New features and enhancements. How do you communicate to end-users?

[jesusemelendezm]

Hello everyone,

I am looking for best practices, tips and ideas on how to   introduce new features and enhancements to your production instances.

How do you engage everyone to understand a new enhancement/feature/functionality?

1) Communicating only to the Project Team

2) Notifying via e-mail everyone that uses the tool

3) Notifying via e-mail only the group to which the feature was introduced for

4) Notifying via e-mail only to the person that suggested the enhancement

5) Posting a news banner on the ESS

6) Inviting key stakeholders to meeting for a presentation every time there is a new enhancement such a service catalog, new application, etc.

7) Providing on-going training every time there is a new enhancement or feature

In advance, thank you for sharing your thoughts!

[Slava Savitsky]

In our corporate environment, changes are requested by power users who are experts in their respective areas/processes, and responsibility for communication/trainings always lies with the requestor. I think we use all methods you listed. The method used in each particular case normally depends on how big the enhancement is.

[solutioningnow · Accepted solution]

Hi Melendez,

There are multiple ways to carry out the release/awareness/introduction/educate end-users as well as stake holders regarding the new enhancements/features/applications/process/functionality. Some of the most common that we have encountered working with many clients are :-

1) Training / Workshops :- Whenever there is an introduction of a new utility altogether regardless of the current modules/process in place, clients were always inclined to educate their end-users from granular level leaving them to work again and again on that

2) Video / PPTS / Docs :- This approach is usually used when there are small chunks or so called enhancements/functionality/utility are added or introduced in the existing tool feature.

3) Notifications/ Mails/ Reminders :- This approach is usually useful when there are upcoming releases or upcoming updates which will impact a major change not in terms of functionality/tool behavior but just like UI changes, functionality operating behavior changes and etc.

In short it all depends on what type of impact it is going to be on clients day to day operations with the tool, it is complex you have to introduce more concrete efforts, if its medium you can neglect much efforts and suggest videos or something, if it is low just reminders or mails with description will do the trick.

Please mark answer as correct, if it was really helpful 🙂

Regards,

Solutioner

Enhance Knowledge NOW@ www.solutioningnow.com

http://www.solutioningnow.com/

[ShaeL]

Is there a way within the tool to communicate to all users? I cannot send an email notification to all users, as it would bring our messaging service down. We have thousands of users.

We've utilized a banner, but that doesn't reach enough people. If there was a way to  put up an alert into the system the first time they log in after/before a major release, or a communication tool within SN, that would be a nice to have. 

Anything learned in the last 4yrs since this post?

Shae