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So, you’ve invested in a new quoting platform. Great move! It is designed to streamline processes, improve sales accuracy, and ensure faster quote turnaround times. But after implementing the software, you observe that your team isn’t using it.
Low adoption is a common challenge many businesses face after incorporating it into their operations. The online sales quoting software might be fantastic, but if your team isn’t adopting it, the expected ROI takes a beating. The success of any tool depends not only on how sophisticated it is but also on how well it’s adopted.
Sales reps already spend only 28-30% of their time actually selling (Martal Group, 2026). The other 70% goes to admin, data entry, and follow-ups. A quoting platform that your team actually adopts should be eating into that 70%, not adding to it. And that is possible only when adoption is successful.
In this article, we’ll walk you through simple yet powerful strategies to increase user adoption of your quoting platform. Let’s get started.
Key Takeaways:
- Increasing platform adoption requires clear onboarding frameworks and real-world use-case training.
- Early wins help build confidence and accelerate user engagement.
- Role-specific configurations reduce cognitive load and improve daily usability.
- Feedback loops ensure continuous system improvement based on user behavior.
- Performance metrics validate the platform’s impact on turnaround time and quote accuracy.
Understanding Quoting Software Adoption Challenges
Why is user adoption such a headache for many businesses? Let’s discuss it below:
1. Resistance to Change
Your sales team has its own way of managing its quoting process. They are comfortable using spreadsheets and emails for quote management. In such circumstances, convincing them to switch to a quoting tool can be challenging as it disrupts their familiar workflow.
2. Lack of Training
Even the most robust quoting platform can seem overwhelming if users don’t know how to use it. When employees are not familiar with the tool, they simply avoid using it altogether.
3. Poor User Experience (UX)
If the software interface is clunky or hard to navigate, you cannot expect your team to adopt it. If your team is spending hours figuring out how to generate a simple quote, they are unlikely to use the tool.
4. Lack of Leadership Advocacy
When top-level executives don’t show support for the quoting platform, it sends the wrong message to the rest of the organization. If they don’t see leaders embracing the new tool, it will lead to underutilization of the software application.
5. Integration Issues
Your quotation management tool should easily connect to your existing CRM, ERP, and other business tools. If it has integration issues, your employees will prefer traditional methods for creating their quotes.
Strategies to Increase Quoting Software Adoption
Some strategies that are worth adopting to increase adoption:
1. Secure Leadership Support for Faster Adoption
You need to ensure that your leadership team is not only on board but also actively backing the quoting platform. They should convince them how it aligns with their key business goals, like accelerating the quote-to-cash cycle or increasing win rates. When leaders actively promote the tool, attend training sessions, and integrate it into their own workflows, it encourages employees to embrace it.
2. Offer Comprehensive Training & Onboarding
You need to offer a structured training program tailored to each role including, sales reps, finance staff, and managers. Different teams interact with the InstaQuote software in different ways, so your onboarding process should reflect that.
You can start with live training sessions for real-time interaction, followed by webinars and recorded demos that your team can revisit anytime. You can also add interactive tutorials for hands-on learning, and include quick tip videos for fast takeaways. For employees who need extra support during the transition, consider offering one-on-one coaching.
Pro Tip:
- Track user activity logs to identify training gaps and refine onboarding materials.
3. Ensure a Seamless User Experience
To ensure a smooth transition, you need to choose a quoting platform with a clean, intuitive interface. If users can navigate it easily, they’re more likely to use it in the long run. Features like auto-fill options, smart product recommendations, automated pricing rules, and customizable dashboards not only simplify the quoting process but also reduce the learning curve. When the platform feels easy to use and is tailored to the user’s workflow, adoption is a natural process.
4. Involve Early Users to Inspire Others
To increase the adoption rate, spot the early adopters in your team. These are the people who naturally influence others. Encourage them to help onboard their peers, share tips, and even provide real-time support. Peer-to-peer learning is a great way to build trust and reduce resistance. When team members see their colleagues confidently using the quoting platform, switching from traditional to digital solutions is a smooth ride.
Pro Tip:
- Implement change champions across departments to promote adoption organically
5. Communicate Benefits Clearly
You need to make sure that your team truly understands the value of the software. They clearly sees how much time it will save, and how it simplifies their workflow, making their tasks faster and easier. To encourage adoption, highlight the benefits of the tool in a way that it resonates with your sales team.
6. Offer Continuous Support & Feedback Mechanisms
Consider B2B sales quoting software from vendors that offer 24/7 help through chatbots or a helpdesk. This will ensure that your team always has access to immediate assistance whenever any issues arise. You can also maintain a knowledge base with FAQs to provide users with quick access to troubleshooting steps. Give your team the flexibility to voice their concerns and suggest improvements in the quoting software. Implement their suggestions when possible and communicate updates. When users feel heard, they are more likely to stay engaged.
7. Integrate with Existing Business Tools
Your sales quote software shouldn’t work as a standalone system. It needs to integrate with the existing tools your team already uses. This includes CRM software, ERPs, accounting systems, and eCommerce platforms. An integrated system will enable you to automate data flows so that no one has to manually enter the same information twice. The fewer the clicks, the higher the adoption. It’s that simple.
8. Monitor Usage Metrics & Optimize Adoption Strategy
You need to track usage indicators such as login frequency, the number of quotes generated, time spent per quote, and feature usage to gain valuable insights into how the tool is being used. This data will help you to identify who’s thriving and who may be struggling to use the application and needs additional training. You can use these insights to fine-tune your adoption approach.
Conclusion
The quoting platform does not fail because the software is bad. It fails because adoption was treated as an afterthought. Leadership has to back it visibly, training has to be role-specific, the UX has to be clean enough that reps prefer it over their old workflow, and integrations have to be tight enough that no one is double-entering data. Get those four things right and usage follows naturally. Get them wrong, and the tool becomes expensive shelfware within a quarter.
VARStreet’s quoting platform is built specifically for IT and office supply VARs, which means the interface, workflows, and integrations are designed around how resellers actually sell, not how generic B2B teams operate. With 25+ years in the VAR space and 5,500+ resellers already on the platform, VARStreet has refined its onboarding, training, and support processes through thousands of real implementations. The result is a tool your reps want to use because it makes their job faster, not harder.
See it in action. Book a free VARStreet demo and find out why adoption is not a problem when the platform is built for your workflow.
FAQs
Why do sales teams resist adopting new quoting software?
Reps are comfortable with Excel and familiar workflows. Adoption improves when they see real-time savings on quotes they normally build manually.
How important is leadership buy-in for quoting platform adoption?
Leadership buy-in is critical. When managers require approvals and reviews inside the tool, reps naturally follow the reinforced behavior.
What is the best way to train a sales team on new quoting software?
Use role-specific training focused on real workflows. Follow with short tip videos and one-on-one coaching for anyone struggling.
How do I know if my team is actually using the quoting platform?
Track logins, quotes created in the tool, and average quote time. High logins but low usage usually signal training or UX issues.
