The #1 Way To Sabotage Software Rollout Success

Software rollouts go off the rails for all kinds of reasons. Just ask your favorite IT, operations, training, and enablement manager overseeing internal software training. 😅 

Common missteps include:

1️⃣ Waiting until the eleventh hour to promote the launch and create documentation 
2️⃣ Going all in on in-person workshops, wordy PDFs, and long videos 
3️⃣ Creating training that looks different in every system end users look for help
4️⃣ Pulling people away from their jobs to train them on constantly evolving processes
5️⃣ Forgetting to think about ongoing enablement, after the initial onboarding 
6️⃣ Overlooking the help desk support team’s experience with the new tool
7️⃣ Ignoring the opportunity to teach end users how to use software while they use it

But the biggest mistake? 

Focusing too much on the technical setup/data migration and not enough employee change management. 🫠

Assuming every end user will be equally eager to adopt the latest productivity tool and standard operating procedures isn’t just wishful thinking. It’s a complete fantasy—with real consequences for software rollout success and ROI. 

Understanding end users who aren’t helping the cause

Most people don’t like change, and some are more resistant to new technology and processes than others. Brittany Arbuckle calls these employees “ambivalent adopters.”

Ambivalent adopters get a bad rap. But they aren’t lazy or bad. They just aren’t that interested in:

❌ Learning new software
❌ Memorizing procedures
❌ Supporting anyone’s “culture of documentation”
❌ Leaning into self-service

What ARE they interested in? 

✅ Bringing in revenue, building great products, and making customers happy 
✅ Sidestepping change, staying in their comfort zone, and avoiding feeling stupid 
✅ Saving their time and energy for more impactful projects 
✅ Having their hand held if/when they do seek help

E is for Empathy

Why is it worth taking the time to understand—and empathize with—ambivalent adopters?

Because there are A LOT of them. And every software rollout success hinges on meeting end users where they are. 📍

To be clear, ambivalent adopters don’t actively want anyone’s software rollout to fail. But to them:

➡️ Software rollouts trigger feelings of dread and anxiety 
➡️ Learning new tools isn’t easy, fast, or fun 
➡️ Memorizing SOPs is annoying and a waste of time 
➡️ Software training is siloed, hard to find, and inconsistent 
➡️ Knowledge is too far away from where they need it, when they need it

…and every minute they spend struggling in software is a minute they can’t spend learning how to sell, build products, and help customers. 

What’s equally easy to forget? 

A new “solution” (no matter how great) may also replace their favorite tool, break their existing workflows, and require so much short-term pain it’s hard to think about long-term gain.

8 ways to win over ambivalent adopters (and save your software rollout) 

The good news: All hope isn’t lost. 🙏🏾

To drive higher software process adoption among even the most change-resistant end users, operations, training, and enablement managers can take a few simple steps.

What to stop: 

⛔ Expecting end users to memorize an overwhelming number of SOPs
📆 Creating training that’s not employee-first 
🙄 Feeling frustrated with those who don’t relish action, innovation, and change 
🔍 Expecting employees to go find the information they need to get unstuck

What to start: 

🫶🏾 Getting to know every ambivalent adopter (and how they think, feel, and operate)
💡 Tailoring training to 1) suit their needs, interests, and goals, and 2) ease their fears 
🤩 Minimizing context switching by embedding instructions directly in the tools where they work
✔️ Enabling self-service by making knowledge easy to access and apply in the moment/on the job

Wish there was a tool for that? You’re in luck. 😁