Picture this - you are in a new city with new culture and attractions. The change of atmosphere is scary yet necessary for you to range over new experiences. So, you smartly choose your tour guide who can make you comfortable with the newness and adventure of the journey!

Purchasing new software is similar to exploring a new city. Your users are not used to the variety of features, so it can be petrifying to start with. Considering recent times, companies have been trying to navigate digital waters. And it hasn’t been a cakewalk for many businesses!

As of now, Gartner reports that 34% of companies' software spending is wasted, which is a threat to their future. But that’s where you assist your users with a tour guide, a.k.a digital adoption platform(DAP).

With DAP's capabilities, your organization can be more efficient, agile, and competitive in the digital transformation journey.  And, your customers will be able to learn and stay up-to-date on the latest developments in your application.

DAPs can provide valuable support and guidance to help users navigate new environments and make the most of their experiences. So let’s dig a bit more into digital adoption -

What is Digital Adoption?

Digital adoption refers to the proficient and comprehensive use of a software application by users, including employees, customers, or partners.

It signifies a thorough mastery of the application's features and capabilities, enabling users to leverage its full potential seamlessly.

The attainment of digital adoption holds significant implications for user retention, enhanced productivity, maximized software return on investment (ROI), and the scalable optimization of workflow processes. I

n essence, it establishes a foundation for a symbiotic relationship between users and technology, ensuring a proficient and effective integration of software into daily operations.

What is a Digital Adoption Platform?

A digital adoption platform is software that integrates with any software that your users want to learn - may it be on desktop, mobile, or web. It helps organizations streamline the process of onboarding and training users.

The purpose is to make learning new software easy and efficient for your customers & employees. Think of it as a personalized guide that helps your users to navigate the digital world with confidence and ease. No more feeling lost or frustrated. With a digital adoption platform, you'll have the support your users need to learn, grow, and thrive in the digital age.

You can have personalized and contextual support to individual users, ensuring that they can make the most of the technology available to them.

But who are the ‘users’ we are talking about?

Digital Adoption Platforms caters to two types of end users and a tertiary type of user in a business. Let’s take a brief look -

• Customer - Let’s say you have a mobile banking app that will have product updates every now and then. You will want your customers to use your new features, but most times, they will need help to figure it out. So they will ping your customer service and raise help tickets.

As you use Customer-facing DAPs, these queries will get immediate attention with real-time help interface with audio-visual walkthroughs and help articles. Not only will this increase customer retention but also improve customer experience.

• Employee - Enterprise tech stack usually consists of CRM, ERP, HCM, and HRMS software that regulate daily operations for different roles. Some of these software are highly complex and can annoy your employee to the core.

That’s when you use employee-facing DAPs to help them learn while working. By reducing your training efforts and overcoming productivity blocks, you will see substantial return on investment on the software use.

• Partner - Partners aren’t your end users, but they are the distributors or resellers, given the authorization to sell the application in newer markets. So why do they need to use DAP?

To sell it better, they need to learn all the nitty-gritty details and updates. Training all of partners is next to impossible because so many of them exist. With the help of DAP, learning for all the them takes less time and you can onboard a lot of partners simultaneously.

The self-serve learning opportunities for employees, real-time support for customers and quick training for your partners can get your organization to reach new heights of success.

So, here’s a popular doubt - Does digital adoption mean the same thing as digital transformation?

Difference between Digital Adoption and Digital Transformation

Let's start by clarifying that they aren't the same. Instead, digital transformation is a broader term that involves digital adoption as a part of it.

Let’s understand with a fictional story-

"Acme Corporation" was facing a problem as they were starting to lose ground to their competitors. They knew they needed to do something to stay relevant, but they weren't sure what.

One of the executives suggested that they try something called "digital adoption." It was agreed upon by the fellow employees and they streamlined operations by introducing new technology.

As the ideas started rolling out, they could see a lot of improvements in the way their employees worked. Eventually they were looking at a better picture  where they rethought and redesigned the way the company did business.

