We have all seen it.

We know what it portends.

We know what’s coming.

Those dark, ominous, roiling clouds. Those are the clouds we want to avoid. They indicate something bad could happen. They may bring much wanted rain. But they also may bring unwanted things too.

I was talking to Rayne Gibson, of Taproots Horticulture Consulting, about growers and implementation of new software systems to improve their operations. He made an astute analogy:

“Many growers see software implementation as a dark storm ahead of them. The brave will put on their armor and charge, others will build a shelter around them and hope it passes. They know it’s coming, what they choose to do in response is what separates the good from great”

Rayne Gibson, Taproots Horticulture Consulting

There is some truth to that.

But there are ways to minimize and avoid those storm clouds altogether when you update your grower software systems. With the right process, a good software supplier and the right mindset to adapt to change you can enjoy the rain and avoid the storm.

Here are 4 keys.

Data

Organized data is a key aspect of migration to a system, but it takes effort, skill, and time to get data organized.

Getting your items and other grower data elements defined in a systematic way, your other catalog details, and prices in formats to be imported to a new system requires cooperative effort.

In our work with growers over the years, even the most disciplined growers have (or discover) data problems and inconsistencies during the onboarding process.

The processing of onboard to a new software system is a good opportunity to clean up your data, systemize your items and SKUs, clean out your customer file and prepare for a fresh start.

When you onboard with Advanced Grower Solutions, we spend the time up-front with you to gather, learn about your data. We have tools and processes to help organize, clean, and normalize your data in preparation for importing to the software system. This process brings organization and regularity to your data and sets the stage for other improvements.

Without a data migration process, without this cleaning and organization you run the risk that bad data will give bad results. As the saying goes ‘garbage in, garbage out’.

Whether it is a spreadsheet of your catalog, your printed availability list, your master price list with your big box retailer or other types of databases or data sources our team can help you get your data ready to be an asset in the new system.

Training

Large software systems are sometimes referred to as ‘black boxes’ – because you can’t see inside.

Software can come across as non-intuitive despite the best efforts of the developers to make things easy to see and user friendly.

A new software system brings with it a new paradigm of usage that your team must learn. Each department or individual must become familiar with and competent in doing their job in the new system.

Many growers have concerns about the effectiveness of a new system because of this ‘chasm of learning’ as some call it.

To overcome the learning aspect when you onboard with Advanced Grower Solutions we provide person to person training. We give detailed overviews to your staff to build familiarity and competency in the system so that your staff can do their job better post implementation.

Support

The decision to purchase a software system can leave a grower feeling alone and isolated. There is a fear that once the check clears the software company waves goodbye with a final ‘good luck’.

Even with onboarding data conversion and multiple training sessions sometimes during operational use of a software system support is required.

Things happen. Data is entered wrong. Problems are encountered. Sometimes you forget. Sometimes you need help. Sometimes changes come to your business and you don’t know how to use the system to do something new.

That is where support comes in.

When you onboard with Advanced Grower Solutions we support your team. We provide human to human support. We will get on a call or teams video call and work with you to understand the problem and work toward a resolution. Our team is experienced, competent and cares about the results our growers get with our systems.

Culture

Implementation of software is a big change. The key word in that sentence is change.

The willingness of the culture of your business to accept change can inhibit an implementation or it can help it.

Brandi Marek, Business Culture Guru at Ferguson Alliance, in her guest expert blog post on how culture impacts software implementation said ‘…Commitment to Change, can make initiatives like onboarding a new software system much easier..’

If a grower and their staff do not have the change mindset necessary to adapt to the ‘new’ then any new initiatives, especially software implementations, are doomed.

Brandi identifies 5 key elements in a culture of excellence that help improve software adoption success:

1. Customer Orientation
2. Employee Orientation
3. Clear performance Standards
4. Strong Process Orientation
5. Commitment to change

It is imperative that the grower prepare their staff and have a communication plan. The good news is that most all organizations can grow in their acceptance of change mindset with the right training and communications.

When you onboard with Advanced Grower Solutions, the interactions we do with your team provide great opportunities to have additional internal conversations across your staff to review the process, relay new information and discuss issues or re-iterate plans.

Why it Matters

The right software partner, and the proper preparation and onboarding process follow up by support and follow up on your team can improve the implementation success and the return you get on your software system investment.

Learn More

Learn what to expect from AGS when: onboarding here, training here, customer service here, and engaging with AGS here. If you are a grower looking to improve your operation, contact us so that we can get you up and running with the industry’s leading grower software today!