Like previous years, last year, 2019, was a success with the articles that I write for CMSwire.com. I focus on helping employees use deployed digital tools to the fullest: user training, IT support automation, digital adoption, digital transformation, etc.

Here are 5 key takeaways from some of the most successful

articles and their summaries.

If you wish to read all the articles in full , go to my author page. Also see the links below their respective article summaries.

In addition, some of the content is pulled from my recent 14 chapters e-book: “Helping Employees Use SharePoint & Office 365 to the Fullest: The Essential Guide to Digital Adoption Success”. Download the full e-book here; it's free.

Main ideas from the 5 articles

1) Why You Should Launch Your SharePoint Deployment & Adoption Plan Concurrently

It is a mistake to wait until deployment is done in order to launch digital adoption campaigns. The human side of technology is more important than the technical side.

The best strategy is to run deployment and change management concurrently. This way, you maximize the likelihood that employees will actually use the digital tools after they are made available. This approach works best for 3 reasons.

• It is easier to understand and solve unforeseen change management problems.
• Decisions on installation and configuration are informed by discoveries from already-completed digital adoption activities.
• Digital adoption campaigns prepare people for the launch of the platforms and help maximize usage from the day the platforms become available.

Read the full article here.

2) Jumpstart Office 365 User Adoption with Microsoft's Learning Pathways Training Site

Microsoft is doing a great job of creating multimedia training content for Office 365 users.

As you start deployment or migration, give your colleagues access to a customized Microsoft 365 Learning Pathways training site. This gives them a place to go when they need guidance. It is a great starting-point for admins who plan to grow a custom training site.

• Easily customize content to respond to needs specific to your company.
• To the site, add your own custom content, governance policies, and regulatory compliance guidelines, for example.
• To drive ongoing learning, find ways to motivate people to learn from the site daily, even when they are not busy completing tasks using the platforms.

Read the full article here.

3) Make Learning a Daily Habit for SharePoint and Office 365

For a company to keep up with digital innovation and stay ahead of the digital transformation curve, employee training has to be ongoing. This works only if people integrate the habit of learning into one of their well-established daily habits.

There will always be better ways to use SharePoint and Office 365; there will always be a way to improve existing processes and workflows; and there will always be new best practices to adopt. Ongoing learning is essential to the survival of a digital workplace.

Leverage the daily habits like checking inboxes or visiting cafeterias to deliver bite-sized digestible training content daily. With time, employees will continue to build proficiency and be more able to get the most out of the platforms.

Read the full article here.

4) A Proven Strategy to Train SharePoint Users

There are several approaches to training digital tools users but some work far better than others.

A combination of 3 types of programs has proven to produce far greater outcomes.

• Start with the traditional classroom-style in-person or online interactive training programs. Focus on helping users understand the big picture and the key concepts of the platforms. Demonstrate functionalities using case studies and success stories.
• Use email to automate micro-training and enable continual learning for users. Broadcast training content to everyone's inbox, one tutorial at a time.
• Use a contextual help system to overlay tip-sheets, videos, and walkthroughs over their respective features, pages, and windows of the Office 365 applications. This allows people to use SharePoint and Office 365 even if they don't know how to. When using an application, they get guidance delivered to them instantly, in-context. No need to search for help, no need to contact the support team. Learning-by-doing is the most effective way of mastering a tool.

Read the full article here.

5) How to Launch (or Relaunch) an Office 365 Application

You need to implement an effective awareness program to let people know that the platforms are available for usage, otherwise not enough people will know and digital adoption will suffer at the very early stage.

Also, you may need to relaunch an application if the first effort failed.

Create anticipation, bring excitement, and put every user on countdown. The strategy that works best involves the following steps.

• Use case studies and success stories to show everyone what they stand to gain in embracing the platform from day one.
• In your messaging, always include a venue, a date, a timeframe, a deadline, and a sense of urgency. This makes your instructions a little more actionable.
• In addition to using emails, you have to use other internal communication channels: live events, print media, promo video broadcasting, and, especially, a contextual help system.

Read the full article here.

More insights from my other articles

In my other 2019 articles, I share more wisdom from my experience, proven strategies, and steps you can follow to ensure that employees use SharePoint and Office 365 to the fullest. I share reliable ways to attain business objectives enabled by the platforms.

Here are some of the titles:

Open Up Collaboration Opportunities With Office 365 Secure External Sharing

How to Grow Your Yammer User Base

How Success Stories Can Help Boost Office 365 Usage

Drive Long-Term Office 365 Adoption With an Incentive Program

The 5 Essential Programs for Successful Digital Adoption

This year has started well; 3 articles are already published.

At VisualSP, we help companies achieve digital adoption; blogging is my way of sharing things that work and those that don't.

On the subject, get more insights from my recent e-book: Helping Employees Use SharePoint & Office 365 to the Fullest: The Essential Guide to Digital Adoption Success.

If you would like to read more from me, follow me on twitter @asifrehmani.

I would like to hear your thoughts; leave your comment below.