5 Common Fears of Business Owners Adopting New Tech

The decisions you make about your business aren’t always purely strategic.

Sometimes, you might be following a friend’s advice, jumping on an industry bandwagon or simply taking a leap. Those approaches can work for certain entrepreneurial choices but not for software adoption.

Initiating a digital transformation is a big move with the potential to radically shift the way you and your team work and, therefore, the nature of your client relationships. It’s normal to worry about various elements of adopting new tech: 

• The sizable initial investment 
• Whether new tech will work for your current processes
• Your chosen platform’s complexity
• Sharing company data with an external team
• Realizing you may have chosen the wrong platform

We’ll explore these common fears and how to overcome them.

1. High Upfront Cost

Though cloud-based subscription services have made tech more accessible for all businesses, the total cost of new software will often depend on your team’s size and goals. 

Platforms that can be tailored to your business needs could require a significant upfront investment. Especially if you opt for a robust, end-to-end solution over an out-of-the-box app, you might experience some sticker shock at first. 

HOW TO OVERCOME THIS FEAR:
The best way to think about a costly software decision is to consider other expensive investments you’ve made in your personal and professional life. Why do so many of us spend a considerable amount of money on houses, cars or college, for example? There’s usually a quality-of-life benefit, a measurable return or both. Major choices are easier to make when we understand why we want to go through with them.

Apply the same cost-benefit analysis to your business tech adoption process and examine the reasons you’re looking to make a change now. Shifting your focus from “What will it cost me?” to “What will my entire team gain?” can alleviate your money-related anxieties.

2. Compatibility With Existing Processes

Every business operates differently, and it’s normal to worry that a particular platform might not align with the way you and your team currently work.

For example, your existing method of monthly reporting could be specific to the data you need, and you might fear that a new software won’t be able to gather or display that same data. Or, you could have a particular sequence for reaching out to prospects and be concerned that it will have to change when you use a new CRM.

HOW TO OVERCOME THIS FEAR:
Digital transformation becomes stressful when you aren’t sure how you currently do things or how tech can help. To be compatible with a new platform, it’s more important that you have some processes than the perfect ones. 

Educating yourself about workflows and being intentional about establishing them for your business can make software adoption much easier. Be sure your leadership team has access to a list of every employee’s current responsibilities and can cross-check these with a potential platform’s capabilities.

It’s also useful to ask plenty of questions in a demo or conversations with a software company’s sales team. Request that they show you how the solution can address your concerns, rather than just telling you.

3. Technical Complexity

Adjusting to anything new will likely require some amount of learning, and business software inhabits the full spectrum of complexity. The amount of fear you have around the technicalities will depend on how tech-savvy your team is overall. You could have some employees who feel perfectly comfortable with change and others who are afraid of what it will take to fully adopt an unfamiliar system.

Regardless of your team’s digital skills, you could be apprehensive about the time it might take for everyone to feel comfortable working with new rules and a new interface. 

HOW TO OVERCOME THIS FEAR: 
Don’t remain on an island during this intimidating journey. Depending on the company you choose to work with, there may be an option to work closely with an implementation team, which means your employees will probably not be entirely responsible for everything it takes to onboard. You don’t need to hastily hire an implementation specialist either.

Ultimately, it’s wise to lean on the people who know your chosen platform the best and their data security experts. Not only will they ease your fears, but they’ll train you and your team to get the most out of this new digital environment.

READ NEXT: Painless Software Implementation: An Accelo Adoption Story

4. The Need To Share Sensitive Data

Data security, and cloud security in particular, have come a long way. But you may not be knowledgeable about the latest security measures, and you could have valid worries about sharing internal information with another company. 

Furthermore, protecting your clients’ precious data is not just a courtesy — it’s an expectation. It’s common to feel the pressure to choose a software that will keep the people who trust you happy and confident in your services.

HOW TO OVERCOME THIS FEAR:
Don’t ride on the hopes that the platform you’re looking into uses the appropriate security protocol. Ask an experienced IT professional what you should look for to deem software truly safe to use.

At a bare minimum, Accelo recommends seeking out a platform that promotes:

• Rigorous rules for passwords. Ideally, the software you’re considering will suggest strong passwords for your team.  
• Solid user authentication practices. Do they offer Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) as an added layer of protection? 
• Participation in a reputable Single Sign-On (SSO) application. Google and Microsoft 365 are popular options. Some platforms (Accelo included) also offer a Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML), which is even more secure than SSO. 

5. Choosing the Wrong Platform

Because there are so many platforms to choose from for each business purpose, selecting a tech stack can be nerve-wracking. Everyone you know might try to flood you with advice. But the software your friend’s business uses, or the one that gets the most buzz, may not be right for your needs.

These realities can leave you with a serious case of analysis paralysis.

HOW TO OVERCOME THIS FEAR:
Come back to the basics: research and patience.

First, do your due diligence. Read reviews, watch videos, sign up for demos and gather as much information as you need. Discuss the pros and cons of each platform with your leadership team and narrow down your options as you go.

It’s also helpful to take your time with such a big decision but avoid costly procrastination by giving yourself a reasonable deadline.

The Mindset Shift Required To Commit to Software

Adopting new tech for your business can be overwhelming at first, but being aware of your fears from the start can make the selection and implementation process smoother.

Use the resources at your disposal, including the platform’s internal experts, to calm your mind and avoid unforeseen hurdles. Ease your way into the idea of new tech and see what’s possible for your business by starting a free trial of Accelo.

About the Author

Chelsea Williams is Senior Copywriter at Accelo, where she shares unique insights with service professionals and tells user stories via blogs, eBooks, industry reports and more. She has over 15 years of B2B and B2C writing experience — primarily in tech, sales, education and healthcare. Chelsea is an AWAI-certified Master Copywriter trained in brand storytelling and microcopy.