As Life Sciences organizations face increasingly complex research and compliance environments, information services play a critical role in supporting innovation and decision-making.
In our three-part interview series, we spoke with CCC experts to gain insight into best practices companies can take to support the implementation, adoption, and long-term success of these services.
In part two of our series, Thomas Ogier, Senior Director, Client Engagement and Solutions, shares practical strategies for encouraging user adoption and managing change in complex research environments. Ogier brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in customer service, technical support, process workflow, and technology integration, and has led customer service organizations across a range of industries.
Read the first interview in our series on implementation and onboarding with Caleb Keen here.
What strategies have you found most effective in encouraging user adoption of new tools in complex research environments?
Ogier: Come to find out, learning is not the same for all. Depending on whether you’re younger or older, introvert or extrovert, a reader or a watcher, learning is different for everyone, and sometimes there is no silver bullet. What I have found most effective is to offer multiple sources or channels. With any new tool or process, I’ve found that by offering a written “how to” or process document along with an instructional video usually hits the mark.
Some users will read, others will watch the video, while some may need both. Additionally, if you can offer a source where the user can ask follow-up questions, this further reinforces the learning process. Learning for most is not a point in time but rather a process.
How do you and your teams help clients manage the cultural and behavioral aspects of change management, not just the technical rollout?
Ogier: I think three elements must be satisfied when managing change. First, you must provide some kind of explanation for why the change is happening. Buy-in is essential, otherwise you get the “because I said so” effect.
Second, you must provide clear directions and expectations for what is required. And third, you must give sufficient time for the adjustment. It can’t be a “light switch” type of event. Everyone accepts change at a different pace. Give them the time they need.
What role does training and ongoing support play in ensuring adoption sticks over time?
Ogier: Training and support are critical to the success of the product. In fact, I would say that training and support are part of the product. A product without training and support is only half a product. If you are looking for broad adoption, training, knowledge articles, and customer service are vital to the product’s success.
Can you share a story of where a client overcame adoption hurdles and what made the biggest difference in solving their challenges?
Ogier: I can’t name a specific client, but I can address a group of them. We are working with several RightFind Enterprise clients, assisting them with optimizing their use of the solution. We’ve had several successes where we’ve examined adoption at a user level and targeted communication and training focused on those individuals.
Often, we will invite a very specific list of users to webinars and training events. These events are all focused on how to make their job easier. If the user has something to gain from the adoption, they are more likely to listen and engage.
We will also check in with them often to see if we can be of assistance. The training and constant attention more times than not wins over the customer.
If you could give clients one piece of advice about driving adoption across global or cross-functional teams, what would it be?
Ogier: Change management starts with leadership. The entire leadership team has to be on board. A set of metrics must be established and a goal set to measure the adoption. Everyone needs to understand how the metrics are determined and how they personally can impact the metrics. Frequent meetings are needed, too, to communicate progress and address gaps.