Getting Your Team to Actually Use the Software You Just Bought

You have chosen the software, paid for it, moved your data and introduced it to the team.

Then, a few weeks later, someone asks: “Can I just put this in the spreadsheet for now?”

That is often how software adoption starts to unravel.

The problem is not necessarily that employees are resistant to change. They may be dealing with unfamiliar processes, unclear instructions or a system that does not quite fit the way they work.

Staff adoption of new software therefore needs to be treated as part of the implementation, not something that happens automatically after launch.

Here is how to make the transition easier – and spot problems before your team quietly returns to the old way of working.

Why do staff resist new software?

Employees may have perfectly reasonable concerns about a new system:

• Will this make my job easier or add more admin?

• What happens if I make a mistake?

• Why do I need to enter the same information again?

• What was wrong with the old process?

• Where do I go if I get stuck?

These questions are particularly important when the previous system was familiar, even if it was inefficient.

For example, telling a sales employee that a new CRM provides better reporting may not mean much to them. Explaining that they will no longer need to check three spreadsheets to find out whether a customer has been contacted is much more tangible.

Getting staff to use new software starts with showing them how it improves their everyday work. 

Don’t make training a one-day event

A training day can introduce the system, but it is unlikely to cover every situation employees will encounter once they start using it for real.

Instead, make training practical and ongoing.

Show people how to complete the tasks they actually perform, let them try those tasks themselves and give them a simple reference guide they can return to later.

Training should also reflect different roles. Someone managing customer enquiries will not necessarily need the same guidance as someone responsible for operations, reporting or administration.

Then provide somewhere for questions to go once the system is live.

If the same question keeps coming up, do not simply schedule another training session. It may indicate that the instructions, process or software itself needs attention.

Give your team an internal champion

You do not need a large support team to help employees get comfortable with new software.

Choose one or two people who understand how the business works and are comfortable helping colleagues. They can become the first point of contact for everyday questions and help identify issues that management may not notice.

A useful internal champion should be able to:

• demonstrate common tasks

• answer straightforward questions

• explain processes in simple terms

• identify recurring problems

• pass useful feedback back to the implementation team

The champion should not become an unofficial helpdesk, though. Recurring technical or workflow problems need to reach the people responsible for the system so they can be properly addressed.

Watch what happens during the first month

Do not wait several months before checking whether adoption is working.

The first few weeks can reveal a lot.

Are people keeping parallel spreadsheets?

A temporary spreadsheet may be part of a sensible transition. But if employees are continuing to maintain separate records containing information that should live in the new system, find out why.

Are important records incomplete?

Repeatedly missing information may point to unclear processes, unnecessary fields or insufficient training.

Are people bypassing the intended workflow?

If employees regularly use emails, notes or separate documents instead of completing tasks in the new system, ask what is making the official process difficult.

Are the same questions coming up repeatedly?

This could indicate a training gap. It could also mean that the system or workflow is not as intuitive as expected.

Are managers still asking for the old reports?

If the new system was introduced to improve visibility, but managers still rely on manually prepared spreadsheets, something needs investigating.

These are not reasons to blame employees. They are signals that the implementation needs attention.

Ask three questions every week

A short weekly check-in can reveal problems before they become established habits.

Ask:

• What is working? 

Find out which parts of the new system are genuinely making work easier.

• What is slowing you down? 

This can uncover unnecessary steps, confusing processes or missing functionality.

• What are you still doing outside the system? 

This may be the most revealing question of all. If people are maintaining separate spreadsheets, notes or manual processes, find out why.

Then look for patterns. If several people are creating the same workaround independently, it may not be a training problem.

It may be a software problem.

Sometimes the system needs to change

This is an important distinction.

When employees avoid new software, it is tempting to assume they simply do not want to change. But if several people struggle with the same task, repeatedly enter information in the same workaround or say the old process is quicker, investigate the system itself.

Perhaps employees have to enter the same customer information twice. Maybe an important step requires too many screens. Perhaps the workflow does not match how the business actually handles enquiries, orders or customer records.

In these situations, more training will not necessarily solve the problem.

The software may need to be configured, improved or redesigned around the real workflow.

This is particularly relevant for bespoke CRM, database and software systems, where the aim should be to support the way a business operates rather than force employees into an unsuitable process.

A simple first-month checklist

At the end of each week, ask:

• Are employees completing their key tasks in the new system?

• Are old spreadsheets still being used for the same purpose?

• Are records complete and consistent?

• Are the same questions coming up repeatedly?

• Do employees understand why the new system was introduced?

• Is there someone they can approach for help?

• Are managers seeing the benefits they expected?

• What needs to be changed before next month?

You are not looking for perfect usage immediately. You are looking for evidence that the new system is becoming part of normal working habits.

Successful adoption starts with the right system

A successful rollout is not simply one where the software goes live.

It is one where people actually use it because it supports their work and solves the problems it was introduced to address.

If adoption is struggling, do not automatically assume your team needs more training. Look at the communication, support, workflow and software itself.

If your team is repeatedly working around your CRM, database or business software, the problem may not be adoption alone. The system may simply not reflect the way your business works.

Talk to Printing Progress about a bespoke CRM, database or software solution designed around your team’s real workflows.