Introducing a new technology to the IT mix isn’t easy. To ensure a smooth Office 365 rollout or it’s souped-up cousin Microsoft 365 you need to engage your employees long before the launch date.

People don’t like change. You need your users to embrace new technology, otherwise they will resist it. We’re hardwired to hate uncertainty.

“Most people choose to be unhappy rather than uncertain” – Tim Ferris, Author of the 4 hour work week

So, here are our four strategies to dispel uncertainty, maximise usage and ensure a smooth Office 365 rollout.

1. Turn your launch into an event

Time to team up with marketing. Create a noise and a buzz around Office 365 adoption by turning the launch into an event.

Invite leaders of the company to share how taking your workplace to the cloud will improve the lives of everyone working in different departments. For example, you could invite HR to present how they can implement that flexible or remote working policy they have been speaking about for ages. Or operations could comment on how improved collaboration will empower Firstline Workers.

Giving case studies about accounts of workplace modernisation improving the lives of employees within other businesses will also help to eliminate the uncertainty.

2. Eat, sleep, Office 365, repeat

Get your employees familiar, even before adoption. Keep them updated about the launch progress and the exciting benefits. You could put up posters around the office. Or create a discussion board on your intranet. Let your employees contribute and suggest how the new technology will have an impact on them.

An open culture will allow you to banish any qualms and means that employees are involved in the launch process. Reassurance is essential.

3. Winner, winner, chicken dinner

There’s nothing like a bit of friendly competition to drive Office 365 adoption levels. As part of the launch, promote high adoption levels with desirable incentives. Finance might not be keen on forking out, but just present them with the facts. A successful Office 365 adoption can give you an ROI of 162% within three years.

You could implement a wall-of-fame for those who utilise the most Office 365 applications. Everyone who appears on the wall-of-fame gets a prize. Simple, but motivational, inclusive and effective.

4. Training is key

Our ethos is teach, don’t sell. We’ve teamed up with the Mandarine Academy to offer 12 months FREE training to any business that rolls out Office 365 (or Microsoft 365) with us when they also take out our support.

The training is specifically designed to ensure that your users fully adopt Office 365 ensuring:

1. Every area of the business is covered, with suggested courses filtered by job role.
2. Training is intuitive and allows your employees to go at their own pace.
3. Gamification creates a competitive buzz around the training initiative and makes learning fun.

Users can very quickly get up to speed with the capabilities of Office 365. What’s more, your training will never be outdated. Updates are in sync with Office 365, so the content is evergreen.

The importance of Office 365 adoption

Full Office 365 adoption can give you an ROI of 162% within three years. With many organisations having several enterprise solutions in place, there can often be a split between what’s possible and what actually happens. Which is why Office 365 adoption has never been more important. Having an Office 365 rollout provides you with the tools to achieve fearless growth, but Office 365 adoption is when you really start to achieve that growth. Once employees have fully adopted Office 365, you will see an increase in productivity and ROI.