The right business messaging app can enhance communications in a way that drives productivity and improves efficiency. It’s advantages such as these that deliver a sizable ROI for companies that opt to invest in a business-friendly instant messaging platform. But there’s another side to this coin: companies that fail to see positive results as a result of poor user adoption. This signals a need to regain control of the company’s messaging while driving user adoption.
What Causes Poor User Adoption of New Instant Messaging Apps and Platforms?
“If you build it, they will come,” is an adage that rarely applies to the deployment of an instant messaging app for business communications. Unfortunately, many business leaders discover this the hard way after they’ve invested a significant amount of time, energy and money for a new business messaging solution. They’re dismayed to find that their employees are ignoring the new and innovative business messaging app in favor of the consumer-grade messaging platforms that they’ve been using for years. What gives?
As creatures of habit, people are generally rather resistant to change. We’re hesitant to step away from comfortable and familiar technology in favor of something new and unfamiliar. This reluctance is commonplace and users often need a firm push to get past the starting gate. That push can come in different forms, such as comprehensive user training and new policies that restrict the use of unapproved messaging platforms.
User adoption rates can also be brought down by employees who fail to realize that switching to the new business messaging platform is mandatory. This underscores the importance of clear communication when it comes to a company’s policies and protocols.
Understanding Your Business Instant Messaging Practices
You’ve discovered that your company’s new instant messaging platform user adoption rates are abysmal. You’ve worked to understand the factors that impact user adoption and you’re ready to take action. It’s around this point when business leaders often realize the true dynamics of their company’s messaging situation.
Employees are using consumer-grade messaging apps. These apps don’t allow for regulatory compliance because there are no auditing and reporting tools. There’s no long term data retention. You can’t perform real-time data exports. They lack sufficient security features. Business messaging data is only accessible to the user. There is no ability to moderate which poses problems from a diversity and inclusion perspective. The cherry on top: critical business messaging data is spread across half a dozen instant messaging apps and third-party platforms. All the while, your new enterprise messaging app is ignored.
How to Regain Control of Business Messaging Practices
Regaining control of your company’s instant messaging habits starts with the creation of a clear policy that leaves no room for doubt or misunderstanding: everyone must use the new enterprise messaging platform. All other instant messaging apps are prohibited for business use. This policy must be distributed company-wide and users should be required to sign or otherwise acknowledge that they have read the policy.
Training is another important step for regaining control of your company’s messaging situation. Users need to feel comfortable and confident with the new technology if they’re going to step away from the messaging platform that they’ve been using up until now. Training not only promotes better user adoption, but it also empowers users with knowledge of how to make the most of the platform’s features and tools.
Company leaders should also take the time to explain why a new messaging solution was required. For example, regulatory compliance issues and record keeping laws may prompt a company to seek a new instant messaging app to avoid fines and penalties for non-compliance. Employees may have initially failed to appreciate the consequences of using unapproved messaging apps, but once informed, they are fully willing to switch to the new platform. Sometimes, all you need is a clear explanation to bring about positive change.
Instant Messaging for Business Communications: SayHey Messenger®
Instant messaging has become an integral part of the corporate landscape. In fact, messaging apps have been found to be some of the most effective business communication tools. But you need to have the right app designed for business — not a consumer-grade messaging app like WhatsApp since these platform lack the tools that today’s companies need to succeed.
SayHey Messenger® is a user-friendly instant messaging app for business communications, with a robust set of reporting capabilities, moderation tools and admin portal. The portal also allows for comprehensive data management capabilities, including exports, auditing tools and complete control over data retention.
SayHey Messenger® is a unique and regulatory-compliant business instant messaging platform that solves many of the challenges that companies face when it comes to communication. The team at 7T developed SayHey Messenger® as a method for patching the holes in your company’s messaging situation.
The SayHey Messenger® app features:
- Data sovereignty for control and ownership of all messaging data;
- Fully compliant instant messaging for regulated businesses;
- Seamlessly integrates into existing company software platforms;
- Admin portal for moderation, auditing, and inclusivity;
- SayHey Spaces for company-wide broadcasts and team collaborations;
- Engaging, intuitive user interface for incredible adoption rates;
- Send compliant SMS messages to external users with full data retention; and
- Custom UI with your logo, colors and branding elements for a style that’s all yours.
SayHey Messenger® offers two deployments: a SayHey Messenger® Business deployment with a mobile app platform (for iOS and Android) and web app portal. There’s also SayHey Messenger® Enterprise deployments, which entail storing all messaging data in the client’s private cloud environment and the platform is fully integrated within the client’s existing software platforms, including mobile applications. This allows users to access their instant messages without leaving the screen, leading to greater productivity, higher user adoption rates and better efficiency.
Consider using SayHey Messenger® as your business messaging platform. And the best part? We can deploy this business messaging solution in a matter of days. Contact us today to learn more about SayHey Messenger®.