I once got a call from a client whose warehouse manager pulled them aside and said, “If we’re switching systems, I’m out.” This was their best person. Someone who’d been there 15 years. Someone who knew every SKU, every quirk of the operation, every workaround that kept things running.
They hadn’t even picked the software yet.
Here’s what I’ve learned after years of helping companies through ERP implementations: the technology is actually the easy part. It’s the people part that makes or breaks it.
The Real Problem Nobody Wants to Say Out Loud
Your team isn’t being difficult. They’re scared.
Scared they’ll look stupid learning something new. Scared their hard-won expertise won’t matter anymore. Scared about whether their job still exists in six months. Scared that management is going to make their lives harder and call it progress.
And honestly? They’ve probably earned that fear. Because how many times have they been told “this will make things easier,” only to spend the next three months cleaning up the mess?
Start the Conversation Before You Mention Software
I tell every client the same thing: don’t lead with the solution. Lead with the problem.
Sit down with your team and ask: what’s driving you crazy right now? What takes way longer than it should? What keeps you here late? What makes you want to throw your keyboard across the room?
Let them tell you what’s broken. Let them complain. Write it all down.
Because here’s what happens: when you eventually say, “I think we need better software,” they’ll remember that you asked first. That you listened. That you’re trying to solve their problems, not create new ones.
Make Them Part of the Decision
You know what kills buy-in faster than anything? When people find out you already signed the contract, they just have to deal with it.
I’ve seen this work best when key users are involved in demos from the start. Let your warehouse lead ask the hard questions about receiving workflows. Let your customer service person poke holes in the order entry process. Let your inventory manager grill the vendor about lot tracking.
Two things happen when you do this: First, you catch problems before you’re locked in. Second, your team starts to feel ownership. It stops being “management’s new system” and starts being “our new system.”
Say the Scary Stuff Out Loud
Don’t dance around it. Your team is already thinking about the hard questions. In my experience, addressing them directly builds trust faster than anything else.
“Will my job go away?” Be honest. If roles are changing, say so. If you’re eliminating manual data entry but need those people doing quality control instead, tell them that. If someone’s job really is at risk, they deserve to know sooner rather than later.
“I’m terrible with computers.” I hear this all the time, and it’s legitimate. Acknowledge that learning new systems is hard. Talk about training. Talk about support. Talk about expecting a messy few months, and that’s okay.
“We’re going to lose everything we’ve built.” This is where I remind people that data migration is part of the process. And more importantly, their knowledge of how things actually work is precisely what you need to set up the new system right.
Turn Skeptics Into Champions
Every team has early adopters and skeptics. You need both.
Your early adopters will figure out the workarounds and help everyone else. I always tell clients to empower these people. Give them extra training. Let them be the heroes.
Your skeptics will find every problem before it becomes a disaster. Listen to them. When they say “but what about when we have to do X,” that’s not resistance, that’s expertise. Write it down. Make sure the new system can handle it.
What to Actually Say
I’ve watched a lot of these conversations go sideways. Here’s what I’ve seen work better:
Instead of: “This new system is going to be so much better.” Try: “I know change is hard. This is going to be messy for a while. But here’s why I think it’s worth it.”
Instead of: “You’ll love it once you get used to it.” Try: “I need your help making sure this actually works for how we operate. You know this business better than any software vendor does.”
Instead of: “We have to do this, corporate decided.” Try: “Here’s what’s breaking. Here’s what we’re trying to fix. What am I missing?”
The Truth About Implementation
The best software in the world fails if your people aren’t on board.
I’ve seen implementations with perfect technical execution fall apart because nobody thought about the people side. And I’ve seen messy, imperfect rollouts succeed because the team was invested from day one.
Implementation success isn’t about hitting your go-live date. It’s about whether your team is still there six months later, actually using the system, and not secretly running everything through spreadsheets when you’re not looking.
Technology doesn’t run your business. People do. Treat them like it.