How to counteract the primary factor for digital transformation failure

WalkMe Team
By WalkMe Team
Updated May 2, 2023

In this webinar, Matt Pepper, Business Value consultant at WalkMe, discusses the leading factor in digital transformations failure. Watch the video or keep reading to learn more and discover which countermeasures can protect your business. 

The adoption journey

Before revealing the primary factor for digital transformation failure, including countermeasures, Pepper helps us to understand the digital adoption journey – including the differences between random or reactive vs. proactive or virtuous digital adoption. 

In the case of random digital adoption, this occurs when organizations are preparing to deploy a new technology or service, and they have a need to train a large number of staff to work with it. Reactive digital adoption is when an organization has already deployed a new technology or service, and it hasn’t gone according to plan. This reaction is typically both rash and hurried. 

A leading methodology for change

Leading into organizational change management, which is key to digital transformation, we look at the key methodology, ADKAR – awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, reinforcement. Knowing, such as in the awareness stage, that a change is going to come makes space for creating a desire. When we arrive at the knowledge stage, that is where WalkMe – and digital adoption as a whole – enables us to transform knowledge into ability.

Addressing the people/process/technology diagram, we are ultimately reminded that while each of these factors – people, process, and technology – are necessary for digital transformation, only one of them is immeasurable, uncontrollable, and unpredictable. That leads us to the leading factor in digital transformation failure…

The human factor

The reality is, people do things you don’t expect. Forms can be filled out incorrectly, labels mislabeled, data mishandled, and systems used in ways they weren’t designed to be used. 

A range of tech solutions are currently available on the market that can help counter the unpredictability of the human factor. The question remains, what are they and how can they best be used to optimize enterprise operations?

The answer lies in digital adoption platforms. By automating processes, eliminating inefficiencies in workflows, and removing the option of encountering human error in data management, organizations of all sizes see an improvement in their operation and get to maximize the value of their technology.

A user-first approach

The major factor that most enterprises neglect to consider when undergoing digital transformation, of which digital adoption is a core element, is the user experience for their end users – employees. When companies launch a new service, feature, or product, they will painstakingly plan and strategize in order to maximize the number of adopters. 

However, what about when they want their employees to use a new service, feature, or product? It’s usually a short, live training session and a “good luck!” for the road. If it isn’t clear that this is entirely insufficient, let it be known that it begins with your employees. Employee user experience is the missing key. And, once you take it into your hands, the door to successful digital transformation will be yours to enter. 

So, what goes into creating an exceptional user experience for your employees?

Intentional use of data

Effectively leveraging data also helps the business learn and improve constantly. This user-first approach is based on three main elements:

  1. Data 
  2. Experience
  3. Action

Pepper uses the example of the actionbot with which he used to book his first vacation after beginning his role at WalkMe. The bot, based on a few commands, entered a multitude of systems on his behalf and presented the final leave request for his approval within seconds – and he never had to leave the chat. 

The benefit of having a digital adoption platform is that solutions like this one can be quickly built and deployed that streamline workflows and create a more efficient organization, while preventing administrative incidents caused by human error. 

Discover why Everest Group believes your tech stack can be unlocked with a holistic DAP strategy in their ‘360-degree Digital Adoption: The Essential Building Blocks of Successful Digital Adoption’ report. 

Digital Adoption Journey and the Business Value Curve Learn More
WalkMe Team
By WalkMe Team
WalkMe pioneered the Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) for organizations to utilize the full potential of their digital assets. Using artificial intelligence, machine learning and contextual guidance, WalkMe adds a dynamic user interface layer to raise the digital literacy of all users.