Leave the Past Behind - How Managers Can Ensure Users are Using the Solution

As managers, you sometimes need to burn the ships to ensure your team does not go back to old methods!

My staff will not use the software that the business purchased to streamline operational decisions. I know this is the right software solution. What can I do? As a manager, you must burn the ships!

No, you will not literally burn the ships. “Burning the ships” refers to a story from 1519 when Cortez landed in Mexico with a crew he led on a Spanish expedition. To motivate them to succeed in the new land, Cortez ordered his crew to burn the ships so they could not turn back.

You put a lot of time and effort into ensuring you selected and purchased a product that would benefit your business. You chose a solution that would streamline processes, save time with data entry, provide audit trails, and help you make business decisions as you now and in the years to come. However, after selecting the software solution, your staff keeps going back to the old system, whether it is a whiteboard or pen and paper. You are frustrated, and rightfully so!

So, how do you move forward? How do you get your team to start using the software? Want to know how?

If your staff keeps returning to using the whiteboard, get rid of the whiteboard! Don’t keep the whiteboard hanging on the wall. Put the whiteboard in the trash. Donate the whiteboard to Goodwill. Whatever you do, do not keep the whiteboard on the wall.

You want your staff to adopt the new solution and keep using it consistently. So, here are a few suggestions.

1. Include your managers and staff in the decision-making process when choosing a solution. They are more likely to adopt and use the software solution if they are part of the decision-making process.

2. Burn the ships by removing your old systems and old whiteboards.

3. Have at least one or two Power Users. These people at your business will strive to be experts on your business processes and using the software solution. You might want to reward your Power Users with a promotion or salary increase.

4. Have an implementation plan in place with deadlines and milestones to reach.

5. Training and onboarding are essential. If the software company offers onboarding and training to ensure your staff is trained and the system is set up correctly, schedule these services asap and ensure your team attends these training and onboarding sessions. Scribble Software offers training, onboarding, map creation, data services, and much more to get you and your team up and running quickly and efficiently.

6. Hold your team accountable. Managers should set expectations and then hold their staff responsible for the same. For example, if a team member does not enter the data, the manager should meet with the staff member and reiterate that the business will use the new system moving forward.

7. Have processes in place to verify the data is always entered correctly.

8. Run reports to verify data, including audit reports.

9. Encourage and implement ongoing software learning and training.

Burn the ships! Leave the past behind and move forward stronger with Scribble Software’s solutions!

Stop wasting money and time with manual processes or an outdated system! Invest in your business today by automating these processes with Scribble Software solutions, saving time and money exponentially.

We are here to help you choose the right solution and services for your business needs, whether desktop or cloud. For more information on all our products, check out our website and give us a call today! We would love to help you streamline this part of your business!

Please check our blog and social media in the previous and coming weeks for specific details on how Scribble Software’s solutions help your team streamline particular business processes, including reservations, fuel purchases, and more!

Contact our Sales Team at (804) 427-8100 x7 or sales@posscribble.com and learn how Scribble Software’s solutions can help you streamline many processes in your business!

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