The biggest hurdle that organizations face while implementing an enterprise social network is a set of disinterested employees. Less user adoption has always been the biggest hurdle to social network implementation. Most employees are not keen on the idea of using a network at the outset. As you can see on the slide, the network needs to have a top-down approach and extremely easy to use. Non-geeks are usually put off if the navigation of a site is too deep and complex.
A server might go down anytime and most users find this thing annoying. Users feel the need of set procedures for handling such issues. Also, a non-techie might find the idea of “Enterprise 2.0” vague. Hence, he or she would rather have some value attached to it. Some managers are wary about the results of a network and the efficiency of the service provider. Their skepticism plays a crucial role in the low participation of employees in the enterprise social network.
The companies who have managed to increase user adoption across the enterprise have some tricks up their sleeve which I am going to share you now:
- The best way to encourage early adopters has been early bird prizes. Different companies implement this idea differently while some offer lucky draws through the network to encourage people to use the platform.
- A perfect buy-in from business is essential for a strong network of dynamic users. Almost all businesses which involve collaboration should be made compulsory through the network, thus letting users to get a hang of it.
- All screensavers should evolve into SharePoint bill boards while push notifications need to be issued to the staff. Create training videos through the network which help employees to interact and respond to the topic through comments.
- If tasks are assigned through SharePoint, employees will have to access the network repeatedly. Also, posting minor decisions and policies of the company through SharePoint and even inviting all employees for surveys will work wonders to the adoption ratio.
Adoption is extremely tricky within an organization and the adoption levels vary in different enterprises and industries after SharePoint 2010 implementation. But with right planning and assessment, one can guarantee better adoption in their enterprise social network.