Many organisations are now moving to MS Office 365 (O365) and are looking to make the most of all the features and tools that are available. With so much on offer in so many ways, how can you make sure MS O365 is fully adopted in your organisation? Here are some points to consider:

1. Make A Case for Change

O365 can bring many benefits and efficiencies, but often these are not articulated at the start or tracked after launch, and no return on investment is realised. Make sure you are clear about your success measures to keep on track.

2. A Phased Roll-Out Approach

O365 has many apps (think Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, Yammer) and within each app there are different levels of functionality and features. It is easy for users to get overwhelmed if it is all made available at the same time. A gradual approach is recommended so users can become familiar and competent in the basics and then move to more advanced levels. Phasing will ensure issues can be ironed out quickly without having a major impact on the wider business and without overloading the IT helpdesk.

3. Understanding User Requirements

Before deploying O365, you need to understand how people do their jobs, what is important to them and what is required in the future. Addressing simple set up such as outlook inboxes, guidance on sharing documents and collaboration will avoid adoption issues. However, don’t simply replicate your current way of working. Engage an expert to ensure you don’t overlook features that could make a major improvement to your business.

At Equantiis, a technique we use is to interview team members and write up an ‘M365 Best Practice’ story for everyone, based on what they have been doing with the tool and how they plan to use this going forwards. These stories can be shared across the champion network and wider business and help achieve buy-in.

4. User Engagement & Buy-In

It’s no surprise that one of the biggest barriers to software adoption is a lack of end-user buy-in. If the people who are going to be using O365 are not trained on how to do so,  it’s almost guaranteed not to be embraced. Change Management will help avoid any sort of disconnect or confusion, and pave the way for successful software adoption that is worth the business money spent.

5. Making Sure Training is Tailored and Relevant

There is a wealth of information out there on how to use O365 through Microsoft Academy, YouTube and the list goes on. The reality is that people will not sit through 40 videos to get up to speed – they want something that is quick, simple, relevant and tailored to their jobs.

Equantiis Consultant, Lina Gonzalez Gomez explains: “Being able to show staff what O365 is through the demo and training is one thing, but the beauty of using a tool like this is building it to match your individual role or team. A one-size-fits-all approach won’t cut it, people like to be creative and intuitive with the tool and figure out the best use for them.”

6. Security Has To Be A Key Focus

Almost half (46%) of businesses experienced a data breach in the last 12 months, according to the government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey, and organisations need to be aware of the security risks that cloud-based software such as Office 365 may bring about. For many organisations, O365 will be their first foray into an official remote working or BYOD bring your own device- policy and new security measures such as improved password protocols and Two Factor Authentication.

7. Data Integrity

With the ability to store data in multiple locations, without appropriate guidelines and training, it is all too easy for users to store documents in different locations risking data accuracy and integrity. O365 also changes habits from sending data sets via email to sending links, which if not adopted properly, will result in multiple versions of data.

 At Equantiis we understand the complexities and scale involved in the migration and adoption of new software. We have years of experience of making changes like these stick, so you can reap the benefits. For more information contact: simon.adams@equantiis.com