"I Don't Get It": How to Teach Technology to Technophobes

Every trainer has run into a trainee who seems to resist learning. Often, the subject matter being taught is technology-based — an automated system that replaces paperwork, a CRM system software, a word-processing application, or any new digital way of doing things. How can you overcome this resistance to help the employee become a productive corporate team member?

Trainees who resist technology are described as technophobes — people who are afraid of technology. But technology is not what they really fear. What technophobes truly fear is loss of status, money, control, or something else that they value. Somehow, technology poses a threat to something that the person fears losing, and so technology is met with resistance. Your task as a trainer is to minimize the fear of loss and thus lower the person's resistance to technology.

Technophobia most often strikes older workers who are accustomed to doing things without the aid of technology. Younger workers generally take to technology readily and even demand it in their jobs. Trainers can help older workers overcome technophobia if the training includes some subtle examples of older workers who have learned to use the technology effectively. Often, it is a good idea to team technophobes with trainers near their own ages. The perception that "If I can do this, so can you" goes a long way toward overcoming technophobia.

In every case of technophobia, you will find elements of insecurity and ignorance about what technology means to the person's job security. Some people think that technology will make them obsolete. Others feel as if computers are "taking over the world" and eliminating their ability to bring a human touch to their work. The solution to these sources of technophobia is to show how technology makes a worker more valuable and empowers workers to make decisions that align with company values.

Entry-level workers may fear losing their self-perceptions of competence. They think the training will demonstrate that they cannot do the job using the technology provided. Training for such people should be broken into small steps to gradually build the trainees' confidence in their abilities. Training should include plenty of positive reinforcement for success and plenty of practice for each step in the curriculum. Don't throw things at entry-level workers too quickly.

Experienced workers faced with a new, technology-based way of performing a task may feel that their accustomed routines are being threatened. What has worked for them (sort of) all this time is now being replaced by a digital system of unknown quality. They fear the technology will not work at all — or at least won't work as well as the time-tested way of doing things. The new methods may also seem to diminish the worker's control over what information is shared and what information is kept confidential and may thereby be seen as a threat to the worker's status. The new system may include extra work threatening the worker's freedom perception. There may be additional data to be input, new reports to generate, and so on.

Training for experienced workers should emphasize the time-saving aspects of CRM software. It is crucial to show workers what benefits they will receive in return for learning to use the new system. For example, the investment of extra data-entry effort will yield benefits in better information-retrieval capabilities. Emphasize how CRM software solutions make it easier and faster to process more work, and you can overcome the employees' fear of losing freedom and control.

Executives often resist technology because it generally involves what they consider to be clerical skills. Typing threatens executives' self-perceived status, and they may also fear that sharing information with other departments will erode their power base within the company. In these cases, technology should be presented as a means of empowering the executives to find the information they want when they want it. The sharing of information cuts both ways and benefits the entire company.

At whatever level you encounter technophobia, it is essential to be mindful of what the worker fears losing. Then, it's a matter of demonstrating that there will be no net loss, only a gain in productivity and job satisfaction.

Today's CRM solutions are fueled with integrations that promote collaboration and available data, all under one roof. The appropriate tool should help businesses target the most relevant audiences, proactively work with prospects, design smart automation based on customer activity and manage relationships. There is plenty of customer relationship management software available in the market. The CRM software comparison can help you choose the best CRM tool. 

These are the top 3 benefits of CRM software that can help technophobes better understand the use of technology:

With the help of software CRM, you can access a unified number of contacts, and you're in charge of understanding their choice and priorities. The in-app notifications of customer queries through multiple channels can help you respond faster. The automation tools can transfer the questions to the most relevant person, and collaborative tools make your response and collaboration faster and resolve the issue quicker than ever.

When we compare CRM systems, we realize they all have different features for better customer care and cross-selling. CRM software enables users to access in-depth information on a customer's buying behavior and their position in the customer life cycle. Knowing their preferences, you can smartly cross-sell according to their interests. With the appropriate planning, you can ignore the significant drawbacks of cross-selling.

Software CRM offers sales force, marketing, and service automation, eliminating all menial and repetitive tasks. This provides more time for critical cognitive tasks, such as one-on-one customer engagement. Automation tools for customer tracking, intelligent identification of potential customers, data entry, lead generation, follow-ups, and drip email marketing makes your business grow effortlessly.

CRM software is helpful for both customers and business owners. Data organized and marketed by CRM software leads to a better perception of customers' priorities. All team members can collect data and insights about their customers and work together to provide an extraordinary customer-centric experience. Compare CRM software from different vendors, read CRM reviews and check their CRM ratings on other websites with their pricing plans before choosing one for your business. With software belonging to the CRM category, your team can reduce siloes and collaborate better.