Switching Systems – Hardware and Software

Change is inevitable, they say. Except in the office, where “change” usually means confusion, chaos, and at least one person muttering darkly about “the good old system that worked perfectly fine.” 

Nowhere is this more evident than when a business decides to switch digital systems, a deep dive into confusion and mayhem that may end up driving staff mad, sowing the seeds of chaos and corruption, and generally creating massive blocks in workload. 

You know the scene. The boss strides into the Monday meeting, shoes freshly polished, suit, (almost perfectly ironed) shirt with a slight stain from last night’s chicken madras, brimming with optimism. “We’re moving from Microsoft to Linux!” they declare. Or, “We’ve found a smarter, more flexible CRM! Goodbye trusty, loyal Pipedrive, say hello to sweet, sleek and beautiful Zoho!”

Cue nervous laughter, the muscles in eyes beginning to twitch, the faint sound of someone Googling “how to survive digital transformation without losing your mind,” and the unmistakable smell of impending panic wafting through the office, complete with muttering about how the poor overworked staff had only just finished learning how pipedrive actually works.

Because switching systems is a bit like swapping every QWERTY keyboard in your company for Dvorak.

Sure, technically it’s more efficient. The logic makes sense. The science checks out. But when people sit down to type, muscle memory revolts, chaos reigns, and suddenly everyone’s longing for the comforting clunk of reliable QWERTY, trustworthy QWERTY, QWERTY… The friend, the lover, the romantic – once again.

The Dvorak Dilemma

For the uninitiated, the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard was invented in the 1930s as a more efficient alternative to QWERTY. The idea was simple, put the most-used keys under your strongest fingers to make typing faster and more ergonomic. (I personally love it because it’s weird, but it’s actually a lot of fun – he writes from the comfort of his QWERTY keyboard.)

Sounds brilliant, right? Except that 90 years later, QWERTY still rules the world. Every computer I’ve ever seen or owned has come with a QWERTY keyboard.

Why? Because people hate relearning what they already know. Even if it’s inefficient, even if there’s something better, we cling to the familiar like a comfort blanket made of bad habits and nostalgia. 

That’s exactly what happens in business when you change systems.

You announce a switch from Microsoft to Linux because it’s leaner, cheaper, and more customisable, you don’t have to deal with relentless updates that disconnect your sound drivers or screw up your system and make games unplayable – (My friend Josh was right, I really SHOULD replace Windows now…) Or you ditch Pipedrive for Zoho because it integrates better with your new workflow. On paper, the benefits are undeniable. But to your team, it feels like someone’s just rearranged the alphabet. The cute penguin is not the unreliable windows they are familiar with, but an evil penguin of utter chaos and destruction!

Humans, Habits, and the Digital Comfort Zone

Let’s be honest, people don’t really love technology. They love familiarity. Sure, something new and flashy like AI that can make you look like a character in a Studio Ghibli film is groovy, but that’s not an entire system you have to learn, it’s coolness at a click of a button.

When it comes to your staff, it’s not Microsoft they’re loyal to, or Pipedrive, or whatever system you’re replacing. It’s the comfort of knowing exactly where the buttons are, what to click and where to find things. The feeling that they’ve finally mastered something – in short, the understanding they have and the familiarity of their systems. 

When you take that away, even temporarily, you’re not just introducing new software, you’re breaking a habit etched deep in their minds and muscle memory.

Think of it like driving in a foreign country. Same car, same steering wheel, same pedals… but suddenly everything’s on the other side. You spend half the journey fumbling for the gear stick, flicking the windscreen wipers instead of the indicator, and whispering apologies to pedestrians.

Eventually, you adapt. But in those first few days, it’s chaos and that’s exactly what your staff experience when you introduce a new digital system.

The Great System Switch: Microsoft to Linux

Let’s start with one of the biggest shake-ups a business can face: moving from Microsoft to Linux. I’ve some experience with the hassle after working with DragonTech INC in the US.The move is an absolute nightmare.

It’s the kind of bold decision that makes tech people nod approvingly, offering grunts of approval and watching in delight as everyone else quietly panics.

On one side, you’ve got the familiar comfort of Word, Excel, and Outlook, the holy trinity of office survival. On the other, a sleek open-source world where sudo is your new best friend, and spreadsheets feel ever-so-slightly foreign. (Though this can be countered by using Google Docs which are almost the same, a quick tip from a guy who has had to deal with this nonsense!)

Now, Linux is brilliant! Flexible, secure, and refreshingly free from subscription costs. But to the average user, it’s a bit like switching from our familiar QWERTY keyboard to the existential nightmare of Dvorak.

The key to success isn’t just training people on how to use Linux, it’s helping them unlearn their Microsoft instincts. They need time, patience, and maybe a few group therapy sessions for when they can’t find the “Save As” button.

CRM Chaos: From Pipedrive to Zoho

Then there’s the switch from one CRM to another, say, from Pipedrive to Zoho.

On the surface, they’re both CRMs. They both help you track leads, manage customers, and pretend you’re organised. But dig deeper, and you’ll find enough subtle differences to make your sales team weep softly into their coffee, adding to its rich flavoured depth and bitterness. 

