According to a survey by Userlane, software-related issues could mean companies are losing millions of potentially productive work hours.
The company found that a third – 35% – of UK employees waste at least an hour a week solving software-related issues, while 61% spend at least 30 minutes a week on these challenges.
The majority – 70% – of employers say their overall use of technology at work has increased over the past two years according to Userlane data, as demand for online collaboration in particular has exploded with the shift to hybrid working.
What frustrates workers?
The fact that using software can take time was the most common complaint among respondents and was cited by 44% of survey respondents.
IT not responding quickly enough to questions or issues was another common complaint, cited by 39% of respondents.
Software that involves too many complex processes was another common problem, cited by 23% of users.
Userlane’s survey also suggests that software challenges impact how users approach their work.
According to the data, just under half – 44% – of UK employees have postponed important work tasks following software complaints, while 41% have openly complained to their employer.
Userlane data also suggests that around a fifth of UK employees – 18% – have looked for a way to do the same tasks manually, while one in ten – 10% – have refused to continue using software.
On a more severe note, 8% of respondents admitted to considering quitting their job due to software-related issues.
How are companies addressing these challenges?
In terms of companies’ attempts to improve software adoption, the most popular strategy was to communicate the benefits of new software to employees, who were employed by 36%.
Increasing IT help desk capacity and hosting more classroom training sessions are also popular strategies, cited by 34% and 33% of organizations surveyed.
Almost a third – 30% – of companies are introducing a digital adoption platform according to Userlane, and the same number are producing written software training guides.
“From these results, it’s clear that digital adoption needs to improve for large-scale software implementations to be successful,” said Hartmut Hahn, CEO of Userlane. “It is of course important for companies to fill in the gaps in their software training.”
He added: “But we also need to remember that a ‘one size fits all’ approach won’t work here – we all learn in different ways, and that needs to be reflected in the training and support offer companies provide.”