The Importance of Plug and Play Platforms

Consider these critical benefits of plug and play platforms–and how using one for your internal communications, whether you’re setting up communication with a classroom full of students or looking for a company-wide communication platform that will make it easier for users to connect, can improve efficiency and increase adoption rates across your business. 

They Can Be Adopted Faster

Quick: what do college students and employees in most businesses have in common? One of the primary aspects they share is that they’re often short on time.

Employees–especially those who may be working from home–often have to juggle a variety of responsibilities at any given time. They have projects they need to work on and tasks they need to complete at any given moment, and they may not have time to waste on a new platform, especially if they have deadlines pending. As a result, it may take a considerable time for employees to adopt a new communication platform, especially if they don’t see the value in it.

Students, likewise, are frequently pressed for time. They have their own set of deadlines and projects to manage, classes to attend, and, in many cases, a job they have to take care of. If they have to spend quite some time configuring and setting up a new platform that they’re supposed to use to communicate with their classmates and professors, they’re less likely to put in the time early in the semester, when it matters.

Plug and Play Platforms Remove Obstacles to Adoption

There are several reasons why employees and students alike do not adopt new platforms and technologies in a timely way. 

They have a hard time figuring out how to use the new platform.

Most of today’s users are familiar with the technology. They know how it works and what to expect. When you send a new platform their way, however, it can throw a monkey wrench into their understanding of that technology and how they use it. As a result, many users will abandon a new technology before they even give it a chance. Complicated walkthroughs and tutorials pose an immense challenge–and many users will simply walk away rather than taking the time to go through them. 

The platform doesn’t work until it’s “set up properly.”

Many new platforms and technologies are designed with a multitude of customization options. You may want to offer those options for your employees or students, but you don’t want those options and customizations to prevent users from utilizing the platform. With plug-and-play platforms, users can start using the platform immediately. They don’t have to worry about spending extensive time configuring the platform and getting it ready to go; instead, they can just install it and start using it. For many users, this is a critical element of making the platform work for them.

The platform takes too long to use.

To be effective, a new platform can’t take longer to use than older, tried and true communication methods. A communication platform is designed to streamline communication between users. That means that it shouldn’t make those communications more difficult or throw barriers in the way that make it hard for users to figure out what they need to know, including how to contact a specific user or how to access information. If it’s faster to send an email or use an existing internal messaging system, users aren’t going to use a new platform–and chances are, they’ll be less likely to pick it up at all. As a result, you may find yourself with an expensive communication app that your users won’t even access. 

If you want to revolutionize communication across your company or classroom, it’s critical to use a platform that is quick and easy to adopt. Pronto’s plug-and-play setup makes it easy for students or employees to get started using the app, from connecting with other users to checking out group communications or getting in touch with professors or managers. Contact us today to learn more about how easy it is to start using Pronto as well as the advantages it can offer your organization.