It makes sense for technology to simplify our lives. With apps that save us time and money and effort, and sales solutions that are accessible on all devices, you would think that our work lives would be made easier. But, according to Seismic’s annual Dreamforce survey results, nearly 20% of respondents claim that technology has complicated their work lives over the past year.
How is this possible?
Seismic surveyed sales, marketing, and IT professionals, managers and executives at Dreamforce 2014 to find out the state of Salesforce, the adoption of enterprise mobility solutions, and why adoption rates for these innovative solutions are still so low.
One reason technology may be complicating employees’ work lives is because of ineffective implementation of solutions. Many times, different teams within organizations will see the value in a solution, purchase it, and try to get the whole organization to adopt its use. The problem here is that the solution’s benefits usually aren’t properly explained, employees are not fully trained on its functions, and the reluctance to use it builds. Plus, when multiple solutions are introduced, there is a good chance they don’t all integrate seamlessly. This leads to data gaps, conversion issues, and an overall decrease in productivity. This is counterproductive to the reasons these solutions were introduced in the first place.
Seismic’s Dreamforce survey dug a little deeper into the specific implementation of Salesforce1, the blockbuster mobile platform that Salesforce announced just a year earlier at Dreamforce 2013. We were interested in finding out how many of the respondents’ organizations had already rolled out Salesforce1, and when others planned to. While 52% of respondents had or will have implemented Salesforce1 by the end of 2014, 21% had no plans to do so at all.
Considering average implementation time of new software can take upwards of a year or more, this implies that there will still be companies rolling out Salesforce in 2016. This lengthy process can be viewed as a disadvantage compared to companies who are already reaping the benefits of these software solutions, but careful implementation is key.
In order to minimize the complexity of adding solutions to employees’ work lives, it’s important to carefully implement these solutions. Ensure that employees understand the benefits and how to use each, and make sure all of upper management is on board before making any new software decisions. By ensuring all leadership is committed to adopting and rolling out these solutions, there is a better chance that they stick in the long run.
For Seismic’s complete Dreamforce survey report, click the banner below!
