product adoption strategy, training strategy, customer experience strategy, customer success strategy, and sales strategy.
  • Do co-ordinate across the board to get the walkthrough right:- Since the goals of the organization are aligned it is a must to involve important stakeholders to design a consistent walkthrough.
  • Do understand your users:- Understanding users by analyzing product usage is important for creating relevant workflows for your user. Having irrelevant onboarding flow in place could hurt the user experience.
  • Do create customized workflows:- Customized workflows created based on the data available helps the user to achieve the “aha moment” consecutively as the experience attached to it is personalized.
  • Do Ask for Feedback:- Even if you can analyze all the flaws and merit of an application, it is always better to ask for feedback from a user. A real person could help you to know where your product stands and allows you to check the efficiency of the insights drawn by the digital adoption solution.
  • Don’t set and forget the onboarding flow:- As onboarding, is a continuous process and the behavior of the user is continuously changing. Keep an eye on the analytics and update the workflow regularly. This doesn’t mean that you have to it daily or weekly. You can do it on a monthly or quarterly basis but the bottom line is to maintain the workflows and keep a check on them.
  • Don’t make the workflow lengthy:- You can be tempted to make a new user see all the features in one go but doing so will overwhelm them as they can barely remember such an exhaustive experience with your product. Moreover, it will impact the retention rate. The best option would be to dissect your Product Walkthrough flows and segment them in an organized manner. It will help your users to absorb your product in a much better way.

Going Forward!

A Product Walkthrough is a great means to onboard new or existing users. It enhances the user experience and increases product adoption rates.

Look for a modern digital adoption solution like Apty that helps you to deploy the walkthrough without even writing a single piece of code. It saves time for your development team, training professionals, and customer support.

Modern software walkthrough solutions are one of the most cost-efficient ways for any business to train and onboard users.

A CRM is a powerful platform for connecting with customers, partners, and provides services like marketing automation and analytics to the companies.  Research says “More than 88% of Fortune 100 companies use Salesforce”.

As of January 2020, Salesforce enabled the Lightning experience for all companies. So, companies started finding ways to implement new Salesforce Lightning training and adoption strategies at the earliest.

What is the Objective of Salesforce Lightning Training?

The primary objective of Salesforce Lightning Training is to make sure that your users learn and use Salesforce to the fullest capacity.

What are the Benefits of Salesforce Lightning?

Some key benefits that you must know about Salesforce Lightning: (Before switching from Classic to Lightning) 

  • Lightning Experience – modern, beautiful User Experience (UX) 
  • Lightning Knowledge – provides answers to your questions 
  • Lightning Components – modern UI framework with responsive user interface 
  • Lightning App Builder – create customer pages easily and quickly 
  • Lightning Bolt – view, modify, and create data needed for their specific industry solution 
  • Lightning Design System (LDS) – easy for you to build applications

Here’s a guide that we put together to discuss in detail the Salesforce Classic to Lightning switch, wherein we covered: 

  • Why do you need to migrate from Salesforce Classic to Lightning? 
  • How do I learn Lightning in Salesforce? 
  • How long does it take to learn Salesforce? 
  • What Does Salesforce Lightning do? 

Companies spend thousands to millions a year on Salesforce. But, to make it a fool-proof investment you need to provide Salesforce Lightning training to your end-users to get the maximum out of it. 

This brings us to an important question – What are the training methods for Salesforce?

Well, let’s get to it then. 

The three most common Salesforce Lightning training methods are:

  • Trailhead
  • Self-paced and Instructor-led Training
  • Digital Adoption Platform-Apty

Trailhead

Salesforce developed myTrailhead, Salesforce Lightning training platform, and launched it in the year 2014 at Dreamforce. According to Salesforce.com, myTrailhead costs around $25 per user per month and is an add-on to standard Salesforce licenses, which include Service Cloud, Sales Cloud, and the Salesforce Platform.

Trailhead uses a set of interactive online tutorials that train administrators and developers with a proper guided learning path to code for the Salesforce platform.

Trailhead uses a set of interactive online tutorials that train administrators and developers with a proper guided learning path to code for the Salesforce platform. Trailhead is a free training resource, featuring more than 150 individual training modules and 25 Projects that provide hands-on learning via step-by-step instructions. Trailhead award badges for completion of tasks which brings in the fun for learners. Trailhead content has four trails, identified by role and experience level.

Beginner

 

  • Admin Trail
  • Developer Trail

Intermediate 

 

  • Admin Trail
  • Developer Trail

Certifications – Paid

 

  • Salesforce Developer
  • Salesforce Administrator
  • Salesforce Technical Architect
  • Salesforce Marketer
  • Salesforce Consultant

Costs for the above-mentioned Salesforce certification varies from $200 to $6,000. Salesforce Technical Architect certification alone costs $6,000. The remaining certifications are either $200 or $400.

The Salesforce Lightning training offered on Trailhead through certifications is designed for admins, developers, and consultants. It’s not the best fit for the end-user trainer.  

To increase employee performance and productivity, companies must focus on their culture due to its direct impact on success. The company culture will affect how much each person is expected to do in one day and the quality of work they can produce.  

Create a culture that values employee input. Giving feedback increases motivation and engagement. Encouraging the employees to provide feedback periodically is the most reliable and efficient method of getting to know what they expect more from your side to improve their performance.  

Sometimes, the employers forget to appreciate the employees’ work, and eventually, they lose interest in reaching their goals, thus reducing their performance. So, their work should be appreciated well, which keeps them engaged and motivated. Engaged employees work harder and perform better.  

Self-paced and Instructor-led Training

Evaluation should be conducted by a supervisor or manager who is familiar with the employee’s job duties and has observed the employee in action. Also, the evaluation should be discussed with the employee so that they understand their strengths and areas for improvement.

1. Stony Point- stonyp.com

Stony Point is a Salesforce Lightning end-user training provider where you have the flexibility of virtual and onsite Salesforce training programs. According to forcetalks.com, their online learning program cost is between $300 and $4000.

Stony Point offers two types of training,

  1. Technical training 
    • Salesforce Administration & Configuration in Lightning Experience  
    • Salesforce Certified Sales Cloud Consultant  
    • Salesforce Certified Service Cloud Consultant  
    • Developing Salesforce Lightning Web Components and many more. 
  2. End–User training 
    • Salesforce Lightning Experience for Sales Leaders 
    • Salesforce Reports & Dashboards in Lightning Experience  
    • Salesforce for Marketing Users in Lightning Experience and many more. 

2. Udemy

Udemy offers a variety of Salesforce Lightning training courses ranging between $40 and $300. During the flash sale – you might be able to do a $300 course for only $25. 

Some of the popular Salesforce Lightning courses that are offered by Udemy are,

  • The Complete Salesforce Classic Administrator
  • Salesforce Platform App Builder
  • Salesforce Service Cloud Consultant
  • Complete guide to Salesforce Lightning Development

3. Simplilearn

Simplilearn offers several self-paced and instructor-led Salesforce Lightning training courses that cost around $300 to $1,500, according to forcetalks.com. These training programs have drawn positive reviews for their quality and user experience. Salesforce courses that are available in Simplilearn,

  • Salesforce Administrator & App Builder
  • Salesforce Administrator
  • Salesforce Platform App Builder
  • Salesforce Platform Developer I (Apex and Visualforce)

There are some other training resources available as well:

Cheat Sheets

  • To rapidly identify shortcuts to features and reporting techniques there are dozens of cheat sheets available. Bookmarking every shortcut, accompanied by step-by-step instructions and screenshots that are handy navigational guides is the notable benefit of Cheat Sheets.
  • Example Apex code Cheat Sheet, Visualforce Cheat Sheet.

