“We bought a web presentation platform but no one is using it- we’re wasting money”

If you’re hearing these complaints inside your company, you’re not alone. Millions of dollars are wasted each year in communication solutions that are badly used, under-used or just plain resisted in the hopes that “this too shall pass” like so many initiatives before it.

It’s not uncommon. You’re in the grips of “the Hype Cycle”. It’s common—and can be overcome. The term “Hype Cycle” was first coined in 1995 by the Gartner Group to explain why people didn’t immediately adopt the technology companies invested in.

If you look at the Hype Cycle, there are 5 stages:

The Technology Trigger- someone decides a new tool will solve the problem.”Let’s cut our travel budget and use webmeetings for sales calls and webinars for training”

The Peak of Inflated Expectations- “If we can do 50% of our meetings online we can save millions of dollars. We just need our 200 managers to make the switch. Let’s roll it out!”

The Trough of Disillusionment- A few managers jump on the bandwagon. Most don’t, and those that do are disappointed with the results. Utilization rates are far below expectations.

The Slope of Enlightenment- Eventually people start to do webmeetings. Most are forced into it, some see the advantages. Best practices emerge and people learn (often through trial and error) what works and what doesn’t. The more gradual the slope, the more money is wasted in unused tech and lost productivity.

Plateau of Productivity- Eventually you wind up with some percentage of people using the tool. Some use it well, others use it poorly but they use it. Here’s where the return on your investment is often measured. The higher the plateau, the more successful the rollout.

The reasons for is as old as mankind, and it has to do with how we naturally take to any technology, web meetings or hybrid corn. In the 1950s, researchers wondered why some farmers adopted new tools right away and others never did, even when evidence proved that the new tool or technique got better results.

What they discovered became known as “the Adoption Cycle”. While there’s a world of difference between seed corn and video conferencing, the cycle remains untouched.
Basically, human beings fall into five categories when it comes to technology or tools:

Innovators- The first ones to hear about something. Being first is important to their egos as well as their careers. Think of the people who line up outside the Apple store on launch day. (+7 % of the population)

Early Adopters- They hear about something, check with a couple of trusted sources (usually outside the company) but often lead the pack. They like to start small and show proof of concept.(10% of your people)

Early Majority- See the benefits of the tech and, as soon as they have proof of concept, get with the program. (35% or so)
Late Majority- Nobody will ever accuse them of being trendsetters, but they eventually get onboard. It can take a while,though. (+38%)
Laggards- Nothing short of an act of Congress will get them to use something different than what they’ve been using for years. Maybe it’s technophobia, maybe it’s orneriness but you have your work cut out for you with these folks. (they’re the last remaining 10% or so).

So what does the Adoption Cycle have to do with the Hype Cycle? If you think about the Hype Cycle, the initial euphoria is followed by a steep drop in the people who actually use it right away. This isn’t surprising if only 7% of your people are inclined to be the first onboard. Then consider 10 % of your folks won’t ever really use the new tool. This means if you’re going to get people to adopt a tool quickly, you have to appeal to your Early Adopters and speed up the Early and Late Majority.

There is a lot of research out there, but if you think of your own experience as a consumer you’ll recognize the most obvious factors.

Does it solve a pressing problem? I have a lot going on. If the way things are working now is okay, why change?
 Have I seen it modeled in action? The only webinars I’ve ever been on have been glitchy and boring. Seems like a lot of work for poor results. Why would I want to do one myself?
 Is it easy to use? There’s a lot of multitasking to running a webmeeting. Maybe I’ll just send out the PowerPoint files in an email and walk through it on the phone.
 How much time will it take to learn and will there be training? Over 90% of vendors have online resources and tutorials available. Fewer than 10% of companies have live, instructor-led training and even fewer offer hands-on coaching and practice.
 Who else is using it and how’s it going for them? The innovators are looked on as geeks and oddballs. The real influencers are the Early Adopters. How’s it going for them? Are you hearing good or bad stories?
 Is it cheap/available/handy? Anything that needs a separate log-in, a new password and permission from the budget holder is more trouble than it’s worth. It’s worth noting that with new suites of integrated solutions like Office Communicator this is less of an issue in some companies than others.

Tomorrow we’ll find out how one client overcame the Hype-Adoption Cycles and got results.