You’ve done it. After weeks (or months!) of research, demos, and deliberation, your small business has invested in new software. It’s supposed to revolutionize your operations, make life easier for your team, and supercharge productivity.
But now that the software has been bought and paid for, you might wonder why things feel harder instead of easier.
The truth is that software adoption is rarely seamless—especially for small businesses with limited resources. From getting your team on board to navigating inevitable hiccups during implementation, the challenges often come faster than anticipated. But here’s the good news: with the right strategies, you can overcome them and turn that initial investment into long-term success.
In this guide, we’ll explore the most common roadblocks SMBs face when adopting new software and share StackPlans’ best practices to help you navigate the process with ease.
What is Software Adoption?
Software adoption refers to the process of integrating new software into a business’s operations and ensuring that the team effectively uses it. It involves installing the software and training staff, adapting workflows, and overcoming challenges like resistance to change or technical hurdles to maximize its value.
It sounds simple enough, but StackPlans’ research shows that around 33% of self-implementations fail, leading businesses to return to old systems. With a solid implementation and adoption plan, you can help ensure your business remains in the successful 66%.
What are the Barriers to Software Adoption?
So, why is software adoption so challenging? Here are the most common barriers that hinder successful adoption by team SMB members:
-
A lack of clear benefits:When teams don’t understand how new software is better than the old systems, there will be a clear lack of engagement.
-
High complexity:A complex interface with an overwhelming number of new features can intimidate team members and cause disengagement.
-
Incomplete picture:The new software creates consequences for other software used in the business that were not considered before the software purchase.
-
Inadequate training:Team members simply won’t know how to use the software without proper training.
-
Resistance to change:Team members and managers may be resistant to learning new processes if they’ve used an old system for a long time.
No matter how well your team works together, you’re almost certain to encounter one or more of these barriers to software adoption. The key is knowing how to quickly and effectively overcome these challenges to keep your team on track.
Software Adoption Best Practices For Your SMB
Whether you’ve already implemented new software and are struggling to get your team on board, or you’re planning a new implementation and want to stay a step ahead of roadblocks, these best practices will help you boost software adoption.
Start with a Complete Picture of All the Software the Business Uses
Before adopting new software, take a step back and map out your current tech stack. List every tool your business uses, from accounting software to customer support platforms, and note how they interact. You can also use a tool like AppVentory to help take an inventory of your current software use.
Once you have that complete picture, ask yourself: which tools are essential, which are underutilized, and where do gaps exist? This comprehensive view will help you avoid redundancy, ensure compatibility with existing systems, and make smarter decisions about what new software truly adds value to your operations.
Establish a Clear Vision and Goals for Software Adoption
Without clear KPIs for software adoption, it’s difficult to know whether your team is using new tools and platforms. To combat this, start by thinking about what you want to achieve during software implementation.
Do you want to increase user engagement? Reduce production costs? Boost employee productivity?
Create clearly defined and measurable goals that you’re able to track over the coming months, for example:
-
Reach 90% software adoption within three months.
-
Improve employee engagement by 5% within the next six months.
-
Improve customer service satisfaction scores by 20% by the end of the year.
Your goals and priorities for your new software should align with your wider business objectives to continually push your business forward.
Tracking these metrics over time will show you whether the new software has been adopted successfully – but we’ll look at tracking later.
Identify Software Champions
Software champions are individuals within each department or business function who are passionate about the new technology and see the long-term benefits you’re aiming for.
These individuals will help promote the new software and encourage buy-in and excitement from their fellow team members.
When choosing champions, here are a few factors to look for:
-
Technical expertise:Champions should have an established understanding of the software so they can help others with training and troubleshooting. If you don’t have anyone already familiar with the software, choose a person who is a quick learner to get up to speed on the software before implementation.
-
Communication skills:They should also be great communicators and confident enough to provide help and support to peers.
-
Leadership skills:Although your champions don’t necessarily have to be managers or team leaders, they should possess leadership skills in order to lead others and quickly rally support.
Once you have a champion in each department, it’s time to get them up to speed with resources, support, and training:
-
Provide training videos, early software access, and any other materials they need to get up to speed with the software. The deeper their understanding, the easier it will be for them to get others on board.
-
Give them ongoing opportunities to voice their opinions and concerns about the software implementation process. Champions should feel like a valued member of the technology team.
-
You might decide to give bonuses or monetary incentives for champions, but if that’s not in the budget, make sure you have some kind of recognition or non-monetary incentive to show your appreciation for each champion and keep them motivated.
Increase User Buy-In
Having champions in each department will help boost buy-in, but you can’t expect them to work alone. Here are a few impactful ways you can get your team members on board with software adoption:
-
Clearly communicate the new software's benefits over the old systems. Users should understand how using the new software will make their lives easier.
-
Use real-life examples and case studies from your software vendor that show how teams improved productivity, streamlined workflows, or enhanced collaboration.
-
Have team meetings and ask for open, honest feedback about the software adoption process. If individuals have concerns, address them with actionable solutions to help them get on board.
-
Continuously check in with your teams through the software implementation process to catch and squash issues early. This will help them feel supported and reduce the risk of low software adoption.
-
Be sure to ask for feedback on how the new system is running 30 and 90 days after the implementation.
When it comes to implementing new software, buy-in is your top priority. Do all you can to get users excited about the new software, and you’ll drastically improve the odds of a successful implementation.
Make the Switch Seamless
A smooth onboarding experience will help users gain confidence in the new software. If your onboarding process is plagued with bugs, errors, and complex processes, you’ll put team members off the software before they’ve had a chance to explore it.
Working with a dedicated software consultant is the most strategic way to streamline the onboarding process. A vetted expert will help you handle everything from successful data migration to team training.
Having a dedicated point of contact also takes the pressure off your team. If there are any issues switching from the old system, your tech advisor will be there to offer support and guidance.
Interested in working with a dedicated tech advisor? Check out our tech advisor directory to find the perfect fit for your software project.
Track Software Adoption Rates
Measuring and tracking software adoption rates over time will help you pinpoint areas where users need more support and ensure you’re on track to hit your software goals.
You can’t be there to oversee how every department uses the new software, so tracking KPIs allows you to visualize the software adoption rate across the company.
Here are the essential metrics to track:
-
Number of active users
-
Number of logins
-
Number of features used
-
User satisfaction (give our regular surveys to gather team feedback).
If you start getting negative satisfaction surveys and you can also see that the number of features being used is low, you’ll know exactly where to implement training and solutions to get your team back on track.
Software Adoption: The Takeaways
Adopting new software is rarely a walk in the park, but your small businesses cannot afford a failed implementation. By recognizing the challenges upfront—like team resistance, integration issues, and the learning curve—you can take proactive steps to address them head-on.
Remember, successful adoption isn’t just about having the right software; it’s about creating the right environment for it to thrive. With patience, clear communication, and a focus on long-term goals, you can transform those initial bumps into stepping stones toward greater efficiency and growth.
If you’re planning on upgrading your software but are still concerned about the costs of a failed implementation, head to our next guide to learn all there is to know about tech advisors and how valuable they can be to your business!
