How to Increase Stakeholder Engagement in Apptio: Part 1

Apptio’s superpower of creating cost transparency for IT is unbeatable. Its ability to provide actionable insights for technology investment can be transformational for enterprises. But how do you create excitement and sustain stakeholder engagement? How can you increase user adoption? Getting everyone to see the value of their engagement is key.

Sometimes competing priorities can get in the way. Stakeholders want to get the most out of Apptio but might not understand why they need to provide or validate data, attend question and answer sessions, or give feedback. Organizational changes can play a part too, with new employees not being familiar with the platform. Additionally, stakeholders may already be stretched for time and providing data may seem like an extra, time-consuming task.

The good news is that increasing stakeholder engagement is fully achievable. Our Apptio expert guides have helped countless businesses develop and deploy stakeholder engagement plans. They have gathered some of the top tips and tricks that they have seen work, firsthand, for increasing stakeholder engagement. And, they had so many great recommendations that we have created two articles. Don’t miss part two here.

Whether you are coming off a fresh installation or your organization has had Apptio for a while, these ideas are sure to help boost your user adoption and stakeholder engagement.

One of the best ways to drive user adoption is by making it fun! People like to learn and interact when they enjoy it. Monthly contests can cover any number of topics, but some ideas include:

• Usage: Using data straight from Apptio, you can easily pinpoint which user has been using Apptio the most.
• Suggestions: Ask stakeholders for suggestions on new reports or functionality they would like to see added. Then, select a winner from the pool of suggestions. This is a great way to strengthen ties with stakeholders and understand how they could get even more value out of Apptio.
• Data Sources: Select a winner based on who adds the most new data sources in a month. This also helps stakeholders get into the swing of uploading data.

Prizes for monthly contests can include recognition, gift cards, bonus points, or whatever rewards system your organization uses. Be sure to include winner’s name in the next month’s email.

The phrase “out of sight, out of mind” is true. If users aren’t hearing about or using a system, they forget about it. One of the best ways to overcome this is by reminding stakeholders about the value of the software, sharing about the new functionality and features being added, offering ways to learn how to use it more easily, and by listening to their needs. A monthly or quarterly newsletter can do all these things.

If you’re not a writer, don’t worry. There are plenty of easy ways put together a newsletter. Some ideas include:

Including statistics is a great way to create a sense of enthusiasm and transparency for stakeholders. It helps them see that others are getting value out of your Apptio investment. Furthermore, usage statistics can also be helpful for senior leadership. This type of data can help guide conversations about user engagement, both by validating usage or helping identify adoption opportunities. Your newsletters can include:

• Monthly Users
• Monthly Logins
• Reports viewed during the month with usage increase/decrease identified (i.e. Monthly Users: 40, increase over last month by 5%)

Stakeholders are used to constant updates for their phones, apps, and software. Tools can seem stale if they’re static. Sharing updates about what’s new in Apptio subtly reminds users that its fresh, with new features and functionality being added all the time.

Items to include:

• Updates like new custom reports based on end-user requests
• The latest updates from Apptio
• New data being consumed by Apptio and what it impacts
• Upcoming reports or functionality that are coming soon

Opening the lines of communication to answer stakeholder questions can also help drive adoption. So can listening to their suggestions and reporting requests. So consider adding:

• A link to an email for questions or suggestions
• Links to user guides, FAQs, or tips & tricks you have on file

Continued opportunities to learn are critical for stakeholder engagement. This is especially true for businesses that have had stakeholder staffing changes. As new employees rotate in, it is important to provide ongoing ways to learn. Also, it is a good idea to make sure everyone is up to date as new reports, features, and functionality are added. Think about which education options might fit your organization best, like:

• Soundbites and video clips
• Virtual lunch and learns or brown bag sessions
• Cheat sheets and quick reference guides (QRGs)

Increasing stakeholder engagement can seem like a challenge. But with the right strategies even the most disengaged stakeholders can become your biggest advocates. Don’t forget to check out part 2 of our series on engaging stakeholders, where we cover increasing socialization and starting to put together an engagement plan.

Additionally, if you need help coming up with a stakeholder engagement plan, Rego can help. Our expert Apptio guides offer Apptio Health Checks that include adoption and usage statics that help you see how engaged your stakeholders are. Then they can help create a stakeholder engagement plan tailored your organization’s specific needs. Contact us to learn more.

Are you looking for a partner to help you get the most from your Apptio investment? Whether it’s implementing a new Apptio module, supporting current configurations, or revitalizing deployment, Rego is here to help.  

We can help with technical configuration as well as implementation, adoption, and roadmap challenges. With our proven Agile approach, we deliver results you can see – fast – while reducing time-to-value. 

Rego offers webinars, half-day training classes, and white papers. For more information, see Managed Support for Apptio.