Increasing user take-up among colleagues is no easy feat.
This is how companies around the world create a flawless business app onboarding process.
In HR, employee onboarding refers to introducing a new hire to all aspects of an organisation. Employee onboarding covers every area of the company, from its culture to the tools and information needed for the employee to become a productive member of the team.
Well, app onboarding, used in IT, is the in-app process that guides new users, that helps them get acquainted with the app’s features, and that conveys its value. After a good app onboarding, user experience is likely to improve.
Business app onboarding, specifically, is directed at users who will use enterprise solutions such as CRMs, ERPs, BIs, project management tools, and so on.
MAIN OBSTACLES TO BUSINESS APP USAGE (2020)
Despite the best intentions on the part of businesses to deploy new apps, 38% of users in businesses context are not using the deployed capabilities. The top barriers to usage include the IT staff being unable to support the deployment and the lack of end-user training/awareness.
Because of the complexity of these enterprise-grade apps, onboarding can often be tedious or even lacking in some regards, leaving the user’s IT team to deal with inevitable pitfalls.
Why enterprise-grade app onboarding is important
While designing an enterprise-grade app, our developers here at Near Partner likes to through a few (often annoying, granted) questions around: What are the easiest and the most difficult features to use? What compels users to this app? Why do we need this button, feature, screen or text? The answers to these questions form the basis of a grand app onboarding experience. But why does a business app need an onboarding process in the first place?
It drives adoption
Many companies struggle with new apps or software because its users resist using it. And while the word “resistance” is misleading, as it places the blame solely on the users, it is often a symptom of a poor customer experience or a sloppy onboarding process. Documentation is great for the IT department, but not so much for the people who will actually use the app. But an efficient app onboarding process might work where docs fail .
It avoids “shelfware”
Users ten to abandon apps perceived as “difficult” to work with. Apps that complicate work rather than simplify end up as “shelfware”, passed over by others perceived as more intuitive. One keyway to counter this fate is to create an excellent onboarding process so that, even if the app is not entirely intuitive, the app onboarding guides users past the main pain points.
It boosts performance
Businesses implement new solutions when the previous one was not getting the job done. If users have the know-how to take advantage of all the features of the app, then their performance, as well as the app’s, will see an improvement. To do so, it is important to pick the right app development software, one that allows for quick changes, tests and scalability.
How to do app onboarding the right way
To create an effective app onboarding process, you’ll need to plan.
Create app ambassadors
Inside organisations, that is. This means offering the place of ambassador to those who will become the go-to people for the rest of the organisation, for that specific solution. Obviously, this will involve training and learning. Ambassadors are often out-spoken members of the Leadership Team, who are expected to embrace innovation and promote change in their teams.
Training
Ambassadors are not the only ones in need of training. Maybe the solution requires a bit more technical knowledge, or maybe it has features that require certain skills to be put to practice. This is where training comes in at an organisational level. Such training is also a way to promote a company culture that embraces change.
Change the culture
A company’s culture is part of its identity. But even the strongest identities sometimes need an uplift. A culture that can’t keep up with the changes inside the organisation needs to, well, change. Maybe it’s time to rethink what drives you, your team and your business. See what drives us at Near Partner.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
UAT is, basically, verifying that a solution works for the intended user. It is the last phase of the software testing process, and a critical part of software development and should occur just before market rollout. In it, users test the software to make sure it can handle the required tasks in real-world scenarios.
Hypercare
Hypercare refers to the level of support our customers get on that period just after a launch, to ensure the seamless adoption of the new system. This period is usually of two weeks, and the concept is essentially: “Ask Me Anything, Anytime”. Hypercare is critical in business-grade app onboarding.
Uncomplicated app onboarding with the right partner
Call us and let’s chat and see what our incredible team can do for you and your business. We provide Salesforce and Outsystems services, as well as Software development services. Do you know our very own Outsystems Champion?
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