Salesforce User Adoption Goals – Jenny’s Admin Tip #62

Football and Salesforce. Who knew that I could write two blog posts with references to both industries. This week I have found it surprising to see the juxtapositions between Salesforce Adoption and Euro2016. So let’s think about it. Before the match there is generally a big build up, there’s the coaching and training, then the match day. Yup, we know where this is heading don’t we…

Now as you may know with any tournament, there are those that come last and those that take the trophy home. Which got me thinking… again. What does it actually take to get the best end result? More specifically, what User Adoption Goals can be put in place to get your team chanting about the powers of Salesforce.

Last week I gave you the ultimate Salesforce Dream Team. This week I am giving you Salesforce User Adoption Goals. I mean, what’s a team without putting them to work right?

Goal 1: Training

Let’s say there has been a big build up over the past month. Your coaches – Consultants, Admins and Devs have been working flat out to produce a platform of success for the team. Before the team can get to grips with all the fields (positions), training is not only a must, but it is the quickest way to successful adoption. Several training drills are needed to ensure your Salesforce Users have the best chance of tackling the new formation. But how?

Hurdles – There are going to be different levels of obstacles your users are going to have to overcome. Therefore, you need to define who is going to be trained. With this knowledge you can then split your training into different sessions.  Day 1 – Sales team, Day 2 – Service team, etc. Produce exercises that are hands on, engaging are are appropriate to each team position skill set.

Stopwatch – Getting to know a new platform can be exhausting on the brain. New layouts and processes – there are lots of different components to keep tabs on. So make sure the users have plenty of breaks, keep hydrated and are fuelled to tackle the next half of the training.

Tactics – At this point you should be sure you have all the apparatus necessary for your set of activities. This includes subs for loss of internet connection or extra laptops. Get the equipment ready so your users can jump straight into the training.

Coaches – Get the megaphones ready. Having a good set of coaches who can communicate effectively is going to ensure that your users stay focused, are getting the information they need to drive forward and are being taught best practises.

Goal 2: Kick off

So training went well and your team are pumped and ready to start using the platform. As time goes on there are a few things that may start to become apparent:

Slow Adoption – At this stage the team are finding their pace, slowly. Rightly so. This is a new environment for them and so proceeding with caution is the potentially the best attitude. At this stage it is all about keeping their eye on the ball. The users are going from pillar to post figuring out how to navigate around the platform.

Errors  – Figuring out how the platform works can also lead to a number of errors by the users. They may come across blind spots – not being able to see records or have saving issues due to validation rules.

At this point the it is the support of the fans – Admins and Super Users, that help them get through the first half.

Goal 3 – Half Time

 Now is the time to figure out what’s working, what’s not working and how things can be improved going forward.

Performance overview – With Adoption dashboards this is a great opportunity to see which users are logging in, using the system and who are showing progression. Knowing this allows you to target certain players to see how you can help improve their adoption to Salesforce.

Group Discussions – This is a great opportunity to find out what is not working for the team. Maybe a division needs more access to the other key players in the team, maybe there are gaps being left open in the field(s) etc. At this stage everyone needs to be patient, decide which lines to tackle next and keep focused on the end goal.

Super users – This is when your manager / Super User comes in. These guys are not only going to fix what is not working in the configuration, but they are also going to give the inspiring talks that may include; user skills; pace; possession; roles.

Goal 4 – Full Time

After the inspiring half time talk the team are bringing it home for the win. At this point users are:

More focused – With an uplifted spirit, users now have a good understanding of how the platform works and they use this to their advantage. Not only have their work process become more streamlined (thanks to automation), but the team is better structured (thanks to roles) and communication is on point (thanks to Chatter). The goal line never looked clearer!

Creative – Not only can they navigate around the platform, but they can now create reports, records and activities. The opportunities are endless.  

Supported – If something goes wrong or they need an assist, users know that with support from Admins, SuperUsers, and extra coaches – Trailhead and The Salesforce Community, they can push through those tricky situations.

And with that it’s 1-0 to User Adoption.

See you next week.

Jenny