Developer Workbooks

Salesforce platform details are available through a sequence of tutorials that are available in different workbooks.

Some Salesforce Workbooks: 

  • Some Salesforce Workbooks
  • Force.com Workbook
  • Apex Workbook
  • Visualforce Workbook
  • Force.com Integration Workbook
  • Database.com Workbook
  • Site.com Workbook

Salesforce YouTube 

  • Several Salesforce YouTube channels are available with multiple videos for Salesforce Lightning training.

LinkedIn Learning

 

  • Similar to YouTube, many videos are available on LinkedIn for Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced level of users.

Note: YouTube and LinkedIn Learning videos are go-to resource only for beginners or new administrators of Salesforce because it cannot train your end-users 100%. 

Zero to Hero Blog series 

  • This blog series will take a new Salesforce administrator, from Zero to an Admin Hero. Users visit the blogs posts frequently for reference purposes.

Digital Adoption Platform – Apty

The above-mentioned Salesforce Lightning training resources are highly useful for individuals looking to become Salesforce admins or developers but are not the best fit for your average end-users.

After spending a ton in procuring and implementing Salesforce, don’t you want your employees to adopt it quickly? Most employees don’t need a certification to use Salesforce in their daily jobs. How can you provide the right training on the job?

Apty enables the employees to use Salesforce to the fullest capacity and complete the task quickly and effectively. Digital Adoption Platform reduces 60-70% of Salesforce Lightning training time and increases the employees’ productivity.

By leveraging Digital Adoption Platform for Salesforce Lightning training, you can  

  • Onboards new users and provide ongoing guidance to existing users  
  • Eliminatthe need for costly and ineffective training programs. 
  • Provide real-time guidance to your end-users 
  • Never waste time or energy leaving the screen, watching time-consuming video tutorials, or pouring over manuals and FAQ pages.  
  • Create tooltips and engaging content 
  • Reduce the occurrence of errors made by your employees 
  • Get real-time product usage analytics and create customized walkthroughs 
  • So, you can identify the employee pain points and address the same by creating engaging walkthroughs 
  • Automate mundane tasks 
  • You can automate Salesforce tasks, which not only saves time but also makes your employees comfortable to use the application 

Here is the sample video that shows how Apty helps in Salesforce adoption,

That’s one of the reasons, why organizations like Boeing, Delta Airlines, TD Bank, and others leverage Apty. This is the new and emerging digital transformation trend that helps businesses to grow faster and increase ROI. If you want your employees to make use of this growing opportunity and increase the productivity of business TRY APTY!

2026 Enterprise Software Trends in the Airline Industry

The Airline industry is a fascinating subject to follow, especially regarding the various software system trends. Most airlines are adopting new digital technologies in their operations and customer experiences.

Here’s the thing about air travel: it can be an exciting and beautiful experience, but also often a stressful and demanding one. That’s why airlines need to have enterprise software systems that help them manage their duties more effectively.

After all, when you’re dealing with a lot of things at once (like multiple passengers, various flight schedules, baggage handling, and cargo handling), you need to be able to manage everything on a superior level. And because this is just an area where people are willing to spend lots of money on the newest technology available, there are quite a few enterprise software solutions available today that will help airlines keep up with customer needs while providing greater accuracy in terms of booking tickets while letting managers keep tabs on everything from employee performance to company inventory levels.

In the first blog, “The Digital Transformation Evolution of the Airline Industry.“, we explored the evolution of the airline industry’s digital transformation. Building on that, this blog will take a closer look at the six leading aviation systems that require consistent development and the top aviation software solutions expected to dominate the industry in 2023. Specifically, we’ll delve into the top airline customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms, human resources information systems or human capital management (HRIS/HCM) platforms, IT service management (ITSM) platforms, project and portfolio management (PPM) tools, and other airline software solutions.

By understanding the latest and most effective airline business software solutions, airlines can improve their operations and enhance the passenger experience.

The Latest Airline Business Software:

Airline Business Software supports various business operations, such as reservation management, flight scheduling, revenue management, and maintenance tracking. It is a pivotal component of the airline industry, helping airlines to manage their operations and enhance the passenger experience.

Airline Business Software supports various business operations, such as reservation management, flight scheduling, revenue management, and maintenance tracking. It is a pivotal component of the airline industry, helping airlines to manage their operations and enhance the passenger experience.

The 6 Leading Aviation Systems Requiring Consistent Evolution

  • Airline Management System (AMS): A comprehensive software suite that helps airlines manage their fleets and personnel and tracks financial performance. AMS can help airlines track and analyze customer data, manage ticketing, and fare structures, and provide customer service.
  • Air Traffic Control (ATC): This software manages air traffic, monitors airspace, and coordinates communication between air traffic controllers and pilots. This software can provide safe, efficient, and accurate air traffic control services.
  • Flight Management System (FMS): Airlines use this for route planning, navigation, and operation. This system helps pilots and airlines to find the most efficient routes and optimize flight operations. The FMS also plans and manages flight operations and monitors fuel consumption.
  • Reservation System (RS): Airlines use this to manage their bookings, reservations, and schedules. It allows passengers to book flights and manage itineraries through the airline’s website or mobile app. Reservation systems also handle ticketing, seat assignments, and other related tasks. Some examples of Reservation System software used by airlines include Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport.
  • Navigation System (NS): The pilot uses it to navigate the aircraft during the flight. It uses a combination of GPS, radio beacons, and other sensors to determine the aircraft’s position, altitude, and heading. Navigation systems also provide pilots with information on weather conditions, airspace restrictions, and other factors that can affect the flight. Examples of Navigation System software used by airlines include Honeywell, Collins Aerospace, and Thales.
  • Flight Planning System (FPS): Airlines uses to plan and optimize their flight routes. It takes into account various factors such as weather conditions, airspace restrictions, fuel consumption, and other factors to create the most efficient and safe flight plan. Examples of Flight Planning System software used by airlines include Jeppesen, Lufthansa Systems, and SITA.  

The Leading Aviation Software Solutions in 2023

1. Top Airline Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Platforms:

  •  Salesforce: helps businesses manage their customer relationships. It offers a variety of features, including customer data management, sales automation, marketing automation, and customer support. Salesforce is one of the most popular CRM software on the market to be used by many major airlines.
  • Oracle: offers a wide range of features, including customer data management, sales automation, marketing automation, and customer support. Oracle is known for its scalability and flexibility.
  •  SAP:helps businesses manage their customer relationships. It offers a variety of features, including customer data management, sales automation, marketing automation, and customer support. SAP is known for its reliability and stability.
  • Microsoft Dynamicshelps businesses manage their customer relationships. It offers a variety of features, including customer data management, sales automation, marketing automation, and customer support. It is also known for its ease of use and integration with other Microsoft products.
  • HubSpot: is a CRM software that helps businesses manage their customer relationships. It offers a variety of features, including customer data management, sales automation, marketing automation, and customer support. It is known for its robust feature set and affordable pricing.

