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Get Over the Top 3 Hurdles to Technology Adoption

Technology adoption challenges concept with businessman walking towards gapTechnology adoption is a challenge for nearly every industry. Indeed, for most professional services firms, introducing new technology to your organization can be more difficult than the technical implementation itself. If you’ve ever heard the phases, “but this is how we’ve always done it” or “if it’s not broken, why fix it?” you’re not alone.

This resistance to technology improvement is not surprising when you realize more than half of organizations don’t have a clear digital business vision or strategy.

Even though you know strong digital strategies and robust technology adoption are some of your best chances to get ahead of competitors, there are a lot of reasons why it’s so tough to get people on board.

Here are a few of the most common stumbling blocks to technology adoption—and my advice on how to use leading-edge tools to help your professional services firm make the most of its tools.

  1. Old habits die hard
  2. Billable hours make value demonstration tough
  3. Financial resources may be scarce

1. Old habits die hard

When professionals are accustomed to following prescribed processes year after year, any type of change is difficult to accept. Recommending new tech that dramatically shifts daily tasks can lead to hesitation from management and end-users.

Encouraging management and professionals to adopt new technology is no easy feat. Just think about the evolving role of technology and how some end users may feel about making constant adjustments to their workflows. Finding technology solutions that support rather than shift user behaviors is key to garnering their approval.

Many organizations see Introhive as a technology “insurance policy” of sorts. The software allows firms to reap the benefits of their technologies without disrupting user habits. As a result, Introhive allows them to enjoy the best of both worlds—as seamlessly as possible. Download the case study to see how this worked for accounting firm Kaufman Rossin.

2. Billable hours make value demonstration tough

Many businesses, like professional services firms, base their success on billable hours. The more time your people devote to client work, the more money the firm makes.

So if a new technology, as it sometimes does, requires significant time investments for setup, training application, and upkeep (i.e., hours that are not billable), it can cue furrowed brows from partners and practitioners alike.

They may even cite this as reason enough not to consider new technology. That’s why, if you want to get the buy in you need, it’s up to you to plainly spell out the role your proposed tech will play, as well as its ability to increase billable hours in the long term. For a helpful cost savings analysis, download our Digital Transformation Playbook.

3. Financial resources may be scarce

If the technology you’re recommending comes with a hefty price tag, management will probably evaluate its long-term effects on the firm’s overall budget.

“What are the onboarding and ongoing support costs?” they’ll wonder. “What if adopting this new technology does more financial harm than good?” they’ll ask. So be prepared to answer.

Your stakeholders are more likely to understand the financial investment if there’s a return on investment (ROI) at play. So, you’d better be able to explain how adopting the technology can support user behaviors to boost productivity and revenue.

Dig up case studies you can reference to back up the technology’s claims. Does the technology guarantee any results or a trial period to test its effectiveness? Make sure to have answers for these questions on hand when making your proposal. Watch this quick video to see how other firms use tech to boost productivity and revenue.

Try tech that makes your existing technology, habits work for you

When seeking management’s approval for new technology, it’s critical to show how the tool will support your organization’s objectives. For easier technology adoption and buy-in, you need to prioritize the tool’s ability to complement user workflows. The less disruptive technologies are, the better.

In fact, that’s why many businesses adopt Introhive. Because it’s the only intelligence and automation platform that seamlessly integrates with existing technologies and professionals’ work behaviors—making existing tech and habits work for you, not against you.

By automating relationship mapping and proactively delivering customer insights, you can find new connections faster, and make your current customers even happier. The best part? Your organization doesn’t have to do anything differently to reap the rewards.

Request a demo or contact me to learn how we can help you meet your professional services firm’s short and long-term goals.

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