Understanding and Measuring Digital Adoption: The How and Why
Digital adoption isn’t merely about employees using a certain technology. It’s about embracing a tool to deliver desired outcomes and results successfully.
As a marketing leader, it’s critical to understand the digital adoption of your MarTech investments, especially in an environment characterized by increasing pressures to drive greater efficiency and make optimal use of shrinking budgets.
This blog delves into the concept of digital adoption, outlines key metrics for measurement, and highlights the specific impacts of digital adoption (or a lack thereof) for enterprise-level tools like Adobe Workfront.
So, What is Digital Adoption?
There are a variety of definitions for “digital adoption,” but at its core, digital adoption means users are leveraging a technology to its fullest extent, enjoying the experience, and finding it beneficial over other options. It means they haven’t just heard about the tool, they’ve seen and experienced its benefits first-hand. It means they use the tool daily, and they advocate for and encourage others to use it because they believe it will help that other person.
Why Measure Digital Adoption?
Measuring digital adoption ensures that tools remain a worthwhile investment. It involves assessing several facets of user interaction with the system to understand how well the tool integrates into daily workflows and contributes to business performance. This assessment includes tracking user engagement, frequency of use, and overall satisfaction with the tool. Additionally, analyzing the impact on productivity and efficiency provides valuable insights into whether the digital solution is meeting its intended goals. By thoroughly evaluating these aspects, organizations can make informed decisions on how to optimize and enhance their digital tools for better outcomes.
Key Questions to Measure Digital Adoption
- Are People Using the System?
The most fundamental metric is are system licenses being utilized?
Many SaaS applications offer out-of-the-box analytics to track this metric. However, this measure is limited as it only indicates if users are logged in, not actually using the system.
It’s akin to saying, “my sixteen-year-old child is sitting in the car,” without knowing what they are doing in the car. - How Are People Using the System?
This is where you delve deeper into user activity and behavior within the system. You identify frequently performed actions and commonly visited areas. For some tools, this may require additional technology to track these metrics thoroughly.
This question is similar to saying, “my sixteen-year-old turned on the car, pressed the brake pedal, and then put it into reverse.” - Are People Using the System Correctly?
This question uncovers if users are following defined processes for maximum productivity and efficiency. It will answer whether the tool is achieving its intended outcomes.
Using our same analogy, the answer to this question would tell you “my sixteen-year-old didn’t look in the sideview mirror and backed into the garbage dumpster.” - Is Their Work Performance Improving Through the System?
Finally, the answer to this question will tell you whether users are becoming more efficient and effective contributors to business outcomes as a result of using the tool.
If not, leaders can assess what adjustments are needed—for instance, better training, deeper enablement, activation of additional product features, etc. Measuring this level of digital adoption often requires monitoring multiple aspects beyond the system itself.
It’s comparable to saying, “my sixteen-year-old regularly checks the sideview mirrors when backing up to not hit the dumpster when backing out of the garage.”
Measuring Digital Adoption for Enterprise-Class Tools like Adobe Workfront
For those that aren’t familiar, Adobe Workfront facilitates enterprise-level work management and collaboration. The tool helps marketing teams streamline processes and improve efficiency across various departments (Creative, Content, Operations, Legal, etc.).
However, investing in Workfront is often a significant commitment for organizations, and its effectiveness hinges on whether users are actually adopting the tool. Without widespread user adoption, the potential benefits of enhanced productivity, better project visibility, and improved team collaboration may not be fully realized.
As a result, it’s essential that organizations not only implement the software but also to provide adequate training and support to ensure that employees are comfortable using Workfront in their daily workflows. This will help maximize the ROI and fully leverage the tool’s capabilities.
One way to measure and optimize digital adoption for Workfront is with the JumpSeat add-on. Embedded directly within Workfront, JumpSeat is a tool designed to engage with Workfront users by providing guidance and information without depending on external resources. The tool allows for custom guides and pathways and enables users to always be up to speed on the latest features and functionalities. Most importantly, JumpSeat offers comprehensive reporting on usage of guides and indicators of adoption, enabling marketing leaders to track progress and make more informed decisions about the power of Adobe Workfront at their organization.
Conclusion
Digital adoption is a cornerstone of leveraging technology to achieve business success. For marketing leaders, understanding and measuring how employees use and benefit from tools like Workfront is essential. By asking the right questions and employing tools like JumpSeat, organizations can ensure that their digital investments yield substantial returns and contribute to long-term growth.
Interested in learning more? See how JP Morgan and Synchrony Financial leveraged JumpSeat for Adobe Workfront to drive a 54% increase in monthly logins, an 82% increase in work requests, and way less time spent on administrative tasks. Watch the webinar >
David Bray, Senior Training Consultant
