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Tips for rolling out FieldPulse to a team that's resistant to new software?

Paula Hendrix

We're getting ready to roll FieldPulse out to our 12-person field team, and honestly, I'm bracing for some pushback. A few of our senior technicians have been vocal about not wanting to learn another system — they know their current workflow (paper dispatch sheets and Google Calendar) and see no reason to change.

I've read the migration guide and the general rollout tips, but I'm hoping to hear from folks who've actually navigated this. What actually worked to get resistant team members on board? Did you find certain training approaches more effective than others? Any mistakes you'd avoid if you did it again?

Our team is split between tech-savvy younger techs and a few veterans who are excellent at their jobs but skeptical of anything that feels like extra overhead. I want to set them up for success without creating resentment.

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  • Pro tip: Start with your most respected skeptic, not your biggest enthusiast.

    We had a guy — 22 years in the field, never touched a smartphone for work — who everyone looked up to. I spent two weeks just training him, let him break things, fixed them together, gave him input on how we configured the app. Once he started telling other guys "actually this saves me time," adoption flipped practically overnight. The skeptics trusted him more than they trusted me or management.

    Also: never roll out during your busy season. We tried that once with a different system. Disaster.

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  • Pro tip: Start with your most respected skeptic, not your biggest enthusiast.

    We had a guy — 22 years in the field, never touched a smartphone for work — who everyone looked up to. I spent two weeks just training him, let him break things, fixed them together, gave him input on how we configured the app. Once he started telling other guys "actually this saves me time," adoption flipped practically overnight. The skeptics trusted him more than they trusted me or management.

    Also: never roll out during your busy season. We tried that once with a different system. Disaster.

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  • in reply to Josh Mercer

    This is really helpful, Josh — thank you. I hadn't thought about targeting a respected skeptic specifically, but you're right, that could carry more weight than any training session I run.

    Did you give him any incentives or recognition for being the "pilot"? Or was the involvement itself enough?

  • in reply to Josh Mercer

    No formal incentives — though I did make sure his manager knew to acknowledge him publicly in a team meeting. What mattered more was that I actually listened when he said something didn't make sense for field workflows. Changed a couple of our checklist templates based on his feedback, which he then told everyone about. That ownership piece was key.