This was their introduction to the concept of "digital transformation".

By experimenting with new ways of interacting with customers, such as through online channels, they began to offer new products and services that were enabled by technology.

To further facilitate adoption of these technological changes, they utilized digital adoption platforms to maximize the benefits of these efforts in a timely manner.

To sum it up, Think of Digital adoption as an integral piece of the digital transformation puzzle.

Here are some challenges that impede your digital adoption process and how you can overcome them!

Bumps on the road: Challenges of digital adoption

Identifying and overcoming challenges is part of your digital adoption journey. Organizations and individuals may encounter obstacles as they integrate digital technologies into their daily operations and processes.

1. Guiding Users to a Seamless Start

One common challenge is that users may need help knowing where to start when adopting new digital tools and solutions. This can lead to confusion and frustration, hindering the adoption process.

How to overcome it?

In the course of training and onboarding, assigned authorities can provide clear and concise instructions and tutorials to help fellow users learn better.

2. Resistance to Change

Another potential challenge is that users may be resistant to change. Enterprises with long-standing processes and traditions usually face this problem. Users are accustomed to doing things a certain way and hesitant to embrace new ways of working.

How to overcome it?

Here’s when change management comes into play. L&D leaders can help you communicate the benefits of the new software and highlight how they can help improve efficiency and productivity to the users.

3. Complex UI/UX

Additionally, users may find the new user interface (UI) clumsy and complex, making it difficult for them to use the latest technologies effectively. This can frustrate users and lead to a low adoption rate.

How to overcome it?

Invest in software/platform with customizable UI and strive to design intuitive and user-friendly UIs that are easy to navigate and understand.

4. Reducing Attention Span

Finally, users may need more attention span or motivation to learn and use the new technologies. Generation Z is expected to comprise as much as 27% of the global workforce by 2025. They are accustomed to using digital tools and solutions in their personal lives but may not be familiar with complex systems in a professional setting.

How to overcome it?

Include fun in the learning opportunities with gamification and increasing interactivity to make the ongoing training and support less robotic and more human.

It's clear that digital adoption relies on human participation and engagement. To put it simply - PEOPLE. Your team is eager to learn and adapt to new software, and that’s when you can lend a helping hand in the form of a digital adoption platform that can provide the support and guidance they need.

Let’s get into some DAP benefits quickly before we tell you how you can choose a digital adoption platform for your business-

Brownie points: Benefits of digital adoption platform

• Increased productivity & efficiency - DAP capabilities such as use of walkthroughs, intelligent auto-complete suggestions and automatic data formatting, employees can enter data more accurately and efficiently, reducing the number of errors and saving time.
  
• Decreased re-training needs- Intelligent training methods are achieved with an approach that most DAPs have - on-the-job training. Employees learn complex software at their own pace while they work on them, eliminating the need for re-training since they don't have to refer to generic training documents to retain knowledge.
  
• Great digital workforce - Ensure your employees' skill development as you position yourself as an employee-centric organization in the digital age to attract and retain top talent. Create a remote/hybrid workforce that is well-established to succeed.
  
• Desired ROI on Tech investments -  By optimizing the software use, improving employee productivity and customer satisfaction, and reducing training costs and data errors; you can recover your initial technology investment more quickly and realize the total value of their investment.
  
• Reduced support costs - Less turnaround time on customer queries will show up positively on your product reviews and eventually build up your customer loyalty. At the same time, the need for manual support and intervention will reduce and so will all your related costs.
  
• Elevate Your In-App Experience - With no-code DAP abilities, you can create announcements and notify your customers about all your new features and upgrades all by yourself. Users are more likely to stay with your app if they feel that it is constantly evolving and improving.
  
• Broaden Your User Base with Multilingual- By offering help in multiple languages, you can also demonstrate your commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, which can be attractive to your customers. Besides making them more comfortable with your app, this will also make it more appealing to a wider audience.

