HEALTHTECH: What kind of training was required to get people up to speed?
Romatzick: That was the beauty of this Chromebook rollout. Because many of the staff were already used to the Chrome browser and the G Suite applications, training was minimal. It focused more on familiarizing people with the Chromebook keyboard layout and the lack of management software which they had become accustomed to. There was a bit of trepidation on the part of some of the senior staff, but many of the younger staff, who had used the devices throughout their education or in their personal life, bridged that gap for their coworkers and even taught us a few tips and shortcuts.
HEALTHTECH: What ultimately sold the staff on using the Chromebooks?
Romatzick: All it takes to work the device is to open it up, and then it’s ready to go in seconds. Once people saw that, they understood why we were making the change.
IT departments that want to undertake a similar rollout should understand that the technology itself wasn’t the largest challenge — it rarely is. The greatest obstacle had to do with administrative and general human relations: getting a group of people to make a change as well as embrace new technology and workflow. While staff certainly understood the cost savings these devices offered in a budget-conscious environment, in many ways, it’s difficult to explain the benefits of the Chromebooks until users take some time to work with them. From there, they often realize how much more mobile, reliable and convenient the devices are over the old tools.