The world is changing quickly, which means business practices will need to change with it. It’s not unusual to struggle with change in your business. Every business has to grapple with change at one point or another, and it’s a difficult challenge for us all. 

The good news is that if you’re having to make a change in your company, you’re not alone! There are a few ways to help ease and expedite the process. By adjusting your mindset, embracing creativity, and maintaining clear and constant communication, managing workplace change will become much easier.

1. Adjust your Mindset

The first, and potentially most crucial, step towards effective change management in your company starts with each individual. It’s important to recognize that change is:

• Normal,
• Temporary,
• And crucial for growth.

In order to not only succeed in your business, but thrive, you’ll need to make changes from time to time. Whether it be advancements in technology, team growth, or market shifts, there are multiple reasons why a company may need to make a major change.

Instead of looking at the short term effects like the amount of dedication needed to make a new system work, or the work required in finding more employees, it’s important to look further in the future. Instead of dreading the time needed to dedicate to learning a new system, consider the amount of time and resources that you will save after you have implemented the new system. In order to dramatically increase your ROI, you have to take some risks. 

There will not be one software that will adjust to your exact preferences and do exactly what you want it to do. That being said, there are options for modern, customizable systems that can be adjusted to your preferences most of the time.

There may not be a perfect program, but there is a right program for you. As long as you make this change in your mindset, embracing change will be a lot more achievable. Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. You may get frustrated at times, but make sure to be patient and trust the process. 

2. Embrace Creativity

Now before you click off, understand that creativity in this sense does not have to mean painting a picture (unless that works for you!). Embracing creativity within the context of change in your company means to accept, and sometimes seek out, new and improved practices.

For example, just because a certain way of managing your estimated versus invoiced amounts has worked out for your company so far, it doesn’t mean that it’s the most efficient way. With your company growing, it may be time to consider trusting the experts, and try out a new way to organize your finances (for example). 

In order to do this, you have to be comfortable with being temporarily uncomfortable. Switching from a system that is easy and almost second-nature to something completely new is not an easy task, but it can be with the right resources.

Make sure that before you make a major commitment, you have ample support from the seller and necessary learning materials to assist you along the way. It’s important to seek out companies that have top-rated customer support, as having support from the experts will make the biggest difference in your experience. 

Learn more about ConstructionOnline’s top rated customer support options here.

3. Maintain Communication

Chances are, this new change in your company is more stress-inducing to your team than it is to you; the individual that has made the decision. Your team may not understand the purpose of making a large change– all they know is that they’re going to have to work much harder to learn a new system, and they likely don’t know what the benefit is. They may begin to harness some resentment towards you and even lose some respect. To prevent this, make sure to keep your team well informed before, during, and after making the decision.

Before making the decision, meet with your team to discuss your concern(s) with your current situation and the potential positive effects of the change. Make sure employees understand that you’re making an educated decision, and that they will have certain resources available to them to assist in their learning. 

Encourage your team to express their concerns with you as well. Even though there will still likely be some pushback from your team members, maintaining clear and consistent communication will help your team feel more comfortable and open to the new system that you’re implementing.

It’s also important to prepare employees for the change. Let them know long before you make the change, if possible. Another reason why individuals struggle with embracing change is because it is new, and it’s seemingly been sprung on them. By giving your employees a “heads-up”, they have time to prepare for a big change in their daily responsibilities. 

Our Experience

Here at UDA Technologies, we have had to face change on more than one occasion. As our company grew and as technology advanced, we needed a new CRM. 

At the start, we were using a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) that was the “safe choice”. This particular CRM was the industry standard, and we were comfortable with the usage of the platform. However, it almost seemed like the program actually discouraged growth. Once we got to the point of adding an eleventh user, we were prompted with an option that dramatically increased the monthly price. Coincidentally at the same time, we had been making use of a number of HubSpot’s free resources already.

At that point, we were in reevaluation mode. On one hand, our current CRM was easy to use, familiar, and not insanely priced. On the other hand, HubSpot was free to start (with the opportunity to pay for upgrades), but new and unknown. After our demo with the HubSpot expert, we realized that the way we were doing things was like The Stone Age compared to the opportunities available with HubSpot.

After we decided on the upgrades we wanted to move forward with, the price was much more than it would have been if we didn’t switch, but it wasn’t about the money for us. We were confident that we were partnering with a company that was continuously innovating. Sure, it took some time for our team to truly become accustomed to it, and it was frustrating at times, but we have never once regretted that big decision. The ROI we have seen is vastly more than we ever could have anticipated.

Key Takeaways >

We understand that change is not easy, especially when the change seems to be optional. It’s important to understand that in order to dramatically scale up your company’s ROI, you may need to make some major changes from time to time. With the right resources and support, successful change management is easier than ever.

By adjusting your mindset leading up to the switch, maintaining consistent and clear communication, listening to the experts, and embracing new and improved practices, this major change in your business will go from a task that seems impossible to very possible, and potentially one of best decisions you will ever make for your business.