Choosing the right DAP Software and Vendor

After looking at the plethora of benefits using digital adoption platforms have, are you searching for the one that suits your needs?

You can compare DAPs software and vendors on these five aspects, which are a must-have in any DAP that you consider investing in:

Insightful In-app guides

In-app guides are available inside any software you wish to learn. The intuitive content in them caters to onboarding and training. DAPs provide them in the form of interactive walkthroughs, help articles, and self-help widgets.  

Exceptional Ease of use

It’s nothing but going back to the basics and answering the question - How easily can your users navigate with a DAP? According to your needs, you can have a customizable or chat-like user interface to get maximum functionality.

Powerful Analytics

Data is power, but to harness the power, you need analytics. With analytics dashboards, you can track user activity and help content being used. Managers can use these actionable insights to identify user struggles and provide constructive feedback.

Continual Customer Support

When you choose a DAP, they give you all the needed features and qualities that you want. But what if you face problems? Customer service and support are integral if you face difficulty using the software.

Data security and compliance

Data threats are a headache for most companies, and while onboarding a new vendor, it’s essential to look at the privacy and security of the data stored and processed on the platform. It helps maintain the trust of users and protects sensitive information.

Guess where you can find all of that in one place - Gyde. As the name implies, it will guide your users through their confusion while using the new software.

Understanding how digital adoption platforms work can help you identify opportunities for innovation and improvement. So here you go -

How does the Digital Adoption Platform work?

Let’s say you have 50 newly hired employees who need training in SAP SuccessFactors. Going with a conventional method of training and onboarding - there will be an orientation followed by training, mentoring, and evaluation. You might hire a trainer who can be worth a king’s ransom. Above all, this might take a month or two and, in some cases, longer.

Here’s how DAP will work instead-

After the orientation, that is, introduction to the organization’s culture, policies, and procedure, all you have to do is introduce and integrate a DAP into their role-specific job duties and responsibilities.

For example, if an individual wants to apply for a leave on LMS software, they don’t have to ask or do anything manually. With the help of a walkthrough or descriptive help article, they can do it all by themselves in seconds. Plus, if they need assistance in their native language, the multilingual feature in a DAP will help them to better understand the processes.

The learning will take place while they work. Moreover, the mentoring and evaluation can happen simultaneously in a data-driven way as some DAPs also provide analytics of used processes. Isn’t that less time-consuming and more budget-friendly?

What’s even better is - Digital Adoption Platforms like Gyde, which are no-code. In other words, you don't need coding skills to create walkthroughs. Wherever you find your employees struggling to use a feature or process, convert this thought of guiding them through the fuss into reality with a DAP.

How to measure ROI on using a DAP?

Your ROI sweet spot converges as you calculate the following locations -

• Information Exploration time - Calculate the average time spent before and after implementing the DAP on information scavenger hunts or going back and forth with the help desk.
  
• Help desk assistance - Measure the reduction in help desk and technical support calls associated with the use of the DAP software and the time saved by employees who can now find answers to their questions then and there
  
• Employee efficiency and output - Count the number of employees who make errors in business processes before and after implementing the DAP to determine the savings in retraining costs.
  
• Software usage - Monitor the increase in software adoption by tracking the usage of the software before and after implementing the DAP. Counting the number of users and tracking their time spent using the software can help you accomplish this.

Best DAPs available on the market

As companies continue to embrace digital technology and look for ways to improve the adoption of new systems, the market for Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) Software has seen strong growth. In 2021, the global market size was around USD 480 million and is expected to grow to over USD 1.165 billion by 2027, with a CAGR of 15.93%.

Here are the best digital adoption platforms in the market -

Gyde

Gyde meets a specific need that you might be struggling with. The customer service and relentless support stand out and shine bright in the competition.

Unlike the competitors with quantity features, Gyde ensures reliability with an expertise to give out quality that meets your requirements.

Not only does it deliver extensive analytics across numerous applications but also helps you see exactly where users are struggling. Furthermore, you can create feedback cycles appropriate to your demand.