The dashboards look almost the same in places but they are significantly different, – and that’s what drives people mad.

It’s not the big changes that hurt, it’s the small ones. The muscle-memory stuff. The “I used to click here, but now it’s there – where’s this other thing again?” moments that slowly erode productivity, patience and sanity.

If you want a smooth transition, you can’t just plug in Zoho, send out a password reset email, and call it a day. You need to bring your people with you, explain why you’re switching, not just what you’re switching to. Because if they feel like it’s being done to them rather than done for them, you’ll lose them faster than you can say “data migration error.” Sometimes it’s better to stick with a system that everyone knows, even if change could be ‘better’.

Why Most System Switches Fail (and How to Avoid It)

Digital transformations often fail not because the new system is bad, but because the human side gets overlooked.

Here’s the brutal truth: most people don’t resist change, they resist feeling incompetent.

When you introduce a new system, even the most confident employees can suddenly feel out of their depth. They used to be the office expert; now they’re the one asking how to log in. That stings.

So here’s how to avoid turning your system switch into a company-wide identity crisis:

Acknowledge the Awkward Phase

Don’t sugarcoat it. Switching systems will slow things down before it speeds them up. Tell your team that upfront. There’s power in honesty, it builds trust and sets realistic expectations.

“Things might feel a bit Dvorak for a few weeks,” you could say. “But we’ll get there together.” (As the team watches tearily as you crumble their beloved QWERTY into the bin…)

Build in Breathing Space

Don’t expect full productivity on day one. Schedule transition time. Run systems in parallel for a short period. Allow mistakes without blame. Think of it as giving your business digital training wheels.

Breathing space is important. If you’re introducing a new system, it will take time – it’s the nature of the beast, and you will at least give people a chance to learn the new system effectively whilst being able to fall back to the older model to ensure things run smoothly. 

Invest in Proper Training

You wouldn’t hand someone a violin and expect them to play Vivaldi, if you’ve ever done this, you will realise that whatever they try to play will sound like a cat being stretched across a tennis court. Somehow, we expect employees to master brand-new software after a 30-minute webinar designed to upsell the product for all its juicy features they’re unlikely to use at first. 

Run proper training. In-person, interactive, hands-on. Create cheat sheets. Hold drop-in sessions. Encourage peer learning. Make it fun! Prizes for the first person to master a new feature can work wonders.

Celebrate the Small Wins

When someone discovers a clever shortcut or a time-saving hack in the new system, shout about it! Celebrate it! Make the learning process part of the culture, not a side chore. Supporting your staff in this way can make them feel valued and it’s an important part of being a leader to do so! Look after your staff and make them feel appreciated and they’ll look after you. 

Listen, Adapt, Iterate

Your people are the best source of feedback. If something’s not working, ask why, and actually fix it. Nothing builds goodwill faster than visible action. It may be that no one is capable of mastering the new system, and you may well have to revert to the old one. (It’s always best to keep it in place in the background until the team learns the new one anyway, so this shouldn’t be a problem.)

If all Else Fails!

Have a fallback plan, make sure you can fall back on the original software and/or hardware if things go wrong and your team rebel against you, setting the office on fire, and throwing their Linux computer with Zoho installed on it and it’s attached Dvorak keyboard into the bin before rampaging after you through the streets with pitchforks and torches.

Having a good fallback plan if integration is a failure is the best contingency, because it’s the familiar, and it’s something people trust.

When Logic Meets Emotion

The business case for switching systems is almost always logical: lower costs, better integration, stronger security, more scalability. Don’t get Spock Blocked by Logic though!

Adoption is emotional!

Logic says, “Zoho’s analytics are far superior.”
Emotion says, “But Pipedrive was my comfort zone.”

Logic says, “Linux gives us more control.”
Emotion says, “But where’s the button I used to click? – And what is with that Penguin?”

Understanding that tension is the secret to successful change. You have to sell the feeling of progress, not just the technical advantages. Paint a picture of what life will look like after the chaos settles, smoother workflows, fewer headaches, better collaboration.

If all people see is disruption, they’ll cling to the past. If they can feel the improvement, they’ll move towards it willingly. If you celebrate their achievements, they will celebrate the system.

The Culture of Change

Switching systems isn’t just a technical process though, it’s a cultural one.

Every business has its “power users”, the ones who know the quirks and shortcuts of the old system inside out. (Quickly presses CTRL-S on trusty, reliable QWERTY keyboard to save the blog) When you change platforms, those same people can become blockers, grumbling about “how much better it used to be.”

But here’s the thing: those people are also your greatest allies if you bring them in early.

Make them part of the decision. Let them test the new system, poke holes in it, and help shape the rollout. When they buy in, the rest of the team follows. They become ambassadors, not antagonists.

Culture eats strategy for breakfast, as the saying goes, and nowhere is that truer than in digital transformation.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Eventually, and this is the beautiful part, things click.

The new system starts to feel natural. The frustration fades. The shortcuts become second nature. And suddenly, you’ve got a team that’s faster, more efficient, and quietly smug about surviving the transition.

Aren’t you glad you upgraded to Dvorak?