The Human Factor: How to Ensure Your New CRM Actually Gets Used

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A substantial budget is allocated. An extensive selection process is run. The best software is chosen and implemented. And six months later the painful conclusion is drawn: field account managers barely use the system, service engineers keep writing notes in a notebook and the inside team falls back on old Excel sheets. The expensive platform has  become an empty, digital office building. 

This is the nightmare scenario for any manufacturing company investing in new technology. The hard reality is that most CRM projects don’t fail on the tech, but on the human factor. A successful implementation is 20% technology and 80% change management. 

In this blog we discuss not the software, but the psychology behind it. How do you ensure your team— from inside sales to engineers on the road—doesn’t see a new system as a threat or a burden, but as a tool that makes their work better and easier? 

Why resistance is unique in manufacturing 

Resistance to a new system is a normal human reaction. In manufacturing this resistance often takes a specific shape, driven by: 

• The gap between “office” and “shop floor”: a new software system is quickly seen as “yet another idea from HQ” that has little to do with the daily reality of a salesperson or engineer who is often on the road.
• A hands-on culture: employees are used to solving problems practically. They have their own trusted routines and ways of working. A new, abstract system can feel like a disruption of that pragmatic approach. 
• The administrative burden: many technical professionals dislike admin. If the new CRM is seen as “yet another system where I have to type things in,” resistance is born.

The three pillars of successful adoption

To overcome this resistance and ensure successful adoption, you need a plan that rests on three pillars.

1. The “Why”: buy-in and communication The project must be sponsored by management—and that support must be visible. Management should continually and clearly communicate why this change is needed, translated to the shop floor. Not: “We’re implementing HubSpot,” but: “We’re doing this so the sales forecast can directly drive production planning, which leads to shorter lead times for the customer.” Always connect the change to concrete, operational goals. 

2. The “What”: involve your people and make it relevant The fastest way to create resistance is to toss a system over the fence. The key is involvement. Appoint champions per department: involve that seasoned account manager, that critical service coordinator and that project lead who always complains about poor information handover. Their input is invaluable—and they’ll become the project’s ambassadors later. 

Also provide role-specific training. A service engineer doesn’t need to know how marketing builds a campaign. They need to know how to submit a service report on their phone in three taps and view a machine’s parts history. Focus on the direct benefits for each specific role. 

3. The “How”: make it easy The golden rule: from day one the new system must make the user’s job easier, not harder. This means making choices in the setup. Start simple. For the service engineer on the road, the mobile app must show the most important information in three taps. If it’s too complicated, they’ll definitely reach for the paper notebook again. 

Go-live isn’t the finish line 

Adoption is an ongoing process. In the first months after go-live, schedule weekly office hours. Celebrate early wins—no matter how small—and share them with the whole company. “Thanks to the new mobile app, Jan could view the service history at the customer site and solve the issue in one go.” These kinds of success stories create positive momentum and convince the doubters. 

A CRM implementation isn’t an IT project, but a change journey. By steering deliberately for the human side from the start—and aligning with your manufacturing culture—you ensure your investment pays off. 

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