2. Top Airline Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Platforms:

a) Oracle Aviation Cloud: is a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) software designed specifically for the aviation industry. Airlines, airports use the software, and other aviation-related businesses to manage their operations. It includes modules for finance, human resources, maintenance, and more. Virgin Atlantic Airways and American Airlines uses Oracle Aviation Cloud.

e) Amadeus: is a leading provider of technology solutions for the airline industry. They work with airlines to simplify and streamline their operations, making it easier for them to manage and grow their business while delivering great traveler experiences. Amadeus is one of the world’s top ten travel technology companies, with a team of more than 16,000 people in over 190 countries.

f) Sabre: is a global technology company that provides software and services for the airline industry to the travel industry, including airlines, hoteliers, and travel agencies. It is North America’s most prominent global distribution systems provider for air bookings.

g) Travelport: is a global technology company that powers bookings for hundreds of thousands of travel suppliers worldwide. It offers a cloud-based solution called Smartpoint Cloud which makes it easy to use and deploy. It can be accessed via a PC or Mac browser, needs no installation or maintenance, and without any downloading, gets updated.

h) Awery ERP: is a web-based aviation management software that offers tailored business cycle solutions for commercial and cargo airlines, private operators, freight forwarders, cargo agents, aviation service providers, air charter brokers, and on-board couriers. It is a complete integrated platform that manages main aviation business processes such as sales, operations, finance, and HR, increasing productivity, reliability, and efficiency. Awery ERP is highly flexible and customizable, developed closely with aviation professionals.

3. Top Airline Human Resources Information Systems or Human Capital Management (HRIS/HCM) Platforms:

a) Amadeus Altéa Suite: is a software suite designed for airlines’ sales and reservations, inventory management, and departure control system. It is a full-passenger service system that provides unique and integrated solutions to airlines.

b) Sabre Airline Solutions: is a software company that provides software solutions for the airline industry. Their solutions portfolio covers various areas of aviation and helps airlines operate more efficiently, drive revenue, and offer personalized traveler experiences.

c) Travelport Galileo: Galileo is a computer reservations system (CRS) owned by Travelport, which books airline reservations, train travel, cruises, car rental, and hotel rooms. Travelport also offers assisted ticketing capabilities to Galileo users.

d) IATA: is the world’s largest trade association for the airline industry. It represents around 300 airlines, which account for 83% of total air traffic. IATA also provides various software products and services to its member airlines.  It supports various areas of aviation activity and helps formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues.

e) Aircraft Maintenance and Component Tracking (AMCT): This software solution helps airlines track maintenance information for their aircraft fleet. AMCT is used by several major airlines, including United Airlines, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines.

4. Top Airline IT Service Management (ITSM) Platforms:

Source: servicenow.com 

  • ServiceNow: is a cloud-based ITSM software that offers a wide range of features, including incident management, problem management, change management, and asset management. The software helps businesses improve their IT operations and reduce costs.
    Relevant Read – ServiceNow Change Management: The Complete Guide
  • BMC Remedy: is an on-premise ITSM software that is designed to enable an autonomous digital enterprise and includes features such as automation, service management, DevOps, workflow orchestration, AIOps, and security. BMC also offers cloud based ITSM solutions such as BMC Helix Remedyforce.
  • CA Service Desk Manager: is an IT service management solution that provides change management, automation, and incident management features. It is part of the CA Service Management suite, a robust enterprise-class IT service management solution.
  • HP Service Manager: is an IT service management tool that uses the ITIL framework to provide a web interface for corporate changes, releases, and interactions. It is a cloud-based help desk management solution that helps businesses handle change and incident management.
  • IBM Tivoli Service Request Manager: IT service management software offers a unified and integrated approach to dealing with all service requests to enable a “one-touch” IT service experience. The software provides log files that provide informational and troubleshooting data to assist with IBM Software Support.

5. Top Airline Project & Portfolio Management (PPM) Platforms:

a) Clarity PPM: is a cloud-based application that gives users real-time visibility into their portfolios that helps airlines optimize their operations and improve their bottom line. Clarity PPM’s management tool provides improved visibility into airline operations, enhanced decision-making capabilities, increased efficiency and productivity, and reduced costs.

Relevant Read – Solutions to Clarity PPM Challenges in the Airline Industry 

Relevant Read – Case Study – Simplified Software Adoption for one of the World’s Largest Airline Companies (Creative needs to be done)

b) Jira: is a project portfolio management software that helps teams plan, track, and release work. The software offers a variety of features, including agile planning, issue tracking, and reporting. Jira Core, a component of Jira, provides project managers with tools to orchestrate projects and ensure that tasks are completed on time.

Relevant Read – Business Transformation Tools  

Relevant Read – Simplify Training for Your Homegrown Applications

c) Alteryx: is a data analytics software company offering a cloud-based airline operations platform. The platform provides airlines with the ability to manage and analyze data in real-time, as well as create predictive models to improve operational efficiency. It also offers a number of other software products for airline operations, including an airport operations management system and a customer relationship management system.

d) Wrike: is a project portfolio management software that helps teams plan, execute, and track work. The software offers a variety of features, including task management, Gantt charts, resource planning, and reporting.

e) Asana: is a project portfolio management software that helps users manage multiple projects in one place, prioritize project work, and monitor work happening across multiple projects and teams.

f) Trello: is a project management tool that allows teams to track and manage tasks collaboratively and flexibly. It uses a visual interface that organizes projects into boards, with each panel containing lists of functions represented by cards.

g) Smartsheet: is a cloud-based platform for work execution that enables teams and organizations to manage projects, automate processes, and scale programs in one powerful platform. It offers a range of capabilities, including team collaboration, workflow automation, and dynamic work management.

h) Minitab: is a statistical software package that provides data analysis, statistical, and process improvement tools to help businesses understand their data and make better decisions. It offers various statistical tests, including t-tests, ANOVA, and regression analysis, and can also be used to create graphs and charts to represent data visually.

Other Airline Software Solutions:

Source: altexsoft.com

These systems play a decisive role in the airline industry, and using such sophisticated technologies continues to evolve and improve, allowing airlines to operate more efficiently and effectively. As the aviation industry evolves, so does the software it uses. In 2023, several trends are expected to shape the industry’s software landscape. It includes increased use of automation, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and data analytics. Adopting these enterprise software trends in the airline industry is expected to drive significant improvements in operational efficiency, customer experience, and profitability in the coming years.

The upcoming part 3 of a 3-part series blog, “Aviation Change Management & Digital Transformation During an Economic Downturn,” provides insight into how airlines can overcome these challenges and continue to innovate and grow in a changing industry. It explores the best practices for successful digital transformation in the airline industry.

As organizations navigate complexities, the strategic importance of calculating and enhancing the ROI of ERP implementation comes into sharp focus. With the ERP software market expected to reach $62.36 billion by 2028, growing at an annual rate of 4.78% from 2023 to 2028, understanding the return on this significant investment is more crucial than ever for companies investing in ERP systems. We highlight how optimizing ERP systems to impact the bottom line, especially by reducing operational costs.

The concept of ERP ROI goes beyond mere financial calculations. It encompasses a broader spectrum of operational and strategic benefits that ERP systems offer. The impacts are far-reaching, from streamlined processes to improved data accuracy and decision-making. However, the challenge lies in quantifying these benefits and understanding how they translate into tangible returns. This is where metrics like ERP ROI analysis and tools like ERP ROI calculators become indispensable for businesses seeking to justify their ERP investments.

Moreover, the evolving business technology demands a more nuanced approach to implementing and leveraging ERP systems. Whether it’s through reducing cycle times, enhancing resource allocation, or improving inventory management, the ROI of ERP implementation can be a game-changer for businesses. It’s not just about implementing technology but about doing it in a way that aligns with the organization’s strategic goals and operational needs. Let’s explore how businesses can achieve an optimal ROI from their ERP systems, focusing on strategies that reduce operating costs while enhancing overall efficiency and productivity.

