Are you struggling to implement new technologies in your business? Then, you may want to consider a digital adoption platform (DAP).

What is a Digital Adoption Platform (DAP)?

Definition of a Digital Adoption Platform: DAP is a type of software that streamlines the learning and adoption of new technologies and processes. With in-app guidance and contextual learning, this platform can help your employees onboard faster, spend less time searching for answers, and boost their performance with personalized walkthroughs and guidance.

But, not all digital adoption platforms offer the same features. In the sections below, we’ll cover digital adoption platforms and how they stack up with just-in-time learning platforms like Spekit .

11 Best Digital Adoption Platforms for 2023

The importance of DAP in business

In short, digital adoption platforms can help your organization:

• Boost productivity: Work smarter, without unnecessary confusion or constant rework. Reduce your new onboarding curve, capture institutional knowledge, and free seasoned employees to focus on more important work.
• Elevate your experience: Learning new tools and processes isn’t easy. A DAP makes learning accessible and enriches your employee experience. It also helps employees find the answers they need when and where they need them.
• Move faster: With a digital adoption platform, you can implement new tech quickly and stay ahead of the competition. You can also communicate changes at scale and help your employees adapt to new processes with fewer growing pains.

In the next sections, we’ll look at the key features of DAP, how it differs from other training tools (like Spekit, a just-in-time learning platform), nine reasons businesses should consider investing in DAP, and the costs of poor digital adoption.

The purpose of a digital adoption platform

A digital adoption platform helps users navigate and understand complex digital applications. DAPs provide in-app guidance, training, and support to:

1. Simplify software onboarding: In-app tutorials, contextual guidance, and real-time support reduce the time it takes for users to learn new technologies.
2. Enhance software ROI: Improved adoption and productivity mean a better return on investment for organizations. Just think about the cost of buying a tool that virtually no one uses.
3. Reduce support costs: With in-app guidance, your teams can find answers to their questions without needing external support, reducing the burden on IT and subject matter experts.
4. Improve data-driven insights: DAPs collect user interaction data, giving organizations valuable insights into software usage and where things can improve. This data-driven approach empowers more informed decision-making and continuous improvement.
5. Facilitate change management: DAPs play a critical role in change management efforts. They help employees adapt to new software and processes. By easing the transition, organizations can minimize resistance and improve the effectiveness of digital transformation initiatives.

Key features of a digital adoption platform

While digital platforms vary across providers, here are seven key features to look out for:

1. In-app guidance: DAPs provide interactive walkthroughs and step-by-step guidance to help navigate new technologies and learn as they go.
2. Onboarding: DAPs offer personalized onboarding experiences for new users. Managers can assign specific learning paths and embed learning into user journeys.
3. Contextual help: DAPs deliver real-time learning based on user behavior and preferences to ensure the content they see is relevant.
4. Task automation: a digital adoption platform can automate repetitive tasks or processes, streamlining workflows and increasing user productivity.
5. Analytics and insights: DAPs provide insights into user behavior, application performance, and engagement metrics. Organizations can use these insights to continuously improve user experiences and increase software adoption rates.
6. Multi-platform support: A digital adoption platform can work across various apps and devices to ensure learning happens when and where needed.
7. Integration: A digital adoption platform can easily integrate with existing software applications. This enables the seamless adoption of new tools without significantly disrupting existing workflows.

How a digital adoption platform differs from other training tools

Goodbye separate resources: Traditional training methods like manuals and videos can cause friction by interrupting users' workflows. These resources often leave users forgetting what they learned or scrambling to find answers. Digital adoption platforms eliminate this chaos and deliver learning right in the context of users' tasks.

No more "one-size-fits-all": Tired of training tools that don't cater to individual needs? DAPs ditch the traditional one-size-fits-all approach and offer customized learning experiences.

Ditch the outdated and rigid: Traditional training materials get old fast, and updating them is a nightmare for teams. DAPs keep things up-to-date with real-time updates and advanced analytics that help managers understand users' pain points and struggles.

Gain valuable insights: A digital adoption platform gives managers insights into user engagement and adoption, enabling them to pinpoint areas for improvement and increase user learning.

