Don’t call IT (yet!): Why employees struggle to adopt your tools

Is your shiny new software collecting dust? Here’s why employees aren’t using it — and how internal comms can turn things around.

What we'll cover

Example H2

Tumbleweed over on your new tech tool?

You launched the system. You hosted the training. But employees just aren’t using your new tech. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Across industries, companies are investing heavily in new digital tools — internal communication software, employee apps, intranets, and core HR systems like Workday. But while the technology is powerful, access and adoption often fall short — especially for frontline and deskless workers.

Before you blame the tech (or call IT in a panic), take a step back. The issue often isn’t the system itself. It’s what came before: employee confusion, a lack of buzz, a lack of buy-in.

If you’re struggling with software adoption, start by getting to know the real issues behind a lackluster launch.

The adoption gap is a communication problem

Tools don’t tend to fail because the tech is inherently bad. So what gives? Why has adoption of your new tech tool stalled?

The truth is, ineffective internal communication is one of the usual suspects. If the right messaging hasn’t reached all employees at the right time, your adoption rates suffer.

Your communication tools are ignored. Or worse, actively resisted.

This is a problem. Because poor tech tool adoption harms the employee experience and employee engagement. Workers get a disjointed experience and it’s hard to keep everyone on the same page.

When only half the workforce is using a tool, it also kills your ROI. You end up bringing new internal communications tools into the mix to fill gaps. And the digital workplace gets noisy (and expensive!).

The 3 biggest reasons employees ignore tools

Let’s break it down. When employees fail to engage with a new tech tool, it’s usually down to one or more of the following reasons.

#1. They didn’t know it existed

An obvious one. But also a surprisingly common issue. If your comms strategies aren’t up to scratch, it’s easy for messages (even repeated ones) to slip through the net.

Maybe your tech tool memo got lost in an inbox that was fit to bursting. Maybe managers failed to cascade the information in the way you’d intended. Perhaps frontline employees missed the paper memo on their dash through the depot.

Comms can fail to reach the desired recipient in all sorts of ways, particularly if you have lots of hard-to-reach frontline employees. The result? Employees simply don’t know that your new software exists.

#2. They didn’t see how it helped them

Let’s suppose the message did get through. Employees were aware that a new tech tool was on the horizon. But your team failed to communicate software benefits to employees.

Will it save them time? Make their jobs easier? Give them greater control over their shift schedule?

When employees don’t get answers to these questions, they fail to understand how your new tech matters to them and their work lives. And when they’re already juggling task management, they’re unlikely to make time to download and learn something new.

#3. They didn’t know how to use it

The final thorn in the side of a new tech tool launch? Employees not understanding how to use your new tech — or how to fit it into their daily workflow.

Tools that feel like extra admin, or that require clunky logins and complex steps, are unlikely to win favor with your workforce.

And, even with the best possible UX for every segment of your workforce, you still need to signpost training and support. Another task for your internal comms team.

For tools like Workday, which are often built for desktop workflows, employees need support to engage with features like payslips, benefits, or scheduling from their phones. A mobile-native interface like Blink’s helps bridge that UX gap — and makes core functionality feel intuitive, not intimidating.

How internal comms can get employees on board

Internal comms play a huge role in tech tool adoption. If employees are ignoring your new software, here’s what your comms team can do.

Craft a story around the tool

Don’t just announce the what. Explain the why. Move beyond the benefits the software offers your organization. Put yourself in an employee’s shoes and think about the difference it makes to them.

A new LMS isn’t just a training platform. It’s a way for employees to boost their skills and take another step along their chosen career path.

A new mobile scheduling app isn’t a way for the company to ensure maximum shift coverage. It’s a way for employees to reclaim control over their week.

Build a narrative around the tool that answers employees’ most pressing question: What’s in it for me?

That may mean crafting different stories for different segments of your workforce. By incorporating employee segmentation into your strategy, you can highlight what new tech brings to your drivers or retail employees compared to the benefits it brings to your office-based staff.

It may also mean harnessing the power of an internal creator culture, getting employees who are using and loving your new solution to voice their thoughts as part of authentic, employee-generated content.

Use multiple channels to reinforce the message

Any communicator will tell you. Repetition matters. So does variety.