In a fast-paced world, Gyde is dedicated to staying current and relevant for its users, maintaining its position as a smart assistant for application users.

Here’s quick look at the features Gyde offer:

• Activity Dashboard
• Audience Targeting
• Content Creation
• Contextual Guidance
• Data Quality Control
• Employee Onboarding
• In-App Training
• Multi-Language
• Reporting/Analytics
• User Onboarding
  

Whatfix

Whatfix is inclined towards product analytics and they help users be more productive by removing obstacles and providing guidance within various software applications. With tutorials and self-help materials, they aid users wherever they are in the application. Some features they have are:

• Real Time Data
• Activity Dashboard
• Audience Targeting
• Data Quality Control
• Surveys & Feedback
  

Walkme

While Walkme is often thought of as a training software, its Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) allows organizations to analyze data and streamline processes to increase user adoption and improve the user experience. Here are some features they serve-

• Communication Management
• Content Creation
• Survey/Poll Management
• Customizable Templates
• Training Companies
  

Success stories

• A leading insurance service provider in India, with a large network of branches and round-the-clock customer support operations, recently decided to implement a comprehensive cloud-based CRM application for its workforce.

The company opted for a digital adoption platform (DAP) provider who provided employee-facing support to ensure a smooth transition.

The DAP's contextual walkthroughs and help articles helped employees understand the system thoroughly, and the DAP widget was able to personalize itself to each employee's role, location, application pages, and version, increasing engagement with the application.

Moreover it helped them with correct data entry and eventually they transitioned to the new system without any downtime, and productivity across the organization saw a boost.

• A global learning management system with over 1 million users and 175 business customers sought to increase self-sufficiency among its users while also improving the overall experience with the platform.

So, the company required a customer-facing digital adoption platform that could efficiently address customer inquiries and minimize response times

The DAP's step-by-step walkthroughs were instrumental in helping customers understand complex workflows in real-time, leading to a better understanding of the system and how to use it effectively. Therefore, it had a positive impact on customer retention and success as well.

The combination of self-serve resources and real-time guidance enabled users to fully utilize the platform and have a positive experience.

Future of Digital Adoption Platforms

One of the key trends in the future of digital adoption platforms is using AI/ML technologies to make them even more personalized and effective for users. It is undeniable that DAPs will help your users share knowledge & expertise and work together more effectively by enabling collaboration and communication.

With the growth of DAPs, businesses can stay ahead of the curve and maximize the benefits of new technologies and applications.

Towards the end

Knowing how digital adoption can be embraced and scaled with digital adoption platforms, what's keeping you from utilizing tech to its full potential?

Using Gyde's DAP solution, enterprises can quickly onboard new employees, train them on new systems, and track their progress to ensure successful software adoption. Brands can think of improving their customer lifecycle and facilitating them with easy-to-understand screen pop-ups and tips.  

Don't just take our word for it - book a demo to see the results firsthand with Gyde.

FAQs

How is digital adoption measured?

You can measure the Digital adoption rate by tracking the usage of the software or technology being adopted, such as the number of users, the amount of time spent using the software, and the number of tasks completed.

Why does digital adoption fail?

Digital adoption can fail for several reasons, including-

1. lack of clear goals or objectives
2. inadequate training and support
3. lack of user engagement and motivation
4. resistance to change
5. technical issues or problems with the software itself

What does a digital adoption specialist do?

A digital adoption specialist helps organizations adopt and use digital technologies effectively and efficiently. This may involve:

1. Providing training and support to users
2. Conducting assessments
3. Developing strategies and plans
4. Coordinating the implementation of digital technologies.

The goal of a digital adoption specialist is to help organizations realize the full benefits of their digital investments and achieve their desired outcomes.

How can I get a digital adoption platform suitable for my organization?

To get a suitable digital adoption platform (DAP) for your organization, you should identify your specific needs and goals, research and compare different DAPs.