Businesses and organizations grow and evolve, the need to upgrade and improve its hardware (machinery, computers, office space, equipment) and software (business software, cybersecurity system, inventory management system) becomes necessary. Technological developments such as new tools and equipment, or more optimized and advanced software can also necessitate the need to switch to the more updated tools and software.
Just like when switching to new or better machinery, the migration towards a new software will take a lot of time, planning, training, and getting used to. It’s essential to properly guide the company and its workers in switching to a different/new software to ensure continued and optimized performance and avoid as few errors as possible. So here are things you’d want to remember when switching your company to a new software platform:
Treat it As A Project
As with any project, there should be proper planning, assignment of tasks, pooling and allocation of resources, and setting of timelines. Have personnel or workgroups explicitly assigned to guide and implement the migration of the new software. Assign milestones to each progress and ask for regular updates with regards to the migration if any issues need to be addressed.
Proper Training And Gradual Roll-Out
The best way to ensure a smooth transition to your new software is to train your workforce on how to use it properly. Be patient but also set a realistic deadline for the roll-out of the software platform. If possible, do the training and implementation by phase, that way your operations won’t be crippled or slowed down significantly if you suddenly switch your entire operations to the new software and your workforce are still getting used to it.
Communication is Key
During the training and roll-out of your new software, it’s always possible that issues will arise and more tweaking of the new system is needed. So make sure that you assign a focal person in each department of the aspect of operations in which the new software is migrated to. This point person would be the one your workforce would go to communicate any issues that have to be addressed, including the need for additional training.
Hire an Implementation Partner
You have to remember that you don’t have to do the transition alone. Sometimes, it’s best for you to hire an implementation partner to aid your company in the transition process as well as provide other services to maximize your new software. For example, if you’re using a different CRM software for your business, and you’re migrating to Salesforce, it’s important to choose an implementation partner that could provide more than just migration and integration of the data and operations, but also training,continuous or ongoing support services, and troubleshooting for your Salesforce platform. Alternatively, you can also purchase the new software through a Value Added Reseller (VAR) that can sell you the software and provide the same services as an implementation partner.
Conclusion
As with all changes in a business’ or organizations’ operations, there will be some difficulties, and it may take some time. What’s important is that you properly implement the migration instead of rushing it so you can be operational as soon as possible, as hurrying the entire process and cutting corners could result in more costly repercussions. And always remember that you can always employ the aid of experts to make the migration process easier and professionally done.
