Software stays underutilized despite training because training happens once, often before go-live, while difficulties arise later, in real work situations. Knowledge fades quickly, many role-specific cases were never covered, and help is missing at the moment users get stuck. The answer is to extend training with support built into the flow of work and to measure actual usage.
Key takeaways
- One-off training fades fast: without quick practice, much of what users learned is forgotten within days.
- Generic sessions cover real role-specific cases poorly, and help is missing when users get stuck.
- Training is still needed, but it must be extended with in-app guidance, simulator practice and targeted refreshers.
- Measuring usage shows which features and licenses go unused and where support should focus.
The Limitations of Traditional Training
Limited Effectiveness Over Time
Training typically takes place at a specific point, often before deployment. At this stage, users haven't yet encountered real-world work scenarios. They grasp concepts, but without immediate application, much of that knowledge is quickly forgotten.
This phenomenon leads to a loss of effectiveness. A few days or weeks after training, users often forget the precise steps and struggle to use the tool.
A Disconnect from Business Needs
Training sessions are often designed to cover a broad scope. They address core functionalities but don't always account for the specific needs of each role.
In reality, users encounter specific scenarios that weren't covered in training. This disconnect creates frustration and slows down adoption.
Information Overload
Business software, such as ERP or CRM, is often complex. During training, users receive a significant amount of information in a short period. This cognitive overload hinders understanding and retention.
Digital Transformation: A Human Challenge Above All
Changing Habits Takes Time
Adopting new software isn't just about learning how to use it; it's about changing work habits. Even with high-quality training, some employees remain attached to their old practices.
This resistance to change is natural. It requires gradual and reassuring support.
Lack of Time in Daily Work
In a demanding professional environment, employees don't have time to review training materials or search for solutions when they encounter a problem.
If help isn't immediately available, they'll abandon or bypass the tool, directly hindering its adoption.
A poor user experience
Software that is unintuitive or poorly integrated into business processes makes it difficult to use. In such cases, training alone is not enough to compensate for a poor user experience.
Shifting from a training approach to a support approach
To drive software adoption, a different approach is needed. It's no longer just about training, but about supporting users long-term.
Digital adoption relies on a simple principle: assisting the user exactly when they need it, directly within their work environment. This approach makes learning more practical and immediately useful.
The role of Digital Adoption Platforms (DAPs)
Digital adoption platforms play a key role in this transformation. They enable the integration of assistance directly into business tools.
With a solution like K-NOW, users receive contextual guidance tailored to their actions. They are guided step-by-step, without ever leaving their application.
This approach offers several advantages. It reduces errors, improves productivity and strengthens the autonomy of employees. It also helps to speed up onboarding new users and to disseminate best practices more effectively.
Immersive Training: A New Approach
Training is also evolving towards more engaging formats. Application simulators allow for the recreation of realistic environments where users can practice without risk.
With K-STUDIO, employees learn by doing. This immersion promotes memorization and effectively prepares them for real-life situations.
Training then becomes a more concrete and impactful experience.
The forgetting curve: how do you make software training stick?
In 1885, the psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus showed that people forget what they have just learned very quickly unless they use it again: this is the forgetting curve. A replication published in PLOS ONE in 2015 confirmed its shape: forgetting is steep at first, then slows down. For software training, four levers limit the effect:
- Train close to actual use: schedule sessions near go-live and around the tasks people will really perform.
- Practice rather than listen: have users complete the operations in a simulator, with their own data and business cases.
- Space out refreshers: revisit key points at regular intervals with short, targeted sequences instead of a second full course.
- Make help available at the moment of need: a step-by-step guide inside the application removes the need to remember every step of an infrequent process.
The goal is not for users to remember everything, but to complete their tasks without errors, with or without help. To structure this approach, rely on learning by doing, which puts practice at the heart of digital training.
Measure to Improve Adoption
Another essential lever is measurement. Without data, it's difficult to know if software is truly adopted.
Solutions like K-VALUE allow for the analysis of tool usage, identification of friction points, and measurement of the impact of implemented actions.
This approach allows for continuous adjustment of the adoption strategy and optimization of results.
What does underutilized software cost?
Underutilized software costs twice. First in licenses: according to Zylo's 2025 SaaS Management Index, organizations waste an average of $21 million a year on unused SaaS licenses, up 14.2% year over year. Then in productivity: when a tool is only partly used, employees re-key data, keep parallel spreadsheets and call support for tasks the software could handle.
A few signals reveal underutilization before it shows up in the budget:
- Licenses assigned but rarely used: few logins compared with the number of seats paid for.
- Key features ignored: users stick to basic screens and skip workflows, reports or automations.
- Workarounds: spreadsheets, emails or side tools replace processes the software is meant to support.
- Repeated tickets: the same how-to questions keep reaching the service desk after each release.
Cross license data from software asset management with usage data from the applications themselves. The first tells you what you pay for; the second tells you what people actually do, and where training or in-app guidance will have the most impact.
Conclusion: Training Alone Is No Longer Enough
Training remains essential, but it can no longer be the sole lever. Software adoption relies on continuous support, a fluid user experience, and the ability to measure and adjust actions.
Companies that succeed in their digital transformation are those that place the user at the center of their strategy. They combine training, contextual guidance, and usage analysis to create an effective and engaging digital experience.
Do you want to improve the adoption of your tools and offer a better experience to your employees? Discover Knowmore solutions and switch to a comprehensive approach to digital adoption.
Frequently asked questions
What is underutilized software?
Underutilized software is an application a company pays for but that employees use only partly or not at all: licenses assigned to people who rarely log in, or tools used for a fraction of their features. It usually results from training that fades, workflows that do not match real jobs and the lack of help at the moment of need.
What is the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve?
The forgetting curve, described by German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus in 1885, shows how quickly people lose what they have learned when they do not review it. Forgetting is steepest shortly after learning, then slows. It explains why software training delivered long before real use has little lasting effect unless it is reinforced through practice and refreshers.
Why do employees stop using new software after training?
Employees stop using new software when daily reality differs from the training: they forget infrequent steps, meet cases that were never covered, lack time to search documentation and find old habits faster. Without help inside the tool, they fall back on spreadsheets or workarounds. Contextual guidance and usage tracking keep adoption going after the training sessions.
How much do companies waste on unused software licenses?
According to Zylo's 2025 SaaS Management Index, organizations waste an average of $21 million a year on unused SaaS licenses, a 14.2% increase over the previous year. Reclaiming unused seats cuts part of that cost, but raising actual usage through better training and in-app support is what turns the remaining licenses into value.
