TiER1 Performance The goal for any end-user productivity tool is to maximize every aspect of work to its full potential. Many organizations have shifted to Microsoft 365 (MS 365) or Google Suite, yet driving successful adoption of these platforms—where teams are saving time, energy, and “churn,” so that end users can focus and execute effectively and efficiently—can be quite different from other enterprise-wide platforms.
Achieving a deep, organization-wide adoption of end-user productivity tools presents unique challenges. Platforms like MS 365 offer an array of opportunities to deliver experiences that will create benefits for individuals, teams, business units, and the organization. At the same time, the ability to custom configure and the sheer volume of configurations available within the platform can be daunting. Combine that with the traditionally hands-off approach to guiding users through systems, and often organizations wind up struggling with where to start, how to start, and how to support users as they leverage the platform more extensively.
At TiER1, we leverage UX design best practices and a deep knowledge of MS 365 to help performers use the right features with the right configurations so that they can have the right experience: an experience that feels useful and easy to them, and adds value to the organization.
One gold mine that we see regularly go untapped is the suite of digital collaboration, documentation, and presentation tools found in MS 365 like Teams, OneNote and Stream. Most people pay for the subscription, but many don’t leverage it, or if they do, they do so begrudgingly.
When we think of Microsoft, we often think of the individual Office applications that we have used for years to write reports, crunch numbers, or create presentations. With MS 365, the focus shifts away from the individual applications and move us toward a singular “front door” to the variety of applications made available through the platform. This shift is experienced by users through the Teams application. Users don’t have to think about 1,000 different places and documents; instead they can access it all through the “front door” of Teams.
Microsoft Teams integrates the wealth of applications in the MS 365 suite, as well as integrating with countless third-party applications, all presented to users as a unified, single-screen experience. It’s a powerhouse for virtual collaboration and workflow. From Teams, you can schedule meetings, record, take notes, create and share documents, converse with your teammates, and build comprehensive Wikis for your projects. (And that’s just the basics.)
This tool has been pinned to many a taskbar recently, but many are just starting to get comfortable with it, and more aren’t sure how to maximize its potential. A critical ingredient to unlocking the full benefits of these features lies in getting users to embrace the digital transformation opportunities of the platform that lead to new ways of working.
When driving towards a deeper and wider adoption of a platform like MS 365, consider applying the following four concepts in addition to leveraging the framework of a solid systems adoption plan.
It’s critical to understand how end user tasks that will be accomplished via the digital environment will add business value or help the organization reach its goals. Identify common team types throughout your organization and engage with them to understand how these teams operate, communicate, and collaborate today.
Our tips for capturing tasks that drive Microsoft 365 adoption:
MS 365 is a collection of platforms, applications, and tools, with wide applicability and integration capability with many other platforms and tools. Using MS 365 is rarely mandatory, except for document applications (Word, PPT, Excel). Even then, accepted norms, practices, and workflows are not often optimized, even within an established team.
Our tips for establishing governance to drive Microsoft 365 adoption:
Create guidance and provide standards for:
Document core structures and processes around:
Unlocking the full potential of MS 365 requires a shift in mindsets and behaviors. One of the biggest mindset hurdles is “my document” or “my stuff” in a shared, collaborative digital environment. There can also be learned mistrust among end users due to previous negative experiences with technology. To lead end users to want to adopt MS 365, design case-based Teams sites informed by your governance to then be socialized and piloted across your organization.
Our tips for providing guiding examples that drive Microsoft 365 adoption:
As your organization engages with MS 365, especially through Teams, driving productive adoption means you need to be agile and responsive to end user feedback. Creating an active feedback loop will provide you with insights on the features and applications your teams find valuable, the digital workflows they need as they adopt new ways of working, and the enhancement to governance that will unleash their potential. Adapting to end user feedback will also build trust that their ideas are heard, valued, and acted upon.
Our tips for adapting to feedback to drive Microsoft 365 adoption:
Corey Leverette is a Principal Consultant at TiER1 with extensive experience in culture transformation, employee engagement, and behavioral change—all aligned to create value. When he’s not connecting people, performance, and value; he loves spending time with his wife, their rescue dogs, and many nieces and nephews.
Stephanie Roberto is a Senior Solutions Technology Consultant at TiER1 Performance. She is passionate about combining technology and visual design to deliver innovative and engaging experiences to end-users. She loves being creative and guiding clients through the creation of technical solutions. Outside of work, Stephanie enjoys running, pure barre, and pilates.
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If you’d like to connect with our team to learn more about building organization-wide adoption of Microsoft 365, give us a call at 859-415-1000 or reach out through the form below.