Adopt, don’t shop: Maximizing the value of existing software
May 22, 2025 
VP, Revenue Center of Excellence
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Sales Leadership Sales Operations
VP, Revenue Center of Excellence
In today’s economic climate, businesses are under increased pressure to do more with less.
When it comes to technology, investments are being scrutinized more closely, and the focus is shifting from acquiring new solutions to getting the most out of existing ones.
This additional scrutiny and focus on maximizing value isn’t misplaced, though.
Many organizations still struggle with underutilized software, low adoption, and functionality that doesn’t align with business priorities — leading to frustration, unrealized ROI, and inefficiencies. To solve this, companies need to ensure their current software solutions are worth adopting, make adoption itself a priority, and build a long-term strategy for software optimization to maximize ROI and drive success.
Let’s unpack that.
1. Make sure existing software is worth adopting
First and foremost, companies need to make sure their existing software solutions are worth adopting — before even thinking about what implementation would look like.
Here are five characteristics that indicate the juice is worth the squeeze:
- Frictionless integration. Technology should work behind the scenes and enhance existing workflows without requiring users to change how they work (or do extra work). For example, a solution that passively captures data from calls, emails, and interactions, and automatically surfaces trends — without needing to log a single detail manually.
- Seamless user experience. The best software is intuitive, easy to navigate, and requires minimal training. Ask yourself: does this solution eliminate complexity or add it? Does it feel like a chore to use or does it reduce cognitive load for users? Because when software is user-friendly and makes the job easier, people actually want to use it — which leads to better outcomes.
- Actionable. Software should convert raw data and deliver insights that are clear, timely, and actionable without requiring additional, manual inputs. For example, solutions that surface trends in the health of a deal, or coaching opportunities, in real time, empower managers to act proactively.
- Aligned with business goals. All software that a company uses should address specific objectives related to business goals. Ask yourself: Does this help us forecast more accurately? Does it speed up deal cycles? Does it support cross-functional alignment? Then, evaluate whether the solution directly contributes to revenue growth, operational efficiency, or strategic alignment.
- Scalable and adaptable. Technology worth adopting grows with your organization, integrates with other platforms where data can be exchanged seamlessly, and adapts to evolving needs. It should seamlessly handle more users, more data, and more use cases without requiring additional investment or overhaul. In other words, buy for the future.
2. Make adoption a strategic priority
Too many organizations are drowning in software they don’t use.
They have redundant systems that fragment data and workflows and waste users’ time by forcing them to toggle between different platforms to get work done. As a result, ROI suffers.
It’s tempting to add new software to try and solve this problem, but that only further burdens users with more training and more toggling.
Instead, focus on effectively adopting the software you already have in order to strengthen team alignment, cut unnecessary costs, and boost the return on software investment.
How? By addressing three priorities:
- Simplify onboarding. Reduce the friction to adopt by choosing solutions that require minimal setup and are easy to start using right away.
- Address change fatigue. Communicate what’s in it for the end user up front and show exactly how the technology can make their job easier.
- Create a culture of adoption and reinforcement. Regularly share success stories and outcomes driven to reinforce the value of adoption.
As uptake increases, focus next on the long-term path forward.
3. Make a long-term software strategy
Long-term strategies are rooted in a company’s ability to do more with less. That means integrating technology seamlessly into existing workflows and clearly tying it to key business objectives so the value becomes obvious. Here’s what that looks like in the day-to-day for GTM teams:
- Focus on core software platforms. By consolidating the tech stack around a few high-impact solutions, revenue teams reduce redundancy and complexity and pave the way for a simpler, more efficient future.
- Embed solutions in daily workflows. Integrate software directly into existing processes —deal management, forecasting, coaching, and so on — so users don’t have to change the way they work to benefit from insights.
- Measure and monitor usage regularly. Track usage and adoption metrics to spot gaps or areas of potential deeper engagement, and use this data to coach teams on getting more value from the software.
- Create a continuous feedback loop. Gather user feedback regularly to refine workflows and identify new use cases and collaborate with software customer success teams to continue maximizing the solution.
- Tie software to measurable outcomes. Define clear metrics (deal velocity, revenue per rep, churn, etc.) that relate directly to key outcomes (closed-won, rep productivity, etc.), and use them to evaluate software effectiveness on a regular and ongoing basis.
By doing this, RevOps can ensure they’re getting the full value from their solutions over time, and position themselves to better measure and boost their return on investment.
Why adoption is key to maximizing value for revenue teams
In a time of economic uncertainty and relentless pressure to do more with less, maximizing the value of what you already have isn’t just smart — it’s survival.
Revenue teams don’t need more software. They need software that works.
By adopting solutions already in place, integrating them deeply into workflows, and doubling down on what drives efficiency and results, RevOps is able to not only boost software ROI, but drive significantly greater business outcomes, felt across the entire organization.
