Craving the latest iPhone from Apple? Did you use Instacart or drive a Tesla before everyone else on your street? Have you asked Amazon Alexa to turn on your oven?
If so, you’re probably an innovator or an early adopter, two essential categories in building lasting change.
Everyone develops and uses technology at their own pace. We all contribute to the technology adoption lifecycle and collectively form a bell-shaped innovation curve. George Beal and Joe Bohlen developed these well-known demographic and psychological profiles in the 1950s. Everett Rogers’ research served as the basis for the five stages of the adopter category and the percentages.
Here’s what they mean for tech now:
Innovators: The top 2.5 percent are responsible for developing new goods and technology. They have their own test cases and are the initial users. They fail to commercialize most of their inventions. Early adopters, however, are those who first try it out from what it does.
Early adopters: Early adopters are the first users of newly released technologies, representing the next 13.5% of customers after innovators.
Early Majority: After the first users, who represent 34% of the population, the early majority get used to using new technologies.
Late Majority: The late majority is manifested by the 34% that follows the early majority. Most of the people who use new products or technologies belong to this group.
Laggards: The final 16% adopt new technology more slowly.
A technique called “planned obsolescence” is one way to keep generating new ideas and products. The old technologies are no longer available, so consumers are forced to use the new ones. Early adopters and innovators are eager to use and integrate new technologies, but the bottom 16% are harder to convince. They may actually want to write a letter or fax on a form, although these things can be done in seconds with a computer.
Most of the experts my company works with learn quickly to use new technology because they know it will save them time and money. But for those who aren’t as eager to use new technology, we meet you where you are and offer a variety of training materials to help you get used to it and feel more comfortable.
Here are three ways other businesses can help slow movers change and adapt:
1. Provide multi-channel training
People learn in different ways, so offer your customers a variety of ways to learn and get used to your new tools. There are easy ways to speed up the learning process, such as:
• Articles that teach.
• Online training sessions.
• Group calls with interaction.
• Technological bars in events.
• Peer workshops.
Consider giving people these options to meet you where they are and help them learn as well as possible. Since it makes sense for your business and your customers, you can put these resources on your website, platforms, apps, and information places. You can also send them directly to customers through newsletters and emails. By giving your clients different options for how you offer training and content, you can help them learn in the way that works best for them.
2. Convince laggards with data
Here’s how you can help people switch from analog to digital:
• Start with a data perspective. One thing in particular is the error rate. When a person touches something, there is a greater chance of making a mistake than when something is done digitally or automatically.
• Explain how your solution can help. Explain how making something by hand can take longer and could cost more than using technology and robotics.
• Build a human connection. You may want to meet your customer in person, show them how to use the technology, and tell them what the benefits of their response are. By doing this, you can show them how these digital tools and efficiencies can help their businesses grow faster.
Many people can take the next step with the help of knowledge, courage and even a “holding of hands”.
3. Use innovators and early adopters to evangelize
While bragging about how awesome you are is one thing, the experience your customers have with you is what matters most. If they compliment your work, you have to accept that you are succeeding.
Give customers the opportunity to tell others about their positive experiences with your business when they are satisfied. For example, my business invites early adopters who are successful advisors to speak at our conferences so they can directly share their experiences with other advisors. Advisors, particularly laggards among themselves, gain confidence to embrace technology by listening to their peers. The easiest approach to successfully adopting this technique is to let your customers speak for themselves.
Your business can drive fundamental change in the way you manage services and customers by providing a multi-channel enablement strategy to help learners differently, persuade laggards by introducing them to the data perspective, and letting innovators and early adopters lead the way.
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Categories: Technology
Source: vtt.edu.vn