How to introduce new software to your team
Imposing a tool breeds resistance. Involving key users from the pilot onward ensures success.
Key ideas
- Choose internal champions.
- Communicate what problem it solves for them.
- Listen to the early friction.
Selling it internally
The team doesn't get excited about using yet another corporate tool. What they want is to finish their work faster, with fewer errors and less frustration.
Don't introduce the tool by showing "all the new features." Introduce it by showing how it eliminates the two tasks they hate doing most in their day-to-day.
Internal champions (Early Adopters)
Before the general rollout, invite the 2 or 3 most vocal team members (even the most skeptical ones) to try the tool early.
If you manage to win them over and resolve their doubts, they'll evangelize to the rest of the team far better than any executive could.
Feedback channels
During the first month, complaints are valuable information, not personal attacks. Create a dedicated channel (a Slack channel, for example) to document friction.
Fixing a small bottleneck in week 1 can keep the whole department from abandoning the platform in month 2.