{"id":7415,"date":"2020-09-22T11:14:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-22T11:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bigcontacts.com\/?p=7415"},"modified":"2024-04-25T12:37:05","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T12:37:05","slug":"adopting-new-technology-web-based-crm-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bigcontacts.com\/blog\/adopting-new-technology-web-based-crm-software\/","title":{"rendered":"Adopting New Technology – Web Based CRM Software"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The technology adoption life cycle is a sociological model originally developed by Joe M. Bohlen and George M. Beal in 1957 at Iowa State College.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Its purpose was to track the purchase patterns of hybrid seed corn by farmers. Approximately six years later, Everett Rogers<\/a> broadened the use of this model in his book, Diffusion of Innovations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The technology adoption<\/a> life cycle model <\/strong>describes the adoption or acceptance of a new product or innovation according to the demographic and psychological characteristics of defined adopter groups. The process of adoption over time is typically illustrated as a classical normal distribution or “bell curve.” The model indicates that the first group of people to use a new product is called “innovators,” followed by “early adopters.” Next, come the early and late majority, and the last group to eventually adopt a product are called “laggards.”<\/p>\n

Source: Wikipedia<\/a><\/p>\n

When Does Your Company Typically Adopt New Technology?<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re an Early Adopter, <\/strong>you are willing to take calculated risks and place bets on new technology. This approach can prove to be very beneficial if you focus on software that is core to the operation of your business and is something that you feel can be a competitive differentiator. The ideal scenario for small businesses with limited resources is to find technologies that can be tested with low up-front costs. The evolution of the SaaS model of software deployment has made it more feasible than ever before to take the approach of the Early Adopter in an effort to get a jump on the competition.<\/p>\n

Small Business is More Nimble:<\/h3>\n

Cheryl Currid, president of Currid and Company, a Houston-based IT consultancy, was quoted as saying, \u201cSMBs usually take the lead in adopting new technologies simply because there are not many management layers to slow down decision making.\u201d\u00a0 Some SMB owners, Currid pointed out, are very technology-savvy, see the immediate benefit in technology, and are able to move quickly to adopt it.<\/p>\n

In fact, Currid added, early adopters can win big with customer service applications as long as they use the technology as a business tool and don’t simply become enamored of it for its own sake. On the other hand, Currid warned as time goes on, late adopters will risk losing customers because they can’t keep up with competitors. But, if it has a loyal customer base, a late adopter can sometimes get away without offering new technology, Currid added.<\/p>\n

Challenge: Gaining Quick Adoption Within Your Company:<\/h3>\n

The successful implementation of your new technology is ultimately determined by end-user acceptance. The best technology is doomed to fail unless end users use it.<\/p>\n

How do you implement new technology in your business, with as little cost as possible, and realize widespread adoption as quickly as possible?<\/p>\n

Most technology that is robust enough to deliver meaningful solutions for your business is also difficult to learn. Couple this learning curve with short attention spans and little spare time, and you have a formula for another application headed to the graveyard.<\/p>\n

At BIGContacts, we have worked very hard to address all of these challenges.<\/strong><\/p>\n