4 steps to successfully deploying new workplace technology

“Change is easy”, said no one ever. While change within an organization is not as simple as snapping your fingers, it’s essential to business growth and innovation.Change can take many forms in the workplace, but one of the most common in today’s technologically advanced business world is adopting new software. SaaS, or “Software as a service”, has become the standard for new workplace technology because of its flexibility and ease of implementation. SaaS offerings are delivered via the internet as a service, versus having to install and maintain the software physically.‍

One study showed that, “in 2021, organizations worldwide were using an average amount of 110 software as a service (SaaS) applications.” And that number continues to increase year after year. With organizations relying on so many tools at once, it is essential to successfully deploy the new technology and drive adoption early. Read on for four steps you need to take when deploying new SaaS technology in the workplace.

Step 1: Outline your vision for the new technology

Before you start down the path of implementation, have a vision on what you’re solving and how the new technology will work with your existing tech stack. Here are a few questions that may help you map out a successful deployment:

• What problem am I solving?
• What’s my timeline?
• What is my budget?
• Who needs access and what level do they need?
• Who needs to be involved in the decision making process? In the deployment?
• Who will run the program after it launches and maintain it?

Once you’ve outlined your vision, take the show on the road to get buy-in from your key decision makers. You will likely get questions or push back. Understand ahead of time what is fixable now, fixable later, and not fixable at all, and bake that into your plans. When your stakeholders understand your plans and are excited, you’re ready for the next step: purchase.  

Step 2: Create a sense of urgency

You’ve got the plan and the buy-in, now you need to push teams to hit your timeline and deliverables. Have regular check-ins in place to track and highlight progress. Use these check-ins to call out small wins and encourage teams to keep up their hard work. Make sure that you communicate your timeline and what is driving the urgency behind each deadline. This creates more ownership and accountability to stay on track while deploying new technology.

Step 3: Communicate the changes more broadly  

Implementing new SaaS technology in the workplace is just one piece of the puzzle. The other piece is actually getting employees to adopt the new tech. To successfully deploy your new software, you'll need to communicate the changes to the organization more broadly.Here are 5 tips on how to communicate company-wide changes:

• Outline why the change needs to happen
• Address the emotions that come with change
• Be as clear and concise as possible
• Message out via multiple channels (ex: email, Slack, Teams, meetings, Confluence, etc)
• Continue to reinforce the “why” behind the change in all communications

Step 4: Listen, iterate, and adapt

For any wide-sweeping changes, your company will need to adapt and grow alongside the new implementation. Show how the new approaches, behaviors, and attitudes have helped improve performance and day-to-day work. Be empathetic and listen to feedback. You’ve had months to research, learn and define the new process. Understand that change takes time to implement and it takes time for user adoption.  

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