.svg){kind=icon}
April 3, 2025
Kelly Fiorini
One of the main reasons CRMs fail is because people just don’t use them. They never take the time to learn how, or they don’t actually implement it into their workflow.
Across industries, companies watch their CRM investments go unused while teams revert to spreadsheets, emails, and sticky notes for tracking customer relationships.
This CRM adoption gap isn't just frustrating—it's costly. Whether you're evaluating your first CRM purchase or considering a replacement for an underutilized system, the challenge isn't only selecting the right software—it's creating an environment where your team embraces it.
This guide tackles the persistent problem of CRM user adoption head-on. We talked to Amy Frantz, Customer Success Manager at Streak, to explore why even the best systems face resistance and to learn valuable techniques to increase CRM adoption.
Even the best CRM can't help you manage your pipeline if your team avoids using it. Before throwing training at the issue or blaming tech resistance, examine what's really standing in the way.
These five CRM adoption roadblocks are common—and identifying which ones affect your organization is the first step toward overcoming them.
People naturally stick to familiar routines, even when better options exist. This makes resistance to change one of the biggest hurdles to CRM adoption. Your team has developed workflows that feel efficient—whether that’s tracking customer interactions in spreadsheets, email folders, or even paper notes.
Switching to a new system raises concerns like, “Will this make my job harder?” or “What if I make mistakes?” These fears create hesitation and pushback, making it harder to get everyone on board.
“It can be easy to fall back on tools you've already been using, like using Google Sheets or even pen and paper. Sales reps want to focus on selling, not logging data, but when everyone tracks deals their own way, there’s no visibility, collaboration suffers, and performance is harder to measure.”
–Amy Frantz, Customer Success Manager, Streak
Many CRMs overwhelm users with cluttered interfaces, excessive feature options, and multi-step processes to complete simple tasks. What should take seconds ends up consuming minutes, leaving end users frustrated and reluctant to engage.
Another issue is that many CRMs require your team to use unfamiliar terminology or logic. When the CRM's organization doesn't match the way your team works, adoption suffers and team members quickly revert to their simpler, familiar tools.
When a CRM requires too much manual data entry, it feels like extra work for your team instead of a helpful tool.
For example, if sales reps have to log activities in the CRM after already documenting them in emails or calendars, they’ll see it as a burden rather than a benefit.
Frustrated teams may eventually bypass the CRM altogether, relying on personal notes or spreadsheets instead, which only further fragments your data. When key details aren’t recorded in one central database, reports become unreliable and it’s harder to track performance, forecast sales, or understand customer interactions.
When leadership doesn’t actively support CRM adoption, teams are less likely to take it seriously. If executives don’t use the system themselves or reference CRM data in decision-making, employees will see it as optional rather than essential.
Without executive buy-in, adoption becomes inconsistent, data remains incomplete, and valuable insights go unused. Leadership plays a key role in reinforcing the CRM’s value—whether by integrating it into strategic discussions, funding proper training, or ensuring it aligns with company goals.
Even the most intuitive CRM requires proper onboarding and ongoing support. Without training, users may struggle to log activities correctly or find the data they need—and they might not speak up about it.
“Some people are afraid to ask for help,” says Amy Frantz, Customer Success Manager at Streak. “Maybe they’re scared of change or not as technically savvy. Maybe they don’t understand how to use this new CRM and just want to stick with the old system.”
But generic, one-size-fits-all training isn’t enough. If employees don’t see how the CRM fits into their specific workflows, they’re less likely to adopt it.
Once you identify what’s blocking CRM adoption on your team, it’s time to take action.
These seven proven techniques will help your team fully embrace the CRM, making it a reliable system for tracking relationships, streamlining workflows, and driving growth.
Successful adoption starts with selecting a CRM that solves your team's most pressing problems. Instead of focusing on brand recognition or a long list of features, focus on how well it aligns with your team’s workflows and eliminates inefficiencies.
"If you focus on solving the most common pain point your team faces, they’ll see immediate value in the CRM—making adoption much easier," explains Amy.
For many teams, manual data entry is a major hurdle. “People focus on tracking deals after leads are in their CRM, but importing or entering leads can be a lot of time-consuming manual labor. Sometimes, that’s the biggest pain point,” Amy explains.
When evaluating potential CRM solutions, prioritize:
Involve people from different departments in the selection process, conducting hands-on trials. Pay special attention to how the system handles your most common use cases and whether it eliminates or creates additional steps in your workflow.
💡 Pro tip: A CRM that fits naturally into your team’s existing tools makes adoption much easier. Streak lives inside Gmail, so your team can manage pipelines, track leads, and access customer data without switching platforms. With integrations for Google Sheets, Google Drive, Google Chat, and smart AI features, Streak helps teams stay organized in the tools they already use.
