How to Get Employee Buy-In For Your New Contract Management Platform

June 19, 2018 • Contract Management • 3 minutes

Getting employees to see the vision of a new tool is critical for implementation. Here’s how to make that happen with a contract management platform.

As a contract management platform goes through implementation and adoption, one of the key elements of success is getting employee buy-in throughout the process. Here are a few ways to help teams see the value of a new platform and increase overall positivity around its use.

Acknowledge the former struggle and show the future vision.

Input from employees is a key part of the success of a new platform. Finding out what current pain points are and what a platform needs to contain to solve those issues helps make the change easier. Coming at the process from a problem-solving perspective and choosing the platform that will be part of the solution helps set the tone that the tool is here to alleviate issues, not create more.

Even if archaic tools are difficult, making the switch to a new tool can seem even more challenging. Fear of the unknown—even if it’s just a business process—can be overwhelming. Recognizing this while providing a long-term picture of what the platform is able to do will alleviate fear and keep everyone focused on the same goals.

As the decision is being made, laying out a clear timeline for training from the top down helps everyone get on board as well as eliminate any potential resistance. An executive sponsor can help a project not only move faster, but be more widely accepted and well-received.

Create a test team and provide comprehensive training.

Including enough training time is critical for employees to be able to fully learn and understand the true benefits of a new platform. Yet with so many busy schedules, it can be difficult to ask a large group of employees to take the time to learn a new tool. Creating a core group of administrators to do extensive training to will help solve any issues that arise as well as provide insight into the best way to apply the platform to that area of business. This initial training can help ease the process for all users and give teams who learn the platform a resource to go to if they have any issues. Administrators and users alike should have a thorough understanding of the platform and be able to answer any questions that may arise as they continue to use it. Features such as access control, approval workflow, document creation, and tagging should be second nature by the time training is complete. With a well-designed platform, this training should take a matter of days or weeks, not months or years.

Show the ROI—and what it means for the team.

While faster business processes and more deals are good goals for an organization as they implement a contract lifecycle management platform, translating what these goals mean for employees is key. Faster deals mean more revenue, and more revenue translates to benefits and perks such as gym reimbursements, team outings, and more. Connecting the success of the business to the things that make daily life better in the workplace helps a company unite behind a change, even if it may seem like slightly more work in the beginning. With the returns in sight, it’s easier to get behind a new tool.

Having employees invested in the success of a tool makes it easier to implement and the whole business function better. Easing into a transition with these steps will help set up a good trajectory for full adoption.

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