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Will software ever solve the problem?

  • 20 November 2023
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If you’re in SAAS you know that one of the biggest hurdles to overcome is change management. That’s because humans are creatures of habit. If we were onboarding computers, all we’d need to do is change a few lines of code - then presto change-o the new solution is rolled out.

That’s why I believe that software will never solve the problem.

We can’t just spit out facts and expect that to drive organizational change. Change is complex because humans are complex.

Take me for example. I’d love to be in tip top shape. I’d love to have healthier workout habits. I know the stats. I know the numbers. I understand WHY I need to change. Heck, I could buy a gym pass to change, but the gym will not change me if I don’t show up and put in the work.

That’s the key. Change takes effort. Intentional, consistent effort. So how do we help new clients drive that change?  Please comment below (bonus points for sharing actionable pro-tips)! I’m all ears.

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Best answer by eduensing 30 December 2023, 02:38

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Just listened to this podcast that talks about how change starts from within. The hosts of the podcast said that to drive change you need to understand that humans love change. I thought that was interesting, but I liked their case.

They claimed that humans are constantly changing (we get married, we get new jobs, etc). The key difference is that we like to make those changes ourselves. We resist change if it’s thrust upon us. Which makes sense… If you were on a walk and a stranger grabbed your arm and tried to drag you in a different direction than you were going, then your immediate response is to pull back and resist. Now imagine if that stranger told you that you dropped your wallet. Chances are you’d be a little more inclined to follow them because now you have something at stake.

 

Long story short, I thought it was interesting that instead of buying a product and expecting everyone to use it, we switched up our approach to help team/customer understand their pain points clearly. Once they understand that, then they can make a faster and longer lasting change.


Anyone have any tips or tricks on how you navigate this with implementing your software? This is definitely something easier said than done!

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@asamayoa I feel like your team crushes this. Any insights from your industry that could be used in SAAS? 

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In 2023, my entire onboarding team did a series of online courses in Change Management so we could understand this a bit better and where we could incorporate elements of Change Management into our onboarding process. We are not change management professionals, but we know our product and what it does for organizations that buy it. We landed in a couple of areas that we could help influence. 1) communicate often (why they bought our product, win areas, pain addressed, the VALUE of the product, etc.); and 2) fail early (our product involves strategy and a total mind shift change… we want to test out the new processes and ideas as early as possible to address if they don’t work for the team.  

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I love that @eduensing!

How do you do to help customers fail early and change their mind shift? Aka what signals do you look for to know if a new idea/process isn’t aligned with the team?

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