Understanding the ROI of an ERP System

The ROI of ERP implementation includes both financial returns and indirect benefits enhancing organizational efficiency and effectiveness. The average spend per employee in the ERP Software market is projected to be $14.19, underlining companies’ substantial investment in these systems. Understanding this ROI is crucial to gauge the success and viability of ERP investments.

ERP ROI analysis comprehensively evaluates how the system affects various aspects of the business. This encompasses evaluating improvements in process efficiency, data accuracy, decision-making capabilities, and overall organizational agility. These improvements often lead to cost reductions and enhanced revenue opportunities, directly impacting the bottom line. Businesses often use ERP ROI calculators to accurately measure these benefits, which provide a more quantitative understanding of the system’s impact.

However, an ERP system’s influence extends beyond quantifiable metrics. Its strategic value in aligning organizational processes with business objectives is significant. It enables businesses to adapt swiftly to market changes and customer demands, which, while challenging to quantify, are crucial for long-term business success. This strategic alignment is fundamental in ensuring that the ERP system serves current operational needs and positions the company for future growth and adaptation.

 

Learn More: ERP Implementation Checklist: Planning for an Enterprise Implementation

Calculating ERP ROI

Calculating the ROI of an ERP implementation is essential in evaluating its effectiveness and justifying the investment. This includes assessing immediate financial returns and the broader impact on operations and efficiency. Notably, the average ROI for an ERP project is 52%, meaning for every $1 invested in an ERP system, there’s an average return of $1.52. The calculation process involves identifying all costs, quantifying benefits, considering both short-term and long-term gains, and utilizing ERP ROI calculators for a comprehensive analysis.

Firstly, it’s essential to identify all associated costs of the ERP system. This includes the upfront costs like software purchase and hardware acquisition and ongoing expenses such as maintenance, support, and training. These figures form the investment baseline against which returns will be measured.

Secondly, the ERP system’s benefits must be quantified. This can be challenging, as benefits often extend beyond direct financial savings. Improved process efficiencies, time savings, error reductions, and better decision-making capabilities are some areas where ERP systems add value. Quantifying these benefits in monetary terms requires a thorough understanding of operational processes and how they translate into cost savings or revenue generation.

Additionally, businesses should consider both short-term and long-term benefits. While some advantages, like improved workflow efficiency, may be immediate, others, such as increased customer satisfaction or market share growth, may take longer to materialize but are equally important for the overall ROI calculation.

 

The formula for ERP ROI is typically calculated as follows:

ERP ROI=(Total Benefits – Total CostsTotal Costs)×100ERP ROI=(Total CostsTotal Benefits – Total Costs​)×100

Finally, businesses can utilize ERP ROI calculators, which factor in these various costs and benefits to provide a more comprehensive ROI figure. These tools often include options to input specific data relevant to the business, allowing for a tailored and accurate ROI assessment.

Following these steps, businesses can gain a clear and objective view of the ROI of their ERP implementation, enabling them to make informed decisions about future investments in their ERP systems.

 

Delve More: ERP Adoption – 5 Lethal Mistakes to Avoid in the Post-Pandemic World

Determining the Benefits of ERP

ERP implementation offers benefits beyond financial gains. Reinforcing these advantages, 93% of organizations report their ERP projects as successful, indicating a high rate of positive outcomes from these investments. This high success rate highlights the substantial impact of ERP systems on a business’s operational and strategic performance. Understanding these benefits is crucial for any organization considering or evaluating an ERP system.

Operational Efficiency: One of the primary advantages of an ERP system is the remarkable improvement in operational efficiency. ERP systems reduce manual labor and minimize errors by automating and streamlining business processes. This efficiency is not just in terms of time saved but also in the optimal use of resources, leading to significant cost savings.

Improved Decision-Making: ERP systems provide a unified, real-time view of business data, enabling better decision-making. With accurate and timely data, management can make informed decisions, foresee business trends, and strategize effectively. This improved decision-making capability can lead to better business outcomes and increased profitability.

Enhanced Data Accuracy and Reporting: ERP systems consolidate data from various business functions, ensuring consistency and accuracy. Data reliability enhances reporting quality, which is vital for compliance, forecasting, and strategic planning.

Cost Reduction: A direct benefit of ERP implementation is cost reduction. Businesses can significantly lower their operating costs by optimizing operations and improving efficiency. This includes reductions in inventory, procurement, and even HR-related expenses.

Increased Customer Satisfaction: ERP systems can significantly enhance customer satisfaction by streamlining processes like order fulfillment, inventory management, and customer service. A satisfied customer base often translates into repeat business and positive word-of-mouth, which are invaluable for any business.

Scalability and Growth: ERP systems are designed to grow with your business. They provide the scalability needed to accommodate growth, whether in terms of increased transaction volumes, new business processes, or geographic expansion.

Competitive Advantage: An efficient ERP system can be a significant differentiator in today’s competitive world. It enables businesses to respond quickly to market changes, manage operations effectively, and maintain a competitive edge.

Let’s explore tips to increase the ROI of an ERP system, focusing on how strategic planning, system selection, implementation, and continuous improvement can contribute to maximizing ROI.

 

Read More: ERP Implementation Plan: 10 Key Phases & Best Practices

8 Tips to Increase the ROI of an ERP System

Strategic Planning and Goal Setting

  • Aligning the ERP system with business objectives is critical. Clearly defined goals help measure the ERP implementation’s success and contribution to the organization’s strategic vision.
  • Setting measurable and realistic goals for the ERP system ensures that every functionality and process aims to achieve specific outcomes.

Choosing the Right ERP Solution

  • Selecting an ERP solution that aligns with the business’s unique needs is vital. The right system should fit the current business processes and be scalable for future growth.
  • When choosing an ERP system, consider factors like industry-specific features, user-friendliness, and integration capabilities.

Effective Implementation and Integration

  • A well-planned and executed implementation is key to maximizing ROI. This includes careful planning, resource allocation, and stakeholder engagement throughout the implementation process.
  • Ensuring seamless integration with existing systems and processes reduces disruptions and enhances system effectiveness.
  • To drive successful ERP adoption, tools like Apty streamline onboarding and enable process automation, reducing manual errors and boosting operational agility.

User Training and Support

  • Comprehensive training for end-users is essential to ensure they are comfortable and proficient with the new system. This increases user adoption and maximizes the ERP system’s potential.
  • Continuous support and access to help resources post-implementation help in resolving issues quickly and maintaining system efficiency.
  • Traditional training often fails to deliver long-term value. Apty transforms onboarding into an interactive learning journey with personalized walkthroughs and continuous employee training software embedded into ERP workflows.
  • See how a Fortune 500 telecom company accelerated  ERP adoption with Apty.

Data Management and Quality Control

  • Accurate and consistent data is the foundation of any ERP system. Implementing standards for data entry and ongoing quality checks can significantly improve information reliability.
  • Regular audits and data cleansing activities ensure the ERP system continues to provide valuable and accurate insights.

Continuous Improvement and Adaptation

  • Regular assessment of the ERP system’s performance helps identify improvement areas. Being receptive to user feedback and adapting to changing business needs keeps the system relevant and effective.
  • Staying updated with the latest ERP trends and technologies can provide further optimization and ROI enhancement opportunities.

