Step by Step to Success: M365 User Adoption

Municipalities choose Wortell to include employees in their Digital Transformation. 

A lot of changes are going on in the Dutch municipalities. On the one hand, topics such as the new Environment Act are causing a stir, on the other hand, more and more municipalities see that they are lagging behind in the IT field. The step to Microsoft 365 is a common change in this respect. That step is not just one, it is not just about the technical implementation of a new set of software, but making Microsoft 365 tooling available within the municipality brings with it a different way of working, and thus different behavior. 

What exactly is user adoption? 

In a nutshell, user adoption is about getting people to use a product. In this case, that employees start using Microsoft 365. Whether people start using a product depends on several factors. Of course, making the product technically available is the starting point for that, but if, as a municipality, you think, "We turned on Teams, so now we're using Teams," it can still be quite disappointing.

Users need to understand how to use a product. There's a trap there, too. Municipalities that think, "We turned on Teams, sent everyone on an hour of Teams training, so now we're using Teams," often see disappointing usage rates as well. To encourage and enable users to use a product, a user adoption strategy is needed. Consideration must have been given in advance as to why M365 was chosen as a municipality, what behavior you want to encourage, how to get the need across to employees through various avenues, how to transfer knowledge, how to secure the knowledge, how to deal with resistance, and much more.

Municipal user adoption success factors 

Over the years, it has become apparent that it is necessary to establish a plan and make time available among employees to implement that plan. For a major project like the rollout of Microsoft 365, establishing an adoption working group is essential. Involving executives in the plans and giving them room to contribute ideas on how to implement them is also important. There are numerous other success factors that contribute to the success of this journey. 

If your municipality is undergoing a digital transformation and has set its sights on Microsoft 365, test the extent to which user adoption is included in the plans. Should you need advice on this, or would like to spar about it, feel free to contact me or fill out the contact form below.