Building User AdoptionDiscussion Around Building Enthusiasm For SharePoint

Twitter - #SPSBoston

Presenter: Matthew Carter• SharePoint Administrator / user since Microsoft Office

SharePoint Server 2007

• Member of the Boston Area SharePoint User’s Group - #BASPUG

• @MLCarter1976 | Blog – http://www.WestportPoint.org/Blog

• E-mail - MLCarter1976@Live.com

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/pub/matthew-carter/7/640/459

What Is Building User Adoption• Encouraging people to implement a product or a

technology and then use it effectively

• Creating value that explains the reasons why a product or a technology will benefit people’s productivity

• Discovering “What’s in it for me”

Summary of this presentation• Areas of improvement• Data is all over, unorganized

• No training• Lack of training budget• “Train the Trainer”

• How to fix it• Executive support

• Listen to users• Meet and talk with them about difficulties

• Look up search results and work on boosting ease of use

Areas of Improvement• Talk with users about what their pain points are

• If thinking of using SharePoint, plan out why the product will aid them in doing their job

• Is there a need to consolidate files together to collaborate? Is SharePoint the right tool for that?

• How are users using files and working today? Is SharePoint going to solve that for them?

Data is all over• Users might ask “Where is my data?”

• Is that file in e-mail, file server, My Desktop, database, etc.?

• People might not know where data is and encouraging them to put it in one location might ease that pain

It’s not ALL in SharePoint• See if multiple locations could have data imported into

SharePoint

• Is the bulk of their files in e-mail or on a file server?• Able to import that in or part of it?

• Small steps might seem small and yet, might be baby steps towards improved adoption.• Too much, too fast might be overwhelming – even if you think it would

be best

• Ensure that data going into SharePoint belongs there – it might not

Training is lacking• Business evolves rapidly and there are many demands

to keep moving forward

• Trying to find time to train is difficult• “Train The Trainer” - “Trickle Down Training”• Groups are trained and relay their experience with others• Excessive amount of information and ineffective at retaining all

information

• Often little or no budget for training

• “We can worry about training later”

Encourage Executive Approval• Talk with Executives• Explain value in using SharePoint

• Identify their business difficulties that SharePoint can possibly resolve

• Executive approval can boost adoption• Managers and Executives see value in SharePoint and embolden

support for it

Listen to workers• If thinking of using SharePoint• Talk with those who will consume SharePoint

• Identify a need that SharePoint will fill

• If currently using SharePoint• Distinguish what is working well and discover areas that

necessitate amendments

• Is SharePoint functioning the way it was originally designed to

• Ascertain if it is being used effectively

• Inquire if areas of usage might be enriched

Identify areas of improvement• Meet with users and identify areas that might

be missing and work to improve it• Talk with business / site owners and ask what

THEY want, how can YOU help THEM• This is THEIR product and THEY want it to be great (you

do too) and if they're happy, often others are too

Be a leader and a facilitator• Lead by example, show people what you are doing and

what they could be doing on their own site – you are the example

• Make time for people to avoid time wasted with repetitive questions and or lack of usage and willingness to use product• Sitting and assisting people can allow them to understand the

product better and also allow you to understand how people might want to use the product

“I didn't know that!”

•Users might not know that you can do something• Users often don’t seek out all the features of a

product.• Share one or two features of the product with them.

Meet and talk with them.• E-mail or post an announcement on the company

website can provide an opportunity for conversations and understanding

Search for it• Search is often where people find information

• Look at the web analytics to identify what users are looking for and where they are looking to go

• Recognize how people are getting to their data

• Put in Promoted Results or Best Bets to target search results to user data

Busy^3• People are busy and need to carve out time to learn• Hour long training, often only one time, is overwhelming and

most people forget the information

• Post via e-mail or on the company website or present short five minute videos on how to do one or two things

• Provide snippets and small bits of information• "Quick Tips" on the company website, or via e-mail sent to

people weekly on how to do one or two things can encourage people to use and remember that the product is there

Address different learning styles• People learn differently• Videos can assist and allow you to say “I made a video

on how to do that” – TechSmith Camtasia

• Screenshots in a Microsoft Office Word document are helpful too “I need it quick” so they can just follow along with what you did and get it done fast – TechSmith Snagit

• You don’t need to hold hands and or sit at each person’s desk, you can put this as time permits up via an Announcement, via links on e-mail or up in lunch room, etc.

Explain in simple terms• Explain the product in terms that people can understand, like car

parts

• Associate certain ways of doing things with methods business uses or common tasks that people are familiar with.

• Explain how a car is complex and that, like SharePoint, you use some of the parts, but not all, like the CD player, A/C, etc.

• YouTube® - SharePoint® in Plain English - https://youtu.be/s12Jb5Z2xaE

“The Scroll”• Medieval helpdesk with English subtitles• https://youtu.be/pQHX-SjgQvQ

• Reminds me of the typewriter and e-mail• Before e-mail people used typewrites and converting them over was

slow and challenging

Build User Adoption• Try to get executive support / encouragement

• Have multiple short meetings with people for training• Create quick little video’s and or documents with screenshots that

instruct people on how to use the product

• Help those who want it• Work with those who see the value in it – hopefully they will

encourage others

• Look at web / search analytics• Where are people going and what are the most popular locations• Focus on those locations and on those individuals who are engaged in the

product

SPS Boston 2015 is made possible by our Sponsors

Thank you• Remember to sign your evaluations and thank you for

attending!

• Matthew Carter - Twitter - @MLCarter1976 or via e-mail MLCarter1976@live.com for more information

• This presentation – the slides

• http://www.slideshare.net/MLCarter1976/share-point-building-user-adoption-2015-spsboston