So, you’re not happy with your current software, but the thought of switching is daunting. Your concerns run the gamut from “will I lose all my data” to “will my staff be resistant”? These are valid concerns. Always, when it comes to learning the good news and the bad news, we all want the bad news first, so here goes: No software company can guarantee 100% of your data will be converted. More bad news, there is absolutely no such thing as a carefree conversion. If you see that as an advertisement on any software, be wary. This is false.
Now for the good news: With a little knowledge about what you’re diving into, the conversion you and your team fear might go a lot easier than you think.
Resistant Staff
The concern regarding your staff’s resistance to the software is definitely a possibility. Nobody likes change. Change provokes fear—fear of the unknown, fear of new technology, fear of having to start from scratch after developing a comfortable routine. This is your business; therefore, the final decision is yours, but big changes require a deft hand and an empathetic understanding of where your staff may be coming from. When the staff are very resistant to the change, they generally do not learn the new system as well as those who accept it.
However, utilizing communication with your staff will help ease the transition. If you are honest and straightforward with them about the decision as well as how it will benefit them, and you give them ample advance notice, you should see far less push back.
As a real life example, in our office, the office manager was resistant to switch accounting software. Even though she admitted that the old software she was using gave her a lot of headaches.
In order to help her with the transition and ease her anxiety of changing software, the owner had an entire presentation prepared to show her exactly how the new accounting software would make her life easier. Needless to say, she felt a lot better and a lot more accepting about the transition. There is a reason you want to make this change, make sure everyone on your team is aware of that.
Talking and meeting with your staff to share and discuss important changes keeps them in the loop and part of the decision-making process and provides you the opportunity to explain how the change, though hard at first, will reduce their stress.
Conversion headache
The key to ensuring a smoother transition is through a sample conversion prior to pulling the trigger. A sample conversion is where a “test conversion” is run and the resulting data is reviewed with you thoroughly. This also includes a written report of what is converted.
This process can take some time. And though, we all hate waiting, this review period helps to identify items to save time when you make the switch to digital. This process also allows you to identify bad practices and habits your staff may have developed over time and to change those practices for newer, better ways that will improve a myriad of things from workflow to accessing the income that may be hiding in your charts.
The time involved in a great conversion is time well spent!
Data loss concern
Keep in mind, that not everything will come with the converted data because of how each software stores the information. However, before you panic about lost data, take a moment to breathe. Your data is not going anywhere. A copy of your database is created, keeping your original data secure, and a test is run to see what can be converted and what can’t. Nobody knows your data better than you and your staff. For this reason, you are shown the results and will go over the written report to confirm you know what you’re getting. From there, the choice to move forward or not is all yours.
Scary undertaking or golden opportunity?
If you’re thinking right now that it’s a little of both: a scary undertaking and a golden opportunity. You’re right. Switching software is scary. There are risks involved, questions to have answered, and obstacles to overcome. But it is also a golden opportunity to finally leave that software you’re not happy with to work with software that actually fits you, your team, and your practice. And doesn’t that just make it all worth it in the end?
If you have more questions about the conversion process or anything else in this article, don’t hesitate to give Christian a call at 1-800-663-7199 ext. 203 or email christian@maximsoftware.com.
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