The User Engagement Playbook – ‘Moving the Adoption Needle’

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, successful technology adoption is crucial for driving organisational growth and maximising the value of investments. That’s why we are excited to present this, the User Engagement Playbook – a comprehensive guide born out of collaboration between Improved Apps, Customers, and Salesforce Success Managers. Drawing from the collective wisdom of hundreds of successful Salesforce and Improved Apps deployments, this playbook offers a curated collection of the top five plays to help you drive digital adoption within your organisation.

But what sets this playbook apart? It is specifically designed to be your go-to resource when dealing with adoption challenges, providing you with actionable strategies and insights. Whether you’re a customer-facing employee or an executive shaping your organisation’s success plan, this playbook is the perfect starting point to navigate the intricacies of adoption.

However, it’s important to note that this playbook is not a replacement for running a Success Plan with every customer, nor is it a comprehensive instruction manual. Instead, it serves as a focused compilation of proven tactics that have consistently delivered results. It complements your existing Salesforce projects and provides practical guidance to move the adoption needle in the right direction.

At the heart of this playbook lies Improved Apps, the certified and security-reviewed Salesforce ISV partner dedicated to increasing adoption and ROI. Improved Apps solutions empower Salesforce customers to surface critical information to the right people at the right time, fostering proficiency and application adoption. By leveraging Improved Apps’ functionality-rich offerings, you can address critical business needs, and unlock the full potential of your technology investments, to drive adoption.

We understand that user adoption is a multifaceted challenge, influenced by individual and organisational factors. Traditional approaches have often fallen short of driving meaningful change in behaviour and utilisation. That’s why we emphasise the importance of putting the user first, now more than ever. By prioritising in-app communication through platforms like Chatter and Slack, combined with Improved NoticeBoard, and by providing quick access to context-aware help and training with Improved Help, we can help users develop new work habits and sustain their engagement day after day.

But our mission goes beyond individual user engagement. We aim to remove any organisational barriers that hinder your customers from fully utilising their applications. By aligning different user groups and focusing on how they use their applications to achieve business goals, we can ensure your customers’ success and drive continuous improvement.

In today’s fast-paced world, businesses need to evolve rapidly. While the Salesforce platform offers immense support for strategies and change, many organisations have found themselves in a state of complete lockdown. That’s where Improved Apps and your collaboration become vital. Together, we can help regain control and flexibility, enabling your business to take ownership, monitor real-time engagement through custom dashboards, and drive continual improvement.

Through Improved Apps solutions, your users will gain access to critical content in context, empowering them to “dip in and out” as needed, eliminating wasted time spent searching for information. By giving users back one of the most valuable resources—time—we pave the way for increased productivity and satisfaction.

This playbook sets the stage for a continuous learning environment that will propel adoption to new heights, bringing smiles to the faces of your executives and users alike. With the ability to review dashboards and gain deeper insights, you’ll be equipped to engage more effectively and offer best practice guidance.

Now, let’s explore how we can move the adoption needle together using this playbook. Over the course of two months, we will harness the collective knowledge and experience of you and your peers, bolstered by the guidance and technology provided by Improved Apps. Our shared mission is to drive adoption within your business and swiftly make your organisation self-sufficient in a matter of hours or days. These plays presented in this playbook will seamlessly integrate with your existing Salesforce projects.

Play 1 – Seek Executive Buy-In and Alignment

• Emphasise the importance of aligning adoption initiatives with critical business goals.
• Identify a champion and key stakeholder within the organisation to drive the adoption efforts.
• Take the key stakeholder through the Success Plan Checklist and define clear success criteria based on tangible metrics.

Play 2 – Communicate and Gather Feedback

• Use Improved Usage Tracker to assess the current User usage state of the organisation’s Salesforce implementation.
• Communicate upcoming changes and improvements to the organisation, emphasising the need for user feedback.
• Run an end user survey to gather feedback and analyse the sentiment of Salesforce users.
• Utilise Improved NoticeBoard to communicate success, important information, and updates to users.

Play 3 – Focus on User Experience

• Put users at the heart of the adoption project and ensure their input is considered.
• Simplify page layouts and remove under-utilised items identified through the Usage Tracker Dashboard.
• Implement Improved Help to provide context-aware help and training, ensuring users have access to the assistance they need.
• Focus on improving key fields and areas of the application where users encounter challenges or require support.

Play 4 – Leverage Native Technology

• Implement Improved Help and Improved NoticeBoard to support the rollout and training process.
• Alert users about any new changes and gather feedback to drive a continuous improvement program.
• Demonstrate to users that their feedback and contributions are valued and directly impact application improvements.
• Improved Help is available on the Salesforce Mobile App for access to context-aware content, supporting any user from any device.

Play 5 – Engage Salesforce CSG Team and Resources

• Collaborate with the Salesforce Account team to maximise the benefits of the ‘Moving the Adoption Needle’.
• Leverage internal resources, training materials, Trailhead, and the success community to engage the sales and services teams and increase the value of the Salesforce investment.
• If your business has invested in Salesforce Premier Support, learn about what you have on offer and use it. You’re paying for it after all.

Key Metrics and Timeline

• Agree on key metrics to monitor adoption improvement throughout the project
• Utilise Improved Apps’ packaged dashboards to drive conversations and demonstrate adoption improvements.
• Follow the suggested project timeline below, including setting up Improved Apps and engaging early for any technical concerns.

“We have to put the user first now, more than ever“

Simon Thompson CEO, Improved Apps

Transform your organisation and boost user engagement with the only digital adoption solution fully integrated to Salesforce, loved by your staff. Discover the key features of Improved Usage Tracker, Improved Help and Improved Noticeboard:

Further Resources