You’ve spent many months researching your company’s communication needs, looking into regulatory compliance requirements and searching out the best business business messaging app and desktop platform developer in the region. After an intensive development process, rigorous training sessions and a nerve-wracking rollout, you finally have your new enterprise messaging platform deployed.
But there’s one big problem and it sounds like crickets. Much to your dismay, nobody is using the new message platform. They’re all still texting and using the same disparate range of third-party apps that they were using before you went to the trouble of having a custom platform developed. This begs the question: what is the best user adoption strategy for messaging? How do you get employees to use a new messaging platform, exactly?
The Challenge of Developing User Adoption Strategies for Messaging Apps
Humans are, by nature, creatures of habit. Change is difficult and most people are very resistant, even when the change brings a major benefit to the table.
A user adoption strategy for messaging apps must speak to more than just the advantages and benefits of moving to the new platform. It must also address other issues such as moderation, productivity and risk management.
To compound matters, there is often a sense of urgency because regulatory compliance and recordkeeping laws are two factors that prompted the development of a custom messaging platform for business communications. Previous texting and messaging has been placing your company at risk of fines and penalties. Continued use of those third-party messaging apps and SMS texting translates into a continued element of risk which largely negates the benefits of investing in a custom message platform.
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Creating a User Adoption Strategy for Messaging Platforms
The user adoption process is multifaceted and it requires several prongs to your approach if you are going to see success. Here are a few approaches to consider as you work to promote user adoption for a messaging mobile app and/or desktop platform — or any other software or app, for that matter.
Make It Mandatory
Many company leaders are reluctant to “force” things upon employees, but this is a case where it is beneficial to make the new messaging platform mandatory. Simultaneously, you must make it clear that all other messaging apps and SMS text messages are not permitted for work-related communications. Make a company announcement via multiple avenues — via email, with posters in the break room, through announcements in the weekly meeting, etc — to indicate that the new messaging platform is now the one and only avenue for messaging communications.
Highlight the Productivity Boost
Placing a custom messaging platform within your enterprise software platform means that users won’t need to toggle in and out of different interfaces every time they need to communicate with a colleague or client. This can have a big impact on productivity because studies have revealed that it actually takes several minutes for an individual to get back on track once their attention is diverted from the task at hand. An embedded messaging platform allows users to send and receive messages without diversion, resulting in a significant productivity boost.
Explain the Reason for the Change
Provide employees with an overview of why the company chose to implement a single, custom-built enterprise messaging platform. Explain that communications will be more effective if everyone is using a single, “official” company message platform instead using multiple third-party mobile apps. You may also touch upon the problematic inability to moderate on third-party platforms and texts, in addition to issues such as recordkeeping and regulatory compliance (discussed below).
Tout the Benefits
What are the benefits of a custom messaging mobile app for business communications? Identify the advantages that your employees will enjoy if they shift to the new platform. This will promote user adoption because people are more likely to use a tool if they are convinced that it’s better or more beneficial than the one they’re currently using.
Provide Sufficient User Training
User training is a key component of a solid user adoption strategy for any software platform or mobile app. Some employees may be reluctant to use the new business messaging platform because they lack the skills necessary to use the app and/or desktop platform in a fluid, intuitive way. Invest in comprehensive training sessions and you should see a dramatic rise in user adoption.
Explain the Regulatory Compliance Consequences
Risk management is a major consideration that can drive an organization’s decision to invest in custom software and mobile app platforms, including custom messaging platforms. Recordkeeping laws and regulatory compliance burdens are a key motivator for many companies that seek the development of a custom messaging platform. For example, banks and financial institutions are subject to strict regulatory oversight and there are stringent recordkeeping requirements. But text messages and nearly all consumer-grade messaging apps fall short when it comes to compliance with recordkeeping laws and regulatory requirements. This can lead to millions upon millions of dollars in non-compliance fines and penalties. The employee who continues to use third-party mobile apps or SMS text messages is placing the company at risk of serious consequences. No employee wants to be the one who causes their company to see millions in fines. Once they realize the risk, most employees are going to be very willing to use the new messaging platform.
An enterprise messaging app can bring many benefits to a business and its operations, but only if you can achieve full user adoption. Transitioning to a new platform is uncomfortable and employees are going to be resistant to some degree. But with the right approach and user adoption strategy, you’ll achieve the 100% user adoption you are seeking with minimal resistance.
The UI/UX of the messaging platform will have a major impact on the user adoption process and overall acceptance rate. SayHey Messenger® has been designed to have a dynamic, engaging user interface that is reminiscent of a consumer messaging app. For this reason, minimal training is required and most users pick up the app and immediately start using it with a sense of ease and familiarity.
Instant Messaging for Business Communications: SayHey Messenger®
SayHey Messenger® is a user-friendly instant messaging app for business communications, designed with regulatory compliance in mind.. The admin portal also allows for easy moderation and data management capabilities. The latter ensures that all message data is retained and auditable for easy reference and reporting.
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 because as discussed above, these platforms can lead to serious problems.
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 regulatory-compliant 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®.