Measuring and Analyzing Performance Post-Implementation

  • Utilizing built-in analytics tools and performance metrics allows continuous monitoring of how the ERP system contributes to business goals.
  • Regularly reviewing these metrics and making data-driven decisions can lead to ongoing improvements in the ERP system’s performance and ROI.

Using Digital Adoption Platforms (DAPs)

Integrating Digital Adoption Platforms (DAPs) with ERP systems significantly advances how businesses optimize their software investments. DAPs play a crucial role in enhancing the effectiveness and usability of ERP systems, addressing several key challenges that organizations often face post-implementation.

User Experience Enhancement: DAPs are designed to simplify complex ERP interfaces, making them more intuitive and user-friendly. This enhancement in user experience is crucial, especially when dealing with sophisticated ERP software that can often overwhelm users. By providing a more accessible interface, DAPs help reduce the learning curve and increase overall user satisfaction.

On-Demand Training and Support: One of the standout features of DAPs is their ability to offer real-time, context-sensitive guidance. This on-the-fly support can be a game-changer, particularly for new users or when rolling out new features within the ERP system. Instead of relying on traditional, often time-consuming training methods, DAPs provide immediate assistance within the application, leading to a more efficient learning process.

Maximizing ERP Utilization: A common issue with ERP implementations is the underutilization of the system’s capabilities. DAPs help bridge this gap by guiding users through the full range of functionalities, ensuring that the ERP system is used to its fullest potential. This improves operational efficiency and ensures that the organization gets the maximum return on its ERP investment.

Analytics and Feedback for Continuous Improvement: Many DAPs have analytics tools that track user interactions with the ERP system. This data is invaluable in understanding how the system is used, identifying areas where users struggle, and providing insights into potential improvements or additional training needs.

Reducing Resistance to Change: Implementing a new ERP system or upgrading an existing one can often be met with resistance from users accustomed to a particular way of working. DAPs can ease this transition by providing a supportive and interactive environment, helping users to adapt to the new system more comfortably and efficiently.

Cost-Effective Training and Support: Traditional training programs can be costly and logistically challenging. DAPs offer a more cost-effective solution by reducing the need for extensive in-person training sessions. This cuts down on training costs and minimizes disruption to daily operations.

Apty is more than a training tool—it’s an AI-powered, outcome-focused digital adoption platform that enables real-time software guidance, performance optimization, and measurable ROI improvements across enterprise systems.

 

Read More: Navigating ERP Adoption Complexities: The Transformative Power of Digital Adoption Platforms

Role of Apty in ERP systems

The journey to maximizing the ROI of an ERP system is multifaceted, encompassing strategic planning, careful selection, effective implementation, and ongoing management and adaptation. With about 64% of companies planning to implement ERP within the next three years, the significance of these systems in the business landscape continues to grow. Each of the eight tips outlined offers a pathway to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of ERP systems, directly contributing to an improved bottom line.

Organizations can significantly enhance their operational efficiency by aligning ERP systems with business objectives, selecting the right solutions, executing well-planned implementations, and ensuring continuous user support and data quality. Furthermore, adopting Digital Adoption Platforms (DAPs) like Apty catalyzes ERP utilization, offering an innovative approach to user training, system adoption, and continuous improvement.

Apty’s platform also includes productivity tracking and software guidance features that help organizations identify adoption gaps, optimize user flows, and improve process performance over time.

Ultimately, the effective utilization of an ERP system is a continuous process that requires regular assessment and adaptation. By staying attuned to the evolving business needs and technology trends, organizations can ensure their ERP systems meet current requirements and are geared for future challenges and opportunities.

This comprehensive ERP implementation and management approach, underpinned by a clear understanding of its ROI, is instrumental in achieving long-term business success and sustainability.

FAQs

[lvca_accordion][lvca_panel panel_title=”1. How can Apty support long-term ERP success beyond initial implementation?”]Apty continuously supports ERP systems through adaptive onboarding, process validation, and change management training. It ensures employees follow best practices, drives consistent compliance, and reduces the time and cost of employee training with a seamless employee training system[/lvca_panel][lvca_panel panel_title=”2. What makes Apty different from other ERP training and support tools?”]While traditional solutions offer static documentation or limited walkthroughs, Apty combines interactive learning platforms with real-time analytics and contextual software guidance. This AI-powered approach delivers business impact, not just feature adoption.[/lvca_panel][/lvca_accordion]

The Disruptive change is the talk of the town since January of 2026. But in reality, it has been around for the last 3 decades. The only difference is that in this digital age the disruption is happening frequently which gives organizations less time to manage the change.

Managing the challenge of disruptive change could be difficult for any leader. The managers and other stakeholders must understand the capabilities they have for the change initiatives.

Based on this they must plan not only to manage the change but also to overcome the challenges that come with it.

What is Disruptive Change?

Disruptive change occurs because of innovation in industries, change in the company’s structure, or transformation in business models. These fundamental changes disrupt the way an organization conduct business.

 

In recent times the rate of disruptive change in business has increased exponentially. Organizations now feel that they are always undergoing change and this has brought a new culture where change is not meant for coping but to thrive.

The organizations that think otherwise has faced failed with their change efforts. According to Forbes 70% of organizations fail with their transformation efforts and eventually with change.

Whenever a change hits a business the process gets better, the revenue gets improved and the employees become efficient. If none of this happens, the business becomes invisible.

All this depends on the organizational change management model that your company opts for. 

Some factors could make disruption a success or failure for your company. Knowing about it could help you to assess the situation in a better light.

Disruptive change business examples

Disruption occurs because there is a need to innovate in industries. Business leaders take part in managing disruptive change, whether it’s a change in company structure or rebuilding business models. Disruption and innovation may mean the same, but in truth, it has different effects on their respective industries.

Streaming services – Netflix and HBO Go are among the services that are in the process of disruption in the entertainment industry. They have changed the viewing experience and how the audience consumes media.

As businesses and creators explore similar digital distribution models, evaluating Wistia alternatives helps them choose video platforms that better support scalable streaming, analytics, and audience engagement in a rapidly evolving media landscape.

Video chatting platforms – Skype is one of the earliest video chatting platforms available. Google Teams and Zoom are now becoming popular, setting perfect examples of business disruption. With the pandemic, video chatting platforms have more users than ever.

Transportation industry – Uber revolutionized the transportation industry. It saves time, money, and the environment. The automaker companies are going to get disrupted because owning 1 or 2 cars per family won’t be necessary anymore.

How does disruptive change affect an organization?

Multiple aspects affect change in an organization. In a study conducted by Harvard Business Review, there are generally three factors that any C-suite executive must focus on.

1. Resources:

When a company has to undergo any change the biggest question that is posed to the decision-makers is “How effective is the change going to be?” While the decision-makers have to analyze multiple factors to answer that question the most important factor they have to consider is resources.

Resources such as people, technologies, equipment, applications, and cash are the major resources that determine how your other non-physical resources will perform. These non-physical resources are information, product design, brand, inter-departmental relationship, and public relations.

Resources, therefore, play a vital role in the change process. The better the resources the easier it will become to manage disruptive change in business.

2. Processes:

Processes play an equally important role when an organization faces disruption. The type of business processes in place and how effectively the organization is coping with such change using the defined processes determines the success of a business.

These business processes generally include interaction, coordination, communication, and decision-making employees.

There are formal and informal processes. The formal processes are properly documented and defined. Some processes are routine work that employees do and are categorized as informal.