Seamless integration: No more manual updates or clunky integrations. DAPs can seamlessly onboard new applications and effortlessly implement changes.

In sum, digital adoption platforms deliver an enhanced user experience. They provide personalized, data-driven learning within the context of digital workflows, something traditional training tools can't compete with.

9 reasons to invest in a digital adoption platform

Are you tired of slow software adoption and clunky user onboarding? A digital adoption platform can help. Here are nine reasons why you should consider investing in one:

1. Increase the rate of software adoption: A digital adoption platform streamlines the process of adopting new software, making it easier for employees to learn and use new tools.
2. Speed up user onboarding: Onboarding new users to software can be time-consuming and complex. However, a digital adoption platform can get new employees up to speed faster by simplifying the onboarding process with in-app guidance.
3. Gain a competitive advantage: Stay ahead of the curve and outpace competitors who are slower to adapt to new technologies.
4. Maximize your software ROI: If you've already invested in software, a digital adoption platform can help you maximize the return on investment by ensuring your teams use it to its full potential.
5. Improve employee focus and performance: With a digital adoption platform, employees can focus on their work instead of struggling with software, boosting productivity and performance.
6. Help your teams embrace change: Change can be difficult, but a digital adoption platform can ease the transition and make it easier for employees to adapt to new tools and processes.
7. Save time on manual tasks: A digital adoption platform automates many manual tasks, freeing employees to focus on higher-value work.
8. Facilitate teamwork and task management: With a digital adoption platform, managers can easily assign tasks and track progress, making it easier for teams to collaborate and work together.
9. Enhance customer experience: A digital adoption platform can help your company deliver better customer experiences and build stronger relationships with clients by improving employee performance and productivity.

What is the impact of poor digital adoption?

Poor digital adoption can lead to:

1. Loss of productivity
2. Increased support costs
3. High employee turnover
4. Reduced competitiveness

As Bill Gates says, "The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don't really even notice it, so it's part of everyday life." And he's right — seamless digital adoption is the key to succeeding today — as are technologies that can help users learn, unlearn, and relearn information with ease.

According to G2 , companies that score in the top 25% for employee experience report 3x the return on assets and 2x the return on sales.

Companies that invest in employee experience not only see more productive workers but also see increased retention.

A LinkedIn Learning & Development survey uncovered a shared concern among 93% of organizations: keeping their employees on board.

The antidote to attrition? Creating learning opportunities.

By harnessing digital adoption platforms, managers can seamlessly weave learning into their employees' daily tasks. The result is a fusion of problem-solving and on-the-fly learning.

No longer burdened by the need to carve out extra time or juggle competing priorities, employees can embrace continuous learning as a natural extension of their work.

Is a DAP or just-in-time learning platform right for my organization?

If you're considering investing in a digital adoption platform, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention just-in-time (JIT) platforms.

Just-in-time learning platforms are on-demand learning tools.

Just-in-time learning tools like Spekit have all the features of a traditional digital adoption platform, like in-app guidance and support, plus advanced features for employees and teams that need to develop skills and knowledge in more than one area.

JIT platforms offer personalized learning content and recommendations, often in microlearning formats. They also offer analytics and insights that help organizations continuously improve their content.

For some, a digital adoption platform may be enough. For others, this traditional training tool falls short.

A just-in-time learning platform like Spekit combines the strengths of a traditional digital adoption platform and contextual learning.

Enabling managers to customize learning, communicate changes faster, and ensure everyone gets up to speed to compete in hyper-competitive and rapidly shifting markets.

Learn how just-in-time learning can drive employee performance and productivity.

How is Spekit different from a digital adoption platform?

Spekit is a software application that helps companies streamline their employee training and onboarding processes. It differs from a digital adoption platform in several ways. Here are some of the key differences between Spekit and DAP:

Fast setup: Spekit’s setup process is faster than DAPs. One customer reported that they could set up their Spekit account and create their first Speks in less than 30 minutes. The whole process was rolled out in just two weeks and shows how easy and efficient Spekit is to use.

