Not jumping for joy about your ECM system?

Tips for helping reluctant staff to embrace change

Shiny marketing brochures and eager sales reps from companies across the enterprise content management (ECM) industry will tell you all about the wonderful benefits you'll get from installing an ECM system. But very few people who are trying to sell you a system will tell you how challenging it can be to change the long-held mindsets of your end users. 

After almost 25 years in the business, we recognize this can be one of the biggest hurdles associated with ECM adoption. Between identifying document types that will need to be stored, metadata that needs to be pulled from those documents, business processes that will be initiated, and security rights that will be applied, the task can be daunting. It's no wonder you might get some resistance along the way.

The article ECM: Tips for Managing Change Effectively explains that your staff members might be feeling anything from mild confusion to downright bitterness about the proposed transition. Worries typically arise from:

• Lack of clarity as to why changes are needed.
• Anxiety about transitioning away from familiar manual processes.
• Fear that some documents will be lost permanently.
• Reluctance to expose existing procedural weaknesses.
• Concern that staff won't receive needed training and might fail.
• Worry that automation will destroy creativity and autonomy.

It's not a hopeless cause, however. The article also gives you tools to help your staff embrace the positive changes offered by an ECM system. It provides tips that will help you to:

• Assess the change readiness
• Communicate the reasons for change
• Develop concrete plans
• Reveal how changes will affect employees
• Present a united front
• Manage resistance

The bottom line:

Let's be honest. Not everyone on your staff will jump for joy at the thought of change. But with proper planning and open communication from the start of the process, you can you can help your staff to overcome their fears and welcome the benefits ECM will deliver.

Talk with us:

Our DocFinity team is experienced in helping companies manage change effectively within their staff. Contact us today to learn how we can help you get started on the right foot.

Let's continue the discussion...follow DocFinity on Twitter!

For more information or to schedule a demonstration, please Contact DocFinity now.