The main motive behind creating a process is to attain consistency to achieve the target regularly. An organization can expect the desired results when a process is used for a defined activity but when the same process is applied in a different environment, it gives poor results.

The process that worked for a particular environment may not work for others. So, if a company implements a particular process in different departments it may work incredibly well in one while failing in another.

Another thing with processes is that success and failure usually rely on the processes that are not visible to us.

The process like manufacturing, billing, and development are visible but the process like market research that led to the breakthrough in a different segment, the financial analysis that helped the company save money, and external communication with stakeholders that help to close a sale are not visible.

These invisible processes can sometimes make or break your business during change. Mapping and tracking these processes will be helpful to take judicious decisions.

3. Value:

The third and important factor is values. Here value is not just limited to corporate values – it goes beyond that. Organizational value is a standard that consists of priorities of the employees, investors and customers.

As a company grows, its structure and business processes become complex and as a result, it becomes important for business leaders to train their employees regularly to take key decisions in line with the company’s interests and business models.

Such values of employees can propel the growth and will keep the organization on track.

How do disruptive technologies affect a business

The growth rate of modern technology is exponential and at this point, we can’t even comprehend it. Experts across the industries are betting on different technologies, we can debate at a later stage which technology is superior or right for businesses.  

But the underlying fact remains, that is technology is important to survive especially in this disruptive world that is filled with uncertainties.  

Even though the world we live in can be uncertain but businesses cannot. They have to invest in disruptive technologies to ensure business continuity.  

The effect of disruptive technologies in the modern world is quite evident but the million-dollar question is- How they are impacting the business? 

Here are 4 ways how disruptive technologies are changing the way business functions. 

A. Intelligent Business Decisions

Business leaders are encountering a lot of problems, some problems can be avoided or rectified before it becomes issues. This is where AI comes to play, today most CRM and ERP applications are powered with AI which makes sense of the available data.  

It provides detailed reports to the decision-makers which make their life simple and help them to avoid or eliminate any issues before it becomes severe. 

B. Gain in-depth customer insights

Organizations are sitting over data mines the only challenge is they cannot uncover everything. But today because of Machine Learning organizations can at least find new trends and customer interests.  

It helps them to stay ahead of their competition by solving their problems. Organizations can map their journey from website to product and even further. 

C. Personalized Experience

Every user is different, when it comes to consumer-facing products like Amazon or Netflix you would have witnessed that their algorithm is strong enough to give you the right recommendations, okay not all the time but it still does its job.

This has helped companies to increase the engagement of their users and in some cases are compelling enough to turn them into paying customers.  

However, not every organization has the privilege to create an in-house personalized system. This is where the Digital Adoption Platform comes in, it helps you to create personalized content for your users and grab their attention from the first interaction. The content that you can show to the users can be customized based on their interests. 

Companies can use a Digital Adoption Platform to train and onboard their employees, it grabs the attention from the first interaction and only shows walkthroughs or other training content which is required for them to master the application that they use. 

D. Automation of repetitive tasks

Most of the time employees do admin tasks. And let’s be very honest they are boring and are just pure waste of your employee’s time. But still, it is important for the organization as the data entered in the process help to take some crucial business calls.  

Well, thanks to the conversational bots, they are helping organizations automate mundane tasks, and give time to the employees to focus on their actual job. 

Conversational bots ask a series of questions to the employees and they can just answer them either through their mobile or desktop.  

Which is then collated as a file and sent to the host application. This way the organization receives the information and employees need not open the application to enter the details, which saves their time.

Challenges of Disruptive Change

Disruption has become a norm and businesses in this day and age should be familiar to it. Not being able to manage any unexpected change could push you out of the business.

This is not an exaggeration – if the pandemic has taught us anything it is that “if you won’t change now then the change will push you out of business forever”.

The abrupt change in the business environment can take you by shock and trying to cope with it could waste your valuable resources. Once you know the challenges associated with sudden change, you can allocate resources effectively and with that, you will not only cope but will thrive.

a. Change the Way You Analyse Data

Analytics plays a vital role. When disruption takes place, most companies usually analyze data to identify what caused the change and based on that, take necessary actions. Then, they wait to see the results and if it gets negative, they try to figure out with the help of insights where things went wrong.

There is nothing wrong with this approach but with disruptive change taking place as frequently, such an approach could delay the transformation process.

Rather it would be better to track the changes in real-time and if it feels like the transformation process is on the verge of going out of hand, you can immediately track back and rectify the issues. Not only that, you can learn from these mistakes and could even fuel the process by making it better.

You can analyze data of any user on any web-based application using the Digital Adoption Platform(DAP) and make the product adoption process smooth amidst the chaos of transformation.

Learn How Insights are an Integral Part of DAP

b. Recognize Early Warning Signs

Sometimes businesses find it difficult to identify the signs of disruption. By the time they study data it only reinforces the fact that change has taken place.

Even if you are a leader in your industry, it is important to know what your competition is doing. You may find certain practices followed by your competitor as irrelevant.

But doing so could be a game-changer. Analyzing their business model and approach is necessary to find the advantage that they might have on you.

It is also important to keep track of your product. Learning how the customer is utilizing your product could help you to know how they interact with the product which will eventually help you to improve.

For example:  If you have any web-based application then tools like Digital Adoption Platform(DAP) can help you to identify how the users are using your software and where they face issues.

When you analyze factors like these, you would be able to improve the workflow which will not only increase the software adoption rate but also the retention rate.

c. Communicate Regularly

It won’t be an exaggeration to say that communication can make or break your business. Whether it is with your employees or customers, effective communication is needed to stay on the same page.

Let’s say a multinational company has a wide range of products and they have revised the product price by seeing the disruptive change in their industry. They have only one week to execute it otherwise, it will affect their business.

The main target is to communicate about the change in price to all the officials who manage sales and accounting. The first thing leaders will do in this position is to communicate via email about the price change.

While email is a great way of communicating, the open rate is as low as 30%. A company can overcome this communication challenge either by calling each of their employees or by announcing about the change with in the application.

If you are a multinational company then calling is a tedious job. The in-app announcement feature of a DAP is one of the most efficient ways to communicate change.

In our example, the change in prices can be communicated via an in-app announcement as it will pop-up the notification when the user will open the Billing application for the first time in a day. The same message can be announced in other relevant applications like CRM which most of the sales personnel use.

You can push this notification within the application for as long as you want.

This way both the accounting and sales teams will be on the same page without any miscommunication. Also, the finances of the company will not be affected.

d. Train as You Change

Well, you might map the change and could manage the disruption for a while but you won’t sustain unless you have immediate tools to train your employees.

Of course, online training, classroom training, and interactive training via simulation and VR are great ways but when disruptive change happens it would be difficult to allocate resources to create courses.

Even if you somehow pull this off, expecting your employees to be productive with their job from day one is unfair and practically impossible.

The ideal way would be to use an in-app guidance tool that can guide your employees from one step to another and train them on the job.

Employees can access relevant videos and documentation as and when they want within the application they use. Further, these in-app guidance tools are called the Modern Digital Adoption Platform which can be customized for each job function.

They also help the Learning and Development department to identify what type of training is working and how effective the employees post the training efforts. Based on the insights you can alter the training method or process.

If an organization ignores the modern training methods then the adoption to change would be delayed which as a result could adversely impact your business and things will get worse if training is not given on priority during the change process. Training post the change is not a wise choice – change process and training should go hand-in-hand.

