Create a solid foundation for employee engagement prior to the transition
Before you begin the transition, create a plan. This might seem obvious, but minimizing employee impact begins with nailing down project essentials such as project scope, timeline, anticipated benefits, deliverables and data security. If the new technology will require new skills, include a plan for proactive employee training. Also, compile a list of all digital devices that will be affected by the transition.
Second, make sure you have a good team in place. Identify and task a team of your best and brightest. Appoint a Transition Manager, who is a good communicator, has strong project management skills, and understands the processes, business functions and technologies to be transitioned. Be sure to acquire an executive sponsor. Ideally, you should find someone who will be willing to roll up their sleeves and help problem solve.
Third, remind employees of any new features and functionality they may soon enjoy. That might include Find Me/Follow Me phone functionality, voicemail-to-email, secure chat or remote wipe. If you’re moving to the cloud, sell them on the convenience of a single sign-on tool for secure, password-free access to all of the cloud services they’ll soon have access to.