Getting recruiters to adopt new technology – part 2

Build an implementation strategy

Of course, no plan ever goes strictly to course, but creating a strategy that provides the roadmap to the implementation is a great place to start. The plan should include key dates, contingency plans, training opportunities and dates, as well as the expectations of everyone in the business. This document will become the cornerstone of the project and makes it easier to involve the entire agency and not just the core team.

Find your influencers

Bring key influencers into the core project team to lead and champion the new technology. Every business has a group of individuals that hold particular clout with the rest of the business and you can use this to encourage user adoption. Like dominos, once you have them on board, the rest should easily follow.

Design bespoke training

There is often the assumption that one training size fits all and every organisation, and this certainly isn’t true. Creating training that is unique and aimed at your business personalities makes your job incrementally easier. If you have a particularly lively bunch of consultants, then sticking them into a three-hour training session where someone talks a them in a monotone isn’t going to inspire adoption. Hold training sessions that are fun and interactive and involve everyone in the room. Involve your employees as much as possible and train by doing as opposed to just listening.

Integrate your technology into your routine

Many recruitment agencies change software and systems because they just can’t get the right information and data they need from their old providers. This might include reports on placements, geographies, gender of placed candidates or fall out numbers. Whatever it is, try integrating your new features into your routine. For example, if your new system now allows you to see how many candidates are converting to placements within a ten-day period, ask for weekly reports on this. You may or may not need to know these things, but what you’re now doing is forcing your people to use the system as it’s the only way to get the information, and in doing so, encouraging higher levels of adoption.

Don’t shy away from the difficult conversations

If you’re finding some of your employees particularly resistant to the new technology, don’t just let it continue in the hope that they’ll soon get over it. Quickly address those people and take them aside for one-on-one conversations. Ask them what their concerns are and listen to them. Make it clear that they’re integral to the success of both the systems and the business and give them autonomy and ownership to voice their concerns. Often when you ask for detailed reasons why people don’t like the system, they find that they don’t really have gripes and the negativity is stemming from something else.

Always iterate your systems

When implementing new systems there is always room for change and amendments, so set key dates in your plan to communicate these changes and give employees the chance to vocalize their concerns. Let them know that they will be heard, and your business will always do it’s best to meet their demands and wants. When your people feel like this product is theirs, the ability to integrate it successfully into your agency is much higher.