No, this isn’t a brand of storage containers. Shelfware as the name suggests is a term used in the technology industry for software that is bought and paid for but is rarely or ever in use. A company may have the best of intentions of wanting to use the software, however somewhere during the onboarding and training process, the momentum never seemed to get off the ground.
With Shelfware being a potential barrier to determining the cost benefit of a software implementation, what can companies do to avoid falling into the shelfware trap.
1. Investigate causes of Shelfware.
Keeping the lines of communication is key when purchasing new software. Having too many or too few licenses, or purchasing items with too many or few features can cause confusion on how to put a proper plan together for implementation.
2. Use tracking software to gain measurable insights.
Understand how much your software is being utilized, where the pain points are, and where employees are having an easy time performing tasks. This is important for future training as understanding where employees are having trouble, could spearhead future training initiatives. Having an automated tool like Apty also facilitates this process for HR/Training departments and consolidates the findings into meaningful data.
3. Gain an understanding of how many licenses and annual renewals are in play.
Many times an organization has multiple licenses that automatically renew. Having an understanding and process flow about what software a business unit or company is using may avoid redundancies in software.
4. Put together a Roadmap for Digital Software Adoption.
Having a proper plan in play when it comes to software adoption ensures all business units are in unison when it comes time to implement. Having a tool like Apty which provides real time, on screen guidance that is tailored to the user is crucial to companies who are looking to empower, engage and automate certain business tasks.
Schedule your demo with Apty today and see how we can turn your shelfware into useware!
Originally posted on October 21, 2019