It’s not uncommon to hear people complaining about a particular tool and asking me, “Should we replace tool XYZ with tool ABC?” However, before plunging into a change that can sometimes incur considerable costs, it’s crucial to understand why these complaints emerge.
Why it’s important to equip your employees with the right tools
In the changing context of the modern professional world, marked by major resignations, shifting work models and efforts to retain and attract new team members, corporate leaders are tasked with maintaining and increasing their employees’ job satisfaction.
Initial investment in the right tools may seem costly, but the long-term gains in productivity and performance outweigh the initial outlay. Providing employees with the right tools in comfortable environments boosts their energy, concentration and overall performance, in line with the organization’s objectives.
Understanding that employees are the driving force behind an organization’s success, and providing them with the right tools and support can foster satisfaction, innovation and overall growth. It can also be a highly effective retention method for your employees.
Often, it’s not the tool’s functionality that’s the problem, but rather :
🛠️ Adapting to your needs
Has the tool in question been fine-tuned to align with your business needs and practices, rather than the other way around?
🛠️ Proper training
Have your teams been properly trained to exploit the tool’s full potential?
🛠️ Proactive management
Is there a dedicated tool owner within the organization, committed to maximizing its use?
🌐 Digital tools: Getting your users involved
In today’s landscape, our digital tools are as essential as hammers and screwdrivers for a building contractor.
To ensure that your organization has the right tools in place, I strongly recommend conducting NPS (Net Promoter Score) user surveys at regular intervals. When dissatisfaction arises, it’s vital to dig deeper and ask relevant questions. If the issues are really linked to functionality and the supplier, it may be worth considering a tool migration.
When selecting tools, actively involve users. This ensures that the chosen tool will be appreciated from the very first day of use.
💼 The new trend: flexibility in the choice of tools
High-performance teams can choose their own tools. This is one of the Devops capabilities.
But how do you control costs and avoid a proliferation of tools? Solutions exist (come and discuss them with us)! The key is to avoid creating communication and collaboration silos between tools. Also, by favoring tools that are appreciated internally, you minimize the risk of proliferation. After all, you wouldn’t force a plumber to use a scalpel he didn’t like, would you?
Tools are just a means to an end, it’s how you use them that counts. Imposed tools can lead to “Shadow-IT”. Employee satisfaction is often linked to the tools they use on a daily basis. Provide them with the right tools, and they’ll stay engaged and productive.
💡 Innovation through tools
With the constant rise of new tools on the market, innovation is just around the corner. Encourage your teams to explore and try out new tools that could revolutionize the whole organization. Some companies have long understood this, such as Home – Unito , whose model is based on this diversity of tools.
⚖️ The right balance between flexibility and control
Extreme flexibility can be risky, so it’s best to find the right balance between flexibility and control. Finding that compromise is the challenge, and that’s where our expertise lies.
Another factor that can make digital tools problematic is their lack of user-friendliness. When a company forces all its employees to use the same tools, or makes too many available without thinking about who will be best able to use them properly, their use can become very time-consuming. So it’s best to make sure that people master and appreciate their tools on a daily basis.
Non-use of tools = loss of money
And did you know that, according to a recent study, an average of 47% of SaaS tool licenses are in use? That means we’re looking at a loss of 53%, which is huge! And we’re not even talking about user commitment to their tools here.
Imagine the money you could save and reuse for other purposes? Consolidating tools is good, but maximizing their use is even better.
Would you like to maximize the full potential of your tools? We’d love to hear from you!