Overcome the Challenge of Disruptive Change with Apty

By now we understand the challenge of disruptive change and how a Digital Adoption Platform is the right fit. However, the scope of a Digital Adoption Platform is not limited to on-screen guidance, rather it begins there and helps the organization to understand the complete state of its tech-stack adoption.

From supporting your employees on a new application to providing detailed usage insights, a Digital Adoption Platform does it all.

Apty is one of the few Digital Adoption Platforms that ensures that your employees use the application to the fullest potential and engage with the application in a way that is beneficial for both employees and the organization.

Digital transformation has impacted every aspect of business and with it comes new enterprise software and technology. From the day that new software is implemented, L&D and IT teams have to make sure that every employee leverages the software for its intended purposes and that the enterprise’s software adoption journey is on track.

Enterprise software alone doesn’t drive value—how your people use it does. That’s why many organizations are turning to AI-powered digital adoption platforms (DAPs) like Apty, which provide in-app guidance and real-time analytics to maximize adoption and productivity.

Apty’s new AI-powered positioning means it’s no longer just about guidance—it’s about outcomes. Apty combines automation, contextual assistance, and predictive analytics to ensure enterprise software adoption translates directly into process compliance, reduced support load, and real business results.

Use this blog as a comprehensive guide to navigate through your organization’s software adoption journey. Let’s take a look at the challenges that come with adoption, best practices to follow, and how you can leverage tools such as digital adoption platforms to speed up the process.

Enterprise Software Adoption Challenges

1. Employee Resistance

It is common for people to get used to the status quo, which invariably leads to resistance when new software or processes are brought about in the organization. Resistance is an expected response to any major change in any organization.

Enterprises have to find ways to effectively overcome resistance while implementing new software. This resistance could be due to a fear of the unknown or a change in the status quo. They may dread the process of learning new systems. Whatever the reason is, leaders need to understand the causes of resistance early on, before it hinders adoption. Apty addresses this head-on by providing just-in-time, context-aware guidance that helps employees feel confident while using new software—greatly improving user satisfaction and reducing frustration.

There is a reason why the organization invested in the new software. It can be to increase efficiency, speed up processes, or reduce error. Effectively communicate these benefits to your employees and help them understand the reason behind the change.

2. Insufficient Onboarding and Training

To speed up software adoption, you need effective training and onboarding for your workforce. Poor training leaves employees confused about the new software and drastically reduces your software adoption rate.

Traditional classroom-style training is proving to be ineffective in the long run as it removes the employees from their work environment and separates them from the tools that they use for their work.

It also takes up their time that could otherwise be spent being productive. Mostly, with traditional training methods, all employees are provided with the same information and they end up being overwhelmed with information, most of which is irrelevant to the work that they do. 

When onboarding employees to new systems, use a digital adoption platform that guides users step by step through the new processes and workflows. 

3. Integrating Systems

Enterprises have a diverse set of applications and systems, and connecting those systems is often a challenge. Enterprises invest in integration software to overcome this challenge but even with the best workplace technology, you can run into trouble due to project and change management issues. 

Companies that have been around for decades typically use dated, legacy systems. These systems may be essential to the core business of the organization and cannot be replaced easily with new technology. Integrating such systems with your new enterprise software may be tricky as they may lack any in-built interfacing capability.  

Old and inefficient processes have to be replaced when you bring in new enterprise software. Removing barriers is the first step to digital adoption, and outdated processes are a huge barrier. With the support of AI development services, you can ensure that the new processes designed for the enterprise software are more efficient, intelligent, and scalable for long-term growth.

4. Measuring the Rate of Adoption

What is not measured cannot be improved. Figuring out how to track and measure the success of your digital adoption initiatives is one of the biggest challenges to adoption. Simply viewing when a user has logged into a system is not an accurate measure of the adoption rate of your system.

How do you know if your employees are using the software for its intended purposes? You need to find out which features of the software are used by employees and if they are completing processes as intended. As a start, you can track where users are dropping off, what processes have a high drop-off rate, the completion rate of processes, etc.

Stakeholders will have a hard time figuring out whether the new technology is beneficial to the organization if there are no clear metrics about the efficacy of the software.

Apty digital adoption platform lets you track all this with its activity-tracking feature. You can segment users into groups and see the completion rate of each segment and drill down on the details. This level of analytics is especially valuable when implementing solutions developed by a custom software consultancy.

 

With Apty’s built-in employee productivity tracking feature, organizations can see exactly how employees interact with tools, identify where drop-offs occur, and optimize the adoption strategy accordingly.

One of the largest U.S. banks was struggling with poor visibility into project data and tool usage across departments after implementing Clarity PPM. Despite investing in the right tool, they weren’t seeing expected returns due to low adoption and inefficient onboarding.

After deploying Apty, the bank saw a transformation in just weeks:

  • Saved $275K annually on support and training costs
  • Accelerated onboarding time by 30 days
  • Improved project data accuracy with in-app validations

5. Poor Leadership and Communication

Leaders have a responsibility to ensure adoption at the organization. They must clearly understand the changes required in their team’s daily work and guide each employee to embrace the new changes. Without proper communication from leaders, team members will be confused and demotivated, hindering software adoption rates. 

Leaders have to deal with employee resistance, change communication, and be an advocate for the new technology at the organization. Without effective top-down and bottom-up communication channels and strategies, there will be no transparency, leading to assumptions and misunderstandings.

Best Practices for Enterprise Software Adoption

A. Assign the Right Leaders

The leaders that you assign for the software adoption journey of your organization are crucial to the process. They must be able to communicate effectively with the employees and share with them how the new tech will impact them and their teams, showing real-life examples of how it will make work easier. 

The top-level executives must all have a common vision that aligns with the objective of the organization and its adoption strategy, to have a clear understanding of where your software adoption journey will take you and how.  

It’s often discovered in the later stage that the vision regarding digital transformation is perceived differently across the silos which leads to a lot of mess and confusion. It’s always better to have a well-defined end goal by having a consensus among the top brass. It will not only save time but also unnecessary conflicts.

B. Effectively Onboard Users

Introducing your employees to new software or features is crucial. It has to be done effectively in order for the employee to retain knowledge about the software and leverage it to the fullest.  

Make a checklist of tasks and activities that need to be completed as part of the onboarding process to help streamline the process. This way, the employee has a seamless onboarding experience

Make use of tools like digital adoption platforms to ensure that your employees master new software quickly and effectively.

C. Provide Ongoing Training and Support

Employees forget, on average, 70% of what they learn in training, within a day. This is demonstrated by the forgetting curve. This has always been a huge challenge for enterprises trying to effectively train their workforce. Now, with most employees working from home, this has proven to be a bigger challenge.

Without some sort of consistent and ongoing training or learning, employee productivity can drop drastically. Make sure that employees get contextual assistance and access to learning content at any moment of need. Apty’s AI-powered guidance software delivers on-demand training inside the application, helping reinforce learning over time while reducing the burden on support teams.

Use a digital adoption platform that provides real-time in-app guidance to enable ongoing training and help employees learn new software and processes much faster. It also acts as a central hub that stores all relevant learning content that can be accessed anywhere, anytime.

With ongoing training, employee training is reinforced, knowledge retention increases, and so does software adoption.

D. Define KPIs To Measure Adoption

To understand the progress of each employee’s training, define measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This benchmarking strategy can help you evaluate the progress of your adoption journey and ensure that the progress reports are available to you at any time. 

