When your software system's inconveniences and limitations begin to outweigh the benefits, your staff is no longer satisfied, and your company begins to lose efficiency. Although making the change can be both intimidating and demanding, it’s necessary for your company to continue to grow and thrive in an evolving industry.
Why Change Management Is Necessary
We see professionals in our industry needing to find a new software solution for several different reasons, including:
Their software hasn’t evolved. Their business has outgrown the solution that was previously a great fit. It may have been the right solution in 2006, but now it’s 2021 and it’s no longer the right solution. They picked something for getting started, but now they’ve doubled the size of their business and are running into constraints.
It’s our philosophy that software and technology should make things simpler as your business scales. The lack of right solution can have the opposite effect by making things more complex as your company grows. Let your company’s scale and success drive efficiencies for you rather than letting outdated software make your company’s growth an obstacle.
Their staff is hungry for a better solution. They want a tool to optimize their time and their experience. If your staff is overwhelmed with your current legacy system, there is a need to find the right solution to optimize their time and experience sooner rather than later. The change won’t be easier a year from now as you continue to grow, and your aging technology suite is another year older.
There’s no better time for change than the present. Whether you’re bogged down in annual meeting season, budget season, or summer-end, there is rarely an ideal “offseason” in which you can take on a big project. Although it’s easy to delay making a change, it doesn’t make it easier to execute the change the longer you wait, and the complexity of your challenges almost always grows with time.
Why a Software Transition Can Be Intimidating
Whenever a company gets set in their routine, it may take convincing to change how they work. Change brings uncertainty, and uncertainty can be scary. Especially when a company and its staff are familiar and comfortable with their current software platform. Although they realize they can find a solution that makes them more efficient, and more successful, they often fear the unknowns associated with transition and perceived burden of learning a new system.
A software transition is also a big investment both in time and money. Although you know it has long-lasting benefits that will help your company in the long run, it’s important to successfully transition software with the right people on your side. You’ll need proper onboarding and customer success teams that will be with you every step to ensure maximum ROI.
How to Approach Change Management
As a leader in change management, you must approach the change aggressively and proactively, both for your customers and your staff.
The most important thing that a leader can do is keep open communication with their staff and customers about the motivation behind the change and what that change means for them. You should also allow them a chance to express their concerns and help make the process as smooth as possible. While a change process can bring stressors, anticipating those stressors and proactively addressing them is key to gaining a new capability.
The Reward of Successful Change Management
Change management success goes hand in hand with a sense of urgency, and the biggest shift happens when businesses go all in with the process.
My advice is to not let changing software go to waste. Don’t upgrade your software to run your business the same as before. Use this as a time to reflect on your internal processes and inefficiencies, and to elevate your team to a new level of capability.
If you are traveling down a dirt road in a 30-year-old car, don’t take your shiny new sports car and drive down the same bumpy dirt road. Instead, look for an on ramp to the interstate and start increasing your speed. Just like changing your route, evaluate more efficient ways to run your business.
Some of Vantaca’s best product changes come from the ideas of clients looking to change how they do business. Help us continue to innovate our services and, in turn, provide your company with the same optimized features you value when looking for a new solution.
Investing Time & Tools to Grow Effectively
Digital transformation is both intimidating, and incredibly rewarding. However, you must look at the bigger picture and analyze what would be in the best interests of your business as you gain customers and your staff's tasks start to multiply. Choose an HOA Property Management Software that helps your team automate daily tasks and allows your business to grow efficiently. Your staff and customers will thank you.
Remember that sometimes you must slow down to speed up, and that investing in time provides much greater rewards in the long run. Company-wide change management is both a vital and valuable exercise.
For more information on switching HOA Software, check out, How to Choose the Best Software for Your Community Association Management Company