As part of designing a Salesforce training program, we want to include User Acceptance Testing (UAT). This is where scenarios are created and the new learners demonstrate how they’d follow the steps to do a specific task. Based on our observations, we’d recommend what changes are needed to make adoption easier. But after we go away, what do things look like in three months?
Change is hard, we all know that. During a check-in to see how Salesforce was working for them, they had largely resorted back to their old habits. “MS Excel works fine for us.” I realized that even if people are comfortable with an inefficient system, they’ll still use it. But think of the time wasted (which is also money) keeping that cumbersome Excel spreadsheet up to date.
Picture the Sales Leader who would still like reports produced by MS Excel? In this case, Salesforce is destined to fail.
This is when you need a Post-Training Change Management Plan from P3 Performance because human behavior is hard to change without a plan. Here are a few things to think about:
- Create a change management team. This team is responsible for communicating to all stakeholders, listening to concerns, and ensuring that the change goes as smooth as possible. Choose people with high credibility in the organization, and good communication skills (Tip: Include a change sponsor from the senior executive level)
- Define the type and scope of change. Determine whether this will affect job roles, process changes, policy changes, and/or structural organization. List the departments, work groups, systems, or other components that may undergo change.
- Watch users in UAT. Try to understand what features they like and/or find easy, and which ones they struggle with. Why are they struggling? Can we make things simpler to follow? Any area of the system that is inherently difficult will quickly be abandoned by the users after the roll-out. Either simplify the process if at all possible, or prepare to train heavily in this area (or both).
- Create a communication plan. Communication is the most important component of change management. Communicate frequently with every person affected. Reinforce the reasons behind the change, and the benefits it will bring. Stakeholders should receive personal, two-way communication. Face to face meetings are essential. Communication should come from the high-level change sponsor.
Success with Salesforce is directly attributed to a plan that is supported from the top. Otherwise, you may as well take your investment dollars and buy a bunch of PowerBall tickets.
P3 Performance helps organizations improve their utilization of Salesforce and increase adoption rates. With consultants and trainers across the U.S. and Canada, we are well positioned to help sales leaders with the guidance and ongoing support to ensure positive behavior change in their sales teams.
If you are leading a large to mid-size organization and you know your Sales Manager would benefit from Salesforce Adoption and Training, call 1-800-761-7382.