See how we rolled out a new tool 100% asynchronously at Spekit.

No coding required: Unlike DAPs, Spekit doesn’t require content creators to know coding languages like JQuery. Instead, it uses a simple screen recorder that can be learned in just five minutes. This makes it easier for multiple content creators to work on the same project, without needing specialized technical skills.

See why 98% of users would recommend Spekit to a colleague

Salesforce metadata mapping: When it comes to Salesforce integration, Spekit saves a lot of time by automatically mapping where training is displayed. This means that there’s no need for manual mapping, as is the case with DAPs. As a result, Spekit’s integration with Salesforce is seamless and hassle-free.

Learn more about Spekit’s one-click integration with Salesforce

Knowledge/content management: Spekit was designed to be a companion for employees, offering easy access to training materials at any time. Users can bookmark or star their favorite processes and search for resources on the go from any web application. This makes it more user-friendly than DAPs, which may require more effort to navigate.

Explore the #1 just-in-time learning paltform

Integrations: Spekit is available everywhere an employee works, including email, Slack, Salesforce, Outreach, Zendesk, and web browsers. This makes it more accessible than DAPs, which may not be available everywhere employees work.

See all Spekit integrations and extensions

Out-of-the-box content: Spekit offers a ton of existing content ready to use, saving time and effort. Spekit has a dedicated account manager who can guide users on strategy and help with content transfers. Unfortunately, this support system is not always available with DAPs.

Explore Spekit’s content library

Overall, Spekit is more user-friendly and efficient than digital adoption platforms. Fast setup, no-code platform, seamless Salesforce integration, knowledge/content management, and availability across multiple applications make it stand out from its competitors.

Read 4 digital adoption best practices to maximize your organization’s success

Real-world examples of successful digital adoption

Southwest Airlines

With Spekit, Southwest Airlines employees can now access all of their training materials without ever having to leave their workflow. Spekit has also simplified change management, pushing updates and information directly to Salesforce with in-app notifications, real-time analytics, and feedback.

Southwest Airlines has conducted 100% remote and virtual training during COVID-19. Developing and creating training materials now takes 60% less time, while communicating new initiatives and changes is 50% faster than before.

By consolidating training materials from five different systems, Salesforce has become a one-stop shop for all Southwest Airlines’ information and updates.

Read the full Southwest Airlines story

Deel

Employee training at Deel has been completely revolutionized.

With everything in one place, from product information to FAQs, the latest information is always at sellers’ fingertips. With Spekit, contextual Salesforce training means that sales reps can view definitions, processes, and policies without interrupting their workflows. And with Spotlights and Knowledge Checks, communicating process changes and analyzing engagement has never been easier.

Since implementing Spekit, engagement with key communications and updates has increased by 42%, time spent searching for processes and questions has decreased by 15%, and efficiency for training content production and launch has increased by 10%.

Learn more about Deel’s transformation

Sendlane

Director of Sales and Rev Ops Keegan Otter was able to import all of Sendlane’s training content and roll it out to all revenue teams in less than a week with Spekit.

No more time wasted searching through Google Drive folders or messy documentation. Instead, reps can now access Sendlane’s “rules of engagement” through embedded Speks, or bite-sized, contextual pieces of information, that live in the tools they already use.

Spekit helped Sendlane:

• Grow from no BDRs and two AEs to a 20-person sales team
• Generate $3.7 million in pipeline and close three-quarters of a million dollars in revenue
• Cut BDR ramp time from 90-120 days to just 65
• Sustain an 88% BDR retention rate

See how Sendlane grew in just 6 months

Master Digital Adoption at Your Organization

If you want to streamline your employee training and increase productivity, Spekit can help.

With all training materials and updates in one place, employees can easily access the information they need, when they need it, without interrupting their workflows.

Just-in-time learning and contextual training mean that employees can quickly and confidently apply their knowledge to their work, boosting efficiency and productivity.

Plus, features like Spotlights and Knowledge Checks make communicating changes easy and analyzing how employees engage with your content.

Transform how you learn, change, and grow.

Get a personalized demo of Spekit today.