Below are some KPIs that can help understand the effectiveness of your training:

  • Average time to complete processes 
  • Engagement rate 
  • Frequency of high-value actions 
  • Average time on a platform 
  • Drop-out rate

Analyze and review these KPIs regularly to make changes to your software adoption strategy, as needed.

E. Promote a Feedback Culture

Friction points in your software that cannot be measured with KPIs can be understood by gathering employees’ feedback. When employees communicate to you about the issues they’re facing with the software, you get a real-world perspective of your software adoption initiative.

Feedback should be encouraged in every aspect of an organization. It enables transparency and breaks down silos that would be a barrier to effective adoption.

In order to reduce resistance from employees, get their feedback about their concerns or issues with new software or change. Inform them about the benefits of the new software and how it will make work easier for them.

Apty streamlines feedback loops by capturing behavioural insights and surfacing adoption friction points using AI-driven process intelligence—enabling teams to refine workflows based on real user interactions.

F. Customize Training for User Types

Training standardization often demands common training methods and content across the organization. This results in employees being overwhelmed with too much information, not getting the right information or both.

Every individual employee has different preferences and requirements from training. It may vary depending on their department, skillset, experience, tools used, etc. Employees also have different learning habits and the preference of training methods won’t be the same for everyone. They expect the training to be customized for their learning journey. 

Organizations have to ensure that they cater to every individual’s needs with their training program by identifying different learner types among the employees, and ensuring that employees have the option to choose the mode that they prefer.

How Apty DAP Enables Successful Enaterprise Software Adoption

i. Provide In-App Guidance

Apty’s in-app guidance takes your employees through any process in the software, ensuring that they perform and complete tasks as you intend them to.  

Until now, employees have been stuck with inefficient classroom-style training methods that remove them from the software that they need to learn. A DAP solves the issue with in-app guidance, helping them.

Guiding users step-by-step through the software that they will use is a highly effective way of training and onboarding employees. Employees get contextual information right on their screens, exactly at the moment that they need help.

ii. Customize Training

Traditional training doesn’t take into account individual employees’ training needs. Each employee has different goals and requirements from training and when standard training is provided to all your employees, they do not fulfill those requirements. 

With Apty DAP, you can segment users based on the type of browser, device, OS, department, or location and customize training for each segment. You can define rules on how they should complete activities and track the completion rate of any business process, view how correctly the activities are done, where employees are dropping off, etc. 

With Apty’s customized training, you can ensure that each employee is well-skilled to perform their job and increase software adoption rates across the organization.

iii. Enable Self-Service

The in-app help deck that a DAP provides is extremely beneficial. Any employee that needs a quick resolution on a topic can get the answer with just a few clicks. This way, training is reinforced and the employees retain information longer. 

Organizations can save costs that would otherwise be spent on trainers, office space, IT support, etc. Even in the long run, a DAP like Apty is cost-effective since it doesn’t require any experienced personnel to be set up. Apty lets you create workflows and all other training content without the need for a single line of code.

iv. Make Data-Driven Decisions

Data, when analyzed and leveraged can be highly beneficial to an organization. To keep a close eye and gain transparency in your digital adoption journey, software usage data can be critical. 

Aptys helps you leverage software usage to make informed decisions during your software adoption journey. You can segment users into different groups and gain visibility into how efficiently they use enterprise software. Apty’s AI engine uses this data to gain insight into your organization’s processes, find friction points in your software and recommend software walkthroughs to fix those gaps. 

Usage data provides insight into where your employees are having issues with enterprise software. Fixing these issues will boost your enterprise’s software adoption rates

v. Enable Business Process Compliance

While onboarding employees to new software and its features and tasks that need to be performed on it, they must also be educated to adhere to internal and external policies, laws, and regulations. Apty DAP helps you ensure that your business processes comply with all such policies and ensure business process compliance.

Apty’s data validation tool helps you ensure that your employees are entering the right information in the right format at every step while completing tasks. Apty’s guided workflows paired with tooltips, launchers, activity tracking, and goals ensure that employees complete tasks as you intend and provide you an audit trail on all the activity happening on your enterprise software.

With recent enhancements, Apty now brings AI into compliance by offering proactive alerts and smart nudges that help enforce policies before errors happen, minimizing risk across regulated industries.

vi. Improve User Experience

Enterprise software is getting more and more complex and customizable by the day. Employees have to deal with multiple applications on a daily basis. At the same time, providing a great user experience is crucial to maintaining software adoption rates at your organization. Apty simplifies the user experience by providing software guidance and a consistent user experience across multiple applications. Apty helps employees complete tasks that involve multiple apps, switching between them seamlessly.

Software adoption isn’t the finish line—it’s the starting point for business impact. That’s why Apty’s platform focuses not only on whether users are engaging, but whether they’re completing tasks correctly, efficiently, and consistently.

Companies using Apty report:

  • 3.4x ROI in the first year
  • 30% fewer process errors
  • 27% boost in cross-application efficiency

Apty doesn’t stop at onboarding. It helps organizations track execution, optimize productivity, and connect adoption to real results—making it the go-to solution for leaders focused on ROI.

From Training to Transformation — Apty’s Evolving Role

As enterprise tools become more complex and AI-driven, organizations require adoption solutions that go beyond onboarding. Apty now functions as an intelligent adoption layer, using behavioral intelligence, journey mapping, and AI recommendations to move users from basic competency to advanced proficiency.

With features like Apty Goals, process mining, and in-app nudges, enterprises can now:

  • Drive product-led onboarding with personalized user flows
  • Automate change management training initiatives using contextual content
  • Track employee productivity by workflows and application segments
  • Align adoption efforts with business KPIs through real-time dashboards

This evolution makes Apty an essential strategic partner—not just a training tool—powering lasting transformation at scale.

Learn how real enterprises transform adoption with Apty’s
digital adoption case studies.

FAQs

[lvca_accordion][lvca_panel panel_title=”1. What types of enterprise software benefit the most from digital adoption platforms like Apty?”]Digital adoption platforms are especially beneficial for complex, multi-step enterprise software such as ERP systems (like SAP or Oracle), CRMs (like Salesforce), project portfolio management tools (like Clarity PPM), HCM platforms (like Workday) and more. These systems often involve intricate workflows, role-specific features, and frequent updates, making them harder for employees to adopt fully. Apty simplifies navigation, ensures process compliance, and shortens learning curves across such platforms, increasing productivity and reducing operational risk.
[/lvca_panel][lvca_panel panel_title=”2. Can a digital adoption platform like Apty support change management beyond software adoption?”]Yes. While DAPs are typically used for software onboarding, tools like Apty can be integral to broader change management initiatives. By offering real-time guidance, performance analytics, and behavior tracking, Apty helps manage transitions in workflows, organizational structure, and employee habits. Its ability to deliver consistent messaging and training across departments supports cultural and procedural change, making it a valuable asset in enterprise-wide transformation programs.[/lvca_panel][lvca_panel panel_title=”3. How can enterprises ensure long-term ROI from software adoption efforts?”]Achieving ROI isn’t just about initial adoption—it requires sustained usage, ongoing optimization, and alignment with business goals. To ensure long-term ROI, enterprises must:

  • Regularly analyze usage and performance data
  • Continuously update onboarding and training materials as the software evolves
  • Adapt adoption strategies based on employee feedback and behavioral insights
  • Tie adoption KPIs to broader business outcomes (e.g., productivity, compliance, error rates) Apty facilitates all of these by offering robust analytics, customizable workflows, and agile support tools that evolve with your enterprise needs.

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