Cascade HR’s marketing manager Andy Court recently attended a technology forum to share his views as to how different groups of people embrace systems such as HR software. Here he expands upon some points he found particularly thought-provoking…
“At an industry forum a few weeks ago I heard an intriguing analogy about technology users. This got me thinking – why do some people engage with software more than others? And is the nature of the software itself as much of an influential factor as the characteristics of the individual?
One speaker asked us to think about the ocean when considering how people interact with technology, and he suggested some interesting parallels. Certain users, he argued, are like scuba divers – they explore tentatively in this somewhat alien environment and are all too aware of the potentially acute dangers surrounding them. In stark contrast, other users are like fish – unafraid of what they encounter because they are entirely comfortable with their surroundings and purely doing what comes naturally to them.
A great example I thought, although I wondered if there are perhaps also some people that simply watch from the shore, too fearful and unwilling to even dip a toe in the water and give something a go.
The category that different users fall into undoubtedly depends upon a number of factors. Generation Y workers for instance are typically more IT ‘savvy’ and therefore demonstrate less resistance to the implementation and operation of new systems. They are no doubt fish in the speaker’s eyes.
Yet as much as I liked the ocean analogy, I felt another important point was omitted from the discussion – the extent to which the design of the software plays an influential factor in engagement.
Our proactive software for instance is incredibly intelligent. It has been developed by HR, payroll and technology specialists who understand our industry – and software – inside out. They have worked extremely hard to create a value-adding system that is so powerful and intuitive, it can in fact be used by a complete technical novice. The hard work has gone in behind the scenes to ensure the user experience is straightforward completely headache-free.
The welcoming look and feel of our system further heightens the level of user engagement with the software. Clients can even add their own branding so that employees and managers do not feel like they are entering a foreign environment when using Cascade.
Whether someone is a Gen X or a Gen Y employee, whether or not they have self-service experience and whether or not they regularly interact with technology in their personal time – we want everyone to feel at ease with Cascade. And they do. Why? Because our business model centres upon long-term relationships with engaged and satisfied clients, which help us spread our ever-growing reputation via word of mouth. And they do.
