The key to introducing new tools to your company (and getting people to actually use them) is taking the time to test them out first. Whether it’s a group chat tool or a project workflow app, you’ll want to put together a designated team of Tool Testers who take the time to familiarize themselves with the tools and determine if it’s a good match for your office.

More than anything, you’ll want to make sure you dedicate the time necessary to not only make sure the purpose of the tool is right for your company, but that it’s the right tool for the job! Here we offer a few suggestions on how to find the right tools and get others in your office to use them as well.

Build a Team of Tool Testers

Take a little time to identify and recruit the movers and shakers around the office. Your team (a.k.a. Team Awesome) might be filled with a bunch of folks from a single department or a selection of top-performers from a variety of departments who collaborate frequently.

Make sure to ask managers for recommendations for Team Awesome. Who is most open-minded when new initiatives are introduced? Who has the time management skills to continue to complete their duties while taking a little extra time to test new tools?

Create a Working System

Now that Team Awesome has been assembled, you’ll want to agree on a system or a series of actions or tasks that you all agree should be taken before a tool is either introduced to the company at large or discarded entirely.

This could start with an auditing stage. Is the cost of the tool within your budget? What specific uses do you foresee this tool serving for your company? Will this tool replace an existing, less efficient tool or fill a void?

Once you’ve chosen to test the tool, make a commitment on how long you will use it before making a final decision. Whether that’s 2 weeks or the duration of 1 full project is up to you (and Team Awesome). Just make sure it’s long enough for you all to really understand the tool.

Present Your Findings

If the combined efforts of Team Awesome results in a desire to bring this tool to the rest of the office, you’d better get ready to fight for what you believe in! All office environments are different, but none of them are 100% ready to change at the drop of a hat.

Take a little time (and some notes from Team Awesome pow-wows) to organize a brief presentation. This will give you a chance to fill in the final decision makers on what you determined in the auditing stage and why you and the rest of Team Awesome believe the tool should be accepted more widely throughout the company.

Implement Your New Tool!

You’ve already got a nice little presentation on the uses and values of this tool, you have the solid backing of Team Awesome, and the go-ahead to introduce your choice new tool to the rest of the office. Despite this, your belief in the value of this tool is going to be your greatest asset.

Take your dedication to this new tool and let it inspire you as you introduce it systematically. As tempted as you’ll be to send a single mass email to the entire office, take it in steps. Make sure you and the rest of Team Awesome are available to answer questions as more people join up and start using it every day.

For even more detail into our suggestions for implementing new tools and systems around the office, read our tips and tricks here.

By taking the time to really understand how a new tool works and how it offers value to you and your company, you’ll find the idea of introducing new tools to be much more manageable (and maybe even fun)!

What tools have you tried to implement at your workplace? Was it a success?