Successful CRM adoption depends on engagement from the people who will use it daily. Instead of enforcing a top-down decision, involve your team early to create genuine buy-in.
"CRM adoption requires collaboration across the team," notes Amy. "The person championing the CRM has a vision—but how do they work with the team to ensure it aligns with the overall sales process and works for everyone?"
Transform your team from passive recipients to active stakeholders with these tips:
Ultimately, adoption hinges on answering the question every user has: "What's in it for me?" When employees clearly see how the CRM will make their jobs easier—not more complicated—they’re far more likely to embrace it.
Attempting to implement every CRM feature at once is a recipe for overwhelm and resistance. Instead, take a phased approach, allowing users to build confidence with basic features before tackling more complex ones.
Begin by identifying core functionalities that will deliver immediate value. For example, you might focus on these essential features during initial rollout:
Then, select a pilot group of diverse users to try the product. Give this group clear objectives—like learning how to use specific features you think will be popular—but also the freedom to explore the system on their terms.
"Features that improve team visibility tend to stick," says Amy. "If team members can find answers without constantly asking managers or coworkers, they're much more likely to rely on the CRM."
Track discoveries and challenges during the pilot phase, then adjust workflows, permissions, or configurations as needed. Addressing user concerns early builds trust and increases adoption.
💡If you’re using Streak: Amy recommends introducing Streak’s email sharing feature early on. It automatically links emails to the right deals in your pipeline, so your team can easily find conversations without searching their inbox or asking colleagues to forward messages.
A one-size-fits-all CRM rarely leads to strong adoption. Instead, tailor the system to match your team’s existing workflows and specific needs so it feels like a natural extension of how they already work.
Start by mapping out how your team will use the CRM, from pipeline structure to key processes. Visualizing this ahead of time helps create a system that supports, rather than disrupts, daily work.
Prioritize these high-impact customization areas:
Be prepared to iterate and refine these customizations as your team gains experience.
For example, Amy recently helped a client merge two pipelines into one once they realized the two sales processes were identical . Instead, they could track everything in one place and use saved views to filter for different types of deals.
Implementing a CRM without defining success metrics is like embarking on a journey without a destination. Defining key performance indicators helps demonstrate the CRM’s value and keeps teams engaged by showing measurable progress.
"If you can see how things have continued to improve month over month, you'll have a reason to keep coming back to the CRM," explains Amy.
Effective CRM metrics should track both system usage and business outcomes to connect adoption with real results. For example, you might track activities logged alongside win rates or customer retention.
Begin by establishing baseline measurements before implementation, then track improvements over time. Streak makes it easy to monitor CRM success with features like:
In addition to tracking metrics, regularly check in with your team for qualitative feedback. Amy recommends “a pulse check to see how the team feels about managing deals in the CRM.” These conversations reveal whether the CRM is streamlining work or creating frustrations, helping you make adjustments to drive adoption.
Successful CRM adoption starts with effective, user-focused training. The more relevant the training is to real-world workflows, the easier it is for teams to see the CRM’s value.
Amy, who leads customer training sessions for Streak CRM, has seen firsthand how personalized training makes a difference. “When teams learn how the CRM fits into their specific workflows, that’s when they have the ‘light bulb’ moment,” she explains.
To make CRM training more effective:
Beyond technical skills, training should reinforce why the CRM matters. “People need to see how it actually improves their workflow, not just how to use it,” Amy explains. “That’s the goal of any CRM—to make work more efficient.”
Training shouldn’t end after onboarding. For example, Streak offers free live classes where teams can learn directly from experts, ask questions, and refine their CRM skills. Streak University also provides on-demand video lessons covering everything from team collaboration to building custom reports.
Strategic incentives and recognition are powerful motivators. When teams see a clear connection between CRM usage and success, adoption naturally increases.
Develop a layered approach to incentives to appeal to different motivations:
Make CRM usage metrics easily accessible so employees can track their own progress. "This is especially helpful for sales teams with weekly benchmarks," says Amy. "If they need to track how many calls they’ve made, or deals they’ve closed, is there a simple way for them to see that?"
A CRM is only valuable if your team actually uses it. Overcoming adoption challenges requires more than just choosing the right tool—it takes a strategic approach that prioritizes team buy-in, ease of use, customization, and ongoing support.
By rolling out your CRM thoughtfully, reinforcing its value, and continuously refining the experience based on user feedback, you can turn resistance into long-term engagement.
Ready to transform the way your team manages customer relationships?
Streak CRM seamlessly integrates with your existing tools, offers flexible customization, and provides expert support to ensure lasting adoption. Start your free trial today.
%20(1).jpg)