So push the message across every communication channel your employees use. That might include:

Manager shout-outs
SMS reminders
Push notifications from your employee mobile app
Instant messaging for quick check-ins
Video content showing employees using the tool
Pulse surveys to check in on feedback
Reinforcing email content
Video conferencing to troubleshoot issues

Using multiple internal communication platforms and channels increases the likelihood that all employees will see your content, even hard-to-reach frontline employees and those who do remote work.

It takes more effort — and maybe a comms schedule or two! But when you build buzz and understanding through a concerted campaign of communication, the payoff is better reach, stronger recall, and higher rates of software adoption.

Empower managers to model and cascade usage

Managers are the missing link in too many software rollouts. If they don’t understand the tool — or worse, aren’t using it themselves — employees won’t either.

So, give managers early access. Train them on how the tool works and why it matters. Give them talking points and answers to the FAQs they’re most likely to hear from employees.

You need managers who can participate in knowledge sharing — who can confidently say: “Hey — this thing works. Here’s how it helped me. Let me help you get started.”

Use change communication principles

Effective change communications rely on empathy, transparency, and clarity.

So when sharing launch news, sympathize with employees. This is an upheaval. New tech always comes with a learning curve. And until employees are up to speed, it’s a pain they can do without.

You should also communicate transparently and clearly, so employees trust and understand what you’re saying.

When you approach your software launch as you would any other type of change communication, you’re more likely to get employees on board.

IT + internal communications = smoother rollouts

Too often, tech rollouts are the responsibility of the IT team.

IT chooses the tool, implements the tool, launches the tool. IT runs the project management overall. And internal comms? They’re asked to throw together a post about it the day before it goes live.

But this sets a new software launch up to fail. Because when the internal comms team and IT teams work together, ensuring a smooth and successful software rollout gets a whole lot easier.

Here’s how you can encourage team collaboration and do things differently.

Bring comms in early — not just at launch

As soon as IT begins the search for a new tech tool, comms should be in the room.

The comms team can facilitate internal communication between IT and the software’s end users — your employees. They can clarify what employees want and need from a new tool, so you’re more likely to find software that fits the bill and get workforce buy-in.

Further down the line, comms is also vital in the process of developing launch messaging — and shaping rollout strategy. When your comms team fully understands the tool and what it brings to the table, they’re much better placed to craft a messaging strategy.

Meetings with the IT are an opportunity to learn:

What do employees need to know, feel, and do to adopt this tool?
What comms assets can we build in before the launch date?
What support will we provide for employees to help them get started?

Plan messaging the same way you plan tech implementation

IT teams build timelines, test cases, and go-live checklists. Your employee communications plan should be just as robust. You need to factor in:

Pre-launch buzz. Teasers, sneak peeks, and launch countdowns.
Launch day comms. Announcements, how-to guides, success stories, and FAQs.
Post-launch support. Nudges, reminders, employee feedback loops, and adoption incentives.

Be consistent with your comms and you’ll keep your new tech tool in the company conversation. That means more people signing up to use it.

Celebrate small wins and usage milestones

Adoption isn’t a one-day event. It’s a process. And people are encouraged to give your new tech a go when they see their peers using it.

So use employee data to help you prioritize employee recognition. Spotlight early adopters. Call out team members that hit usage goals. Share stores from employees who’ve benefited from the tool.

These micro-moments build momentum. They remind everyone that this change is here to stay and that the tech is already helping employees just like them.

Adoption isn’t just about tools — it’s about strategic communication

Tech rollouts aren’t a launch moment — they’re a behavior change. And behavior change starts with communication.

You need to get strategic, working to build buzz and trust —and planning a comprehensive calendar of comms before, during, and after launch day.

Ideally, you put these principles into practice way before rollout. But if you’re dealing with a stalled launch, you can still skyrocket those adoption figures.

Act quickly (because momentum is hard to get back once it’s lost). And work to reach all employees, telling them what your tool does, how it benefits them, and how they can start using it.

Especially if you’re rolling out a traditionally office-worker platform like Workday, make sure the experience works for every employee — not just those at a desk. Blink gives your workforce one-tap access to all tools, wrapped in a communication layer that builds buzz, drives behavior change, and keeps your investment delivering long after go-live.

Get your software back into the company conversation, get a few more employees on board, and watch adoption — and your company culture overall — thrive.

‍Blink. And bring your tools to life, for every employee, in every moment that matters.