How to Get Employees Excited about Your Transition to VoIP

Introducing new tools and technology into your company can increase sales, improve productivity, and help you become more organized. But getting every employee to adopt new technologies can sometimes be a challenge. Some people embrace it with enthusiasm; while others approach it with reluctance. This is especially true if you’ve used a traditional, copper-based landline phone system for years, and are now planning to invest (or have invested) in a VoIP solution.
Convincing skeptical employees (especially those who aren’t naturally tech-savvy) to embrace and be comfortable with VoIP technology, however, isn’t impossible. Here are some ideas to get your staff excited about your move to VoIP.
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State your case
Encouraging staff to welcome VoIP technology with open arms requires a company’s managers or leaders to present a compelling vision of what the technology is and what it’s designed to do. Help employees understand how it can benefit them and the company as a whole.
For instance, you can tell your team members that using VoIP and its mobility features (such as Find Me/Follow Me, Voicemail to Email, and mobile apps) will allow them to telecommute or work from home. And in turn, this will help employees achieve a better work-life balance and produce bigger savings for the company.
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Provide training and support
Most business VoIP phone systems are fairly straightforward and easy to use. However, you can still provide training prior to deployment to help employees familiarize themselves with the phone system and to tap its full potential.
When providing training, remember that familiarity and interest in new technology may vary among your team members. Some may be more tech-savvy than others and can easily navigate the system while other employees may need more guidance and training. Ask your team members what kind and what level of support they need to be comfortable with the transition. Set aside an hour or two for employees to explore the system. Show them that you are willing to invest time and effort for them to learn the system so they will understand how important it is for the company.
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Encourage feedback
Another way to get employees warmed up to the new phone system is by encouraging feedback. By consulting employees and listening to their opinions, you can build a positive attitude towards the transition and even identify potential problems in your VoIP phone system. Gaining feedback lets you know where training needs to be conducted, which features are most useful or not (or if there’s a much better VoIP service plan), and what the general impression of the phone system is among employees.
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Celebrate quick wins
Once you have started to deploy the new phone system, highlight the positive results it brings to your business. This will encourage further adoption and let employees know there’s no more reason to fear or be reluctant of the change.
For example, you can emphasize that, by implementing VoIP, your sales team no longer misses any calls (thanks to features like Call Park, Ring Groups and Find Me/Follow Me). Or that due to your new international toll-free numbers (a value-added feature offered by various providers like Vonage and RingCentral), you’ve noticed an increase in leads and inquiries by various customers abroad.
Embracing VoIP technology in a workplace can be challenging. But if you have laid the foundation for a successful adoption (such as the tips we have shared above), then you will find that employees will be more eager to use VoIP.