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Much of the effort that goes into preparing an organization to succeed in the “new normal” of the coronavirus era ties back to technology.

In most cases, IT teams already have the skills and knowledge to make those things happen—like deploying new platforms and installing new hardware.

Here’s the real challenge:  arguably the most challenging factor in this equation is end user adoption.

Getting your employees, customers, and others to use the technology available within your organization can’t be accomplished by the IT group alone.

Much of the responsibility falls to the CTO and others at the leadership level, regardless of whether it is an integrator or end-user organization.

For any technology to be leveraged remotely, end users require a solid working knowledge of those tools and how to use them.

If they don’t have at least a baseline familiarity, they won’t have a positive experience–certainly not the most productive experience–and your IT team ends up with a black eye when it’s all said and done.

But wait, there’s good news! Your IT leader can be the hero.

Organizations that are adequately prepared, where end users are trained and enabled with resources and support, those businesses are already on the road to workforce readiness success.

Their people understand how to use the technology that’s available to them and they can transition to working offsite without losing their momentum.

How Integrators Can Help with Technology Adoption

Sometimes it’s the simple things. Here are a few examples:

• Do your employees know they can add background images to their video conference feed so their home office (even if it’s a basement or child’s bedroom in real life) looks more professional and less distracting?
• Can your users launch a new conference session quickly to take advantage of a customer’s last-minute availability to talk about an upcoming project?
• Don’t forget the importance of adding a personal touch.When possible, pick up the phone or have your team members do the same to check in and ask end users how they’re doing and what you can do to better support them. Offer additional support, if doing so will lessen the stress they’re feeling.

If users don’t know new features exist, or the tricks to get into a virtual conference room on short notice–and if your employees aren’t inquisitive enough to discover them on their own–then the experience is diminished for everyone.

Remember that remote work isn’t a one-for-one swap with working in a traditional office. It’s easy to be preoccupied during an audio-only call, for example, when e-mails or this afternoon’s presentation beckon.

The ability to hold collaboration sessions without distractions–by knowing how to mute a dog barking in the background, or by understanding it’s possible to blank out a too-bright window in a seldom-used home office–means your users have a better experience and their productivity remains high.

It’s up to your company’s leadership to make end user adoption–and enablement–a priority.

Organizations that do a better job enabling their teams to leverage those tools will see more positive user experiences, while also enjoying increased productivity and improved social dynamics, whether most of your communication are internal or customer facing.