How to get off to a good start with your new PIM system

In this article we look at a number of things that need to be in place for a successful rollout of your new PIM system.

Everyone needs to understand the need

The whole organisation has to be clear on why the new system has been bought, what the benefits are, and which problems it is meant to solve.

When everyone understands why the system is needed, and individual colleagues have been shown concrete examples of how their own working day can improve, rolling the system out becomes far easier.

Put weight on onboarding

It is important to set aside proper time to onboard each colleague.

At Kontainer we offer a tailored onboarding programme that makes sure everyone gets off to a good start with the system. We also hand over guides to our systems, and if anyone runs into trouble our support team is always there, so the PIM system quickly becomes the best possible tool for everyone in the company.

Avoid falling back into old habits

There is a reason the company invested in a new system, and usually it is because the new one is smarter and comes with features that can save people a great deal of time.

But it is important to map out which processes and workflows the system replaces and simplifies, so that colleagues do not carry on in their old habits.

For instance, people may be used to sharing images and video through Google Drive or WeTransfer. Here it matters that the new options for file sharing are made visible, and that the old routines are reworked.

Another example is sharing data in spreadsheets. Some may find it tempting to carry on with that when it is “only a little product data”, but again it is important that all data sharing goes through the new system, so that nobody slips back into the old way of working over time.

The technology must not get in the way

One thing that will make people abandon a new system is not being able to get the technology to work, or not being able to log in at all.

So it is worth mapping out which technical obstacles people may run into when they start using the new system, so solutions can be found before the final rollout.

Technical obstacles might be connection problems for colleagues on a VPN, an internet connection that is too slow for people logging in from home, or downloads and uploads being blocked by firewalls and antivirus software.

It is worth establishing whether such obstacles can arise and what the solutions are. That is something we help with at Kontainer too.