5 Tips To Effective Change Management When Implementing Cloud Technology

The benefits of cloud computing are impossible to ignore. More than just a buzzword, the cloud is now a crucial part of any business stack.

5 Tips To Effective Change Management When Implementing Cloud Technology

The benefits of cloud computing are impossible to ignore. More than just a buzzword, the cloud is now a crucial part of any business stack. In uncertain times when businesses are having to move their office-bound workforce to a remote working scenario, an on-premises technology stack looks more like a liability.

For businesses to be agile, scalable, and cost-effective, they need to start accessing to the diversity of the cloud. Around
40% of businesses say that they’re more agile when they adopt the cloud, making it easier to adjust to the ever-changing marketplace.

While cloud computing is an enabling factor for so many businesses, the approach to implementation can seem daunting. At first glance it can seem complicated, and it’s crucial you figure out a way to make your cloud campaign work for you – so here’s a helping hand to get you started on your journey.

Here are five tips to help you out.

1.   Plan
Ahead and Work with the Right Vendor

You’ll need a clear set of goals leading why you’re getting into the cloud in the first place. Moving to a cloud environment just because your competitors have already done it isn’t the best strategy. Instead, think about what you want to do with your cloud tech. How will it fit into your business continuity plan? How will it support or improve your existing workflows?

Are you looking for a way to communicate with your customers better through a cloud-based omnichannel contact centre strategy? Do you want the freedom to work with freelancers and contractors around the world using the same cloud-based tools? Knowing what you want to achieve with the cloud will help you to select a vendor that can deliver all of the features that are most likely to benefit your business.

2.   Develop
a Rollout Plan

Depending on the size and complexity of your business, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to deliver cloud access to everyone in your organisation at once. With that in mind, you’ll need to think about how you’re going to roll out your new technology. Will you have a sounding board, a test group, or a team of specific stakeholders?

Will you be starting with cloud in the office – using it to support your marketing department? Or would you prefer to start by giving cloud to your sales and contact centre team? You might even want to start rolling out cloud tech by giving it to a few beta agents to test before you share the same software with everyone.

3.   Keep
Your Teams Involved

Switching to cloud capability is a positive change to the way that work gets done in your organisation. Cloud technology can deliver greater speed and flexibility for your employees. However, human beings are naturally resistant to change. That’s why if you want to encourage adoption, you’ll need to keep your teams involved and informed about the upcoming work that’s going to be happening. Transparency is crucial in managing expectations, alleviating fear and doubt, and keeping people information with the right message at the right time.

Broadcasting information is a good way to demonstrate transparency. For example, holding a conference to tell all employees about what’s going on and how they’re going to be affected allows you to address concerns to the entire workforce at once. Make sure you are highlighting how cloud technology is going to benefit the company and workforce, and be sure to listen to any feedback your people might have.

4.   Test
Your Tech

It’s no good getting your shareholders and teams hyped about the idea of cloud technology, only for them to discover it’s not nearly as impressive as it seemed. With that in mind, be sure to test the technology you’re going to be using before you roll it out. Make sure that everything works exactly as it’s supposed to. This will remove some of the barriers to change for your team.

Testing your technology out with a group of early adopters will also give you a chance to gather some useful feedback about what your team likes and doesn’t like about the software. When things are working well, these early adopters will serve as ambassadors to encourage adoption and best practice throughout the organisation.

5.   Provide Ongoing Support

Finally, remember your team is filled with diverse people. Some people will be enthusiastic to adopt and embrace the cloud a lot faster than others. The best way to ensure your adoption strategy goes according to plan is to continue delivering the kind of support and guidance your people need. Provide ongoing support in the form of training, documentation, or simply answering basic questions in an appropriate forum.

The more your team feels that they have your support when getting used to the cloud, the less daunting the experience will be.

Is your business ready to make it transition to the cloud? Make sure you do your homework before rushing in. Adopting cloud-based services provides businesses with the reassurance of guaranteed provision, continuity through failover, and the capacity to develop flexible working policies – it’s a worthwhile investment that’s worth doing right.

This article comes courtesy of RingCentral, a
leading business communications platform providing unified communications,
contact centre and customer engagement as a service.

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