New product adoption in your company can improve performance, increase productivity, and help in making better corporate decisions. Although it can be challenging to get employees buy-in of a new product, it’s crucial to do it right to ensure proper adoption of the product among your employees.

Learning to use a new product is a change that may seem like climbing a mountain to your employees at first. Especially when it feels mandatory or there’s a product with similar functions already in use.

However, some changes are inevitable and necessary for growth.

Even though some business owners also fear change, it is a risk worth taking. To stay current and relevant in today’s market, it is essential for everyone in the company to embrace change.

Also, the higher employees buy-in on a new product the greater the ROI.

Below are five ways to motivate your employees to new product adoption and usage:

Choose user-friendly products

The product must be user-friendly, with excellent features, simple to learn and use to convince employees to adopt a new product. Employees will find it challenging to use a product with too many processes and complex functions.

Test the product functions, noting its benefits to both the company and the employees that will use it. Testing the products will make you familiar with the process and also help in passing the knowledge to your employees.

Communicate about the new product benefits

Convincing employees to embrace change takes a lot of persuasions. Employees can refuse to use a new product when they feel it’s been forced on them. Make them see the benefits by explaining what the product is, how it works, and its benefits to the company. Let it be something they will love to work with.

For example, introducing an employee engagement system, you list the benefits of the product: “A product that will enable alignment of personal goals with that of the company. Help maintain focus on what matters most. Improve employee productivity. Track the progress of their goals and so on”.

Communicate all these benefits to your employees. Show them how the new product will make their work easier.

Enroll early adopters

Involve those that can quickly adapt, use and succeed with the product. These early adopters should be able to coach others in using and adopting the new product. They must have excellent communication and networking skills, and a significant influence on others.

Also, engage top managerial employees in the process and have their full support. It’s more convincing when senior staffs are also involved in the process.

Train and Follow up

Train employees on how to use the new product, make it fun. Put in mind that learning abilities differ by person, so, find a way of training as it befits each employee. At the stage when employees have started using the product, continue training until you see a positive result.

Follow up on those that have challenges with adopting the new product. And practice the open-door policy to anyone who might have feedbacks or problems regarding the new product.

Reward employees

At the last stage of adoption, when some are still hesitant, introduce rewards. Something that can boost employees’ morale to use the new product. In this same way implement a reward system for employees who have adopted the product and have significant results to show.

Business is a risk, but ensure to take the first steps. No one can tell where it will lead.

Finally, I advise you to embrace change. It is difficult at first, introducing something new to a workforce, especially when you don’t know how effective it will turn out to be. Well, business is all about risk. But take that step, follow the guidelines shared on how to motivate your employees to new product adoption and usage.