The Edge July/August 2025

PEER PERSPECTIVES

Driving True Adoption When Implementing New Technology

By Jill Odom

CHANGE CAN BE DAUNTING. WHEN IT COMES IN THE FORM OF NEW technology, it can be even more challenging if you aren’t rolling it out in a compelling manner. After all, adding on a new platform, software or app is only effective if your team is actually using it.

“We don’t want to bite off more than we can chew in any given quarter,” Thalmann says. “A lot of times we ask whether it’s a ‘need to have’ or ‘nice to have,’ which helps sort through what will actually move the needle in the near term.” HOW TO AVOID INVESTING IN THE WRONG TOOL After identifying a need, the last thing you want to do is end up investing in the wrong platform. Swank recommends taking your time during the discovery phase to ensure you’re selecting the right solution. “You’re almost always solving for a problem,” Swank says. “Approaching that problem, you got to think about it. Am I being reactionary or am I being scalable? Are you reacting to solve this immediate problem or are you going to address that root cause?” Swank says too often, businesses will implement new tech as a Band-Aid without fixing the true issue. He suggests starting with cross-func tional communication with your team to find out what baseline functionalities are needed at a granular level. Swank says he’ll bring in stakeholders whose depart ments would be impacted by a change to determine if the software is a good fit for the team. “If I say, ‘I need you to make me a sports court. I need it to have lines. I need it to have a net. I need it to have a half court,’” Swank says. “You’re thinking of basketball court but what I really needed was a tennis court. So, I filled your requirements, but you can’t play the sport you’re looking for. You have lines, you have a net, you have half court, but it’s the wrong game.” Swank says you should also consider the downstream effects of implement ing a specific software or tool before investing in it. This is why it is critical to

“For example, we’re going through a rapid amount of growth, and for us to accommodate that, I’ve had to step into automating our recruiting process,” Swank says. “I really leaned into build ing that process out, and that change was really a requirement of our growth limitations.” Swank says they also have a weekly meeting where they review financial and operational numbers to determine areas for improvement. “It’s taking the executive team and each one of core departments of tech nology, finance, sales, and operations and one of us may not be seeing what the other one is seeing,” Swank says. “But when we collectively talk about it, we start painting a really clear picture of how we can get better in those areas.” DeJournett says when they identify a need, they’ll determine whether they need to build or buy the solution. He says they will implement new tech when the value of the technology has a track able ROI in relationship to its cost and the cost of training and implementing it. Marion Delano, director of technology and marketing for Level Green Landscap ing, based in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, says they strive to remain on the cutting edge, so they tend to be open to trying new technologies to a fault. “Our implementation process typically begins with leadership discussions before flowing down to our branch manage ment team,” Delano says. “Getting buy-in at this level is essential before actually launching and rolling out the technology.” Lawson Thalmann, chief technology officer for Chalet, based in Wilmette, Illinois, says it comes down to prioritiza tion for them.

“If you focus on the who and how, the what of technology becomes far more effective because you’ll have people that believe in it and are prepared for it, and you’ll have a process designed to effectively implement it while minimiz ing risks,” says Jerry DeJournett, CEO of Strata Landscape Services, based in Los Angeles, California. WHEN TO INVEST IN NEW TECHNOLOGY Your priorities as a business will determine when you should consider adding new forms of technology. Adam Swank, director of technology for Ground Works Land Design, based in Cleveland, Ohio, says operational deficiencies, growth limitations, or customer engagement gaps are all instances when they’ll look to augment with technology.

Photo: Chalet

26 The Edge // July/August 2025