“Our field guys have big thumbs. They’re not tech people. They won’t use it.”
If you’re a field operations manager or owner who’s heard this or said it yourself, you’re not alone. It’s the single most common objection we hear from companies still running on paper tickets.
And here’s the thing: it’s a completely rational fear.
You’ve got a foreman who’s been filling out paper tickets for 30 years. Equipment operators who spend 12-hour shifts on rigs, not on computers. Crews working in -30°C weather with gloves on. The idea of asking them to suddenly start using smartphones and tablets feels like asking them to learn a foreign language.
But what if we told you that the companies who’ve made the transition successfully report the exact opposite? That field crews often become the biggest champions of going digital, not the biggest resistors?
We’ll show you how one company did it.
The Results: What Happened After 90 Days
Before we dive into the how, let’s start with proof that this actually works.
By the end of Q1, an underground utility contractor with 200+ field staff achieved:
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Crew Adoption Rate | 95%+ (almost everyone off paper) |
| Field-to-Office Ratio | 40:1 (200 field staff, 5 admin roles) |
| Month-End Close Time | 3 days (down from 2+ weeks) |
| Customer Ticket Disputes | Zero (photo evidence eliminated “he said, she said”) |
| Equipment Revenue Captured | $40K+ per month (previously missed on paper) |
| Payroll Accuracy | No more transcription errors (timesheets flow directly to payroll) |
John, their general manager, states, “our field staff go out of their way to give great feedback about how much better it is.”
Not “they tolerate it.” Not “they got used to it.”
They actively tell the office how much better it is. Here’s how they did it.
The Setup: A Company Drowning in Paper
The company: An underground utility contractor that does fiber optic networks, water & sewer, electrical work, and geothermal installations. The kind of field work where crews are in trenches, not in offices.
By 2020, they had grown to over 200 field staff. And they were managing everything with paper tickets and spreadsheets.
The chaos looked like this:
- Foremen filling out paper tickets at the end of 14-hour shifts
- Tickets getting lost in truck cabs or left at job sites
- Office staff spending days chasing down missing paperwork
- Customers and office staff complaints about having to decipher poor handwriting.
- Equipment hours never making it onto tickets (lost revenue)
- Month-end close taking 2+ weeks because tickets were still trickling in
- Delayed or lost tickets result in negative impact on cashflow
- Constant disputes with customers over “he said, she said” ticket details
John knew they needed to change, but he had the same fear every operations leader has:
“Is my crew actually willing to use this? Or will we spend $50K on software that sits unused while everyone keeps using paper anyway?”
Why the “Big Thumbs” Objection Is Real
Let’s be honest about why this objection exists:
1. Field Workers Aren’t Office Workers
Your crews signed up to move dirt, not data. They work 14-hour shifts in gloves, mud, and freezing weather. They don’t hate tech; they hate tools that aren’t built for the grit.
2. “If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It”
Paper tickets have worked for decades. Everyone knows how to fill them out. There’s a rhythm to it: grab the clipboard, fill in the boxes, have the customer sign and throw it in the truck.
Why mess with a system everyone already knows?
3. Change Management in Heavy Industry Is Hard
You can’t just roll out new software and expect immediate adoption. Your crews are:
- Scattered across dozens of job sites
- Working different shifts
- Often skeptical of “office solutions” that don’t work in the field
- Paid to get work done, not to learn new systems
One bad implementation, one frustrating user experience, and you’ve lost them. They’ll go right back to paper.
The 90-Day Playbook That Works
John and his team made the transition work because they understood something critical: The technology wasn’t the hard part. The people part was.
Here’s their complete playbook.
Phase 1: Preparation (Weeks 1-2)
Step 1: Establish the “Why”
John didn’t sell his crews on “better data visibility” or “streamlined workflows.” Those are office benefits.
Instead, he showed them what was in it for them. It went from “this helps the office track you” to “this protects you and gets you paid correctly.”
| Before (Paper) | After (Digital) |
|---|---|
| Fill out ticket at end of shift when you’re exhausted | Fill out ticket on your phone while still at the job site (takes 2-3 minutes) |
| Drive back to office to drop off paperwork | Customer signs on your device, or digitally send it to customer for sign-off, an instant proof of work |
| If something’s missing or wrong, office calls you next week asking for details you don’t remember | Sync happens automatically when you get back to cell service |
| Payroll errors because your hours got transcribed wrong | Payroll is accurate because hours flow directly from your timesheet |
| Customers reject tickets weeks later, claiming you did work you didn’t do | Photo evidence attached right to the ticket, no disputes |
Step 2: Identify Champions
John didn’t force everyone to switch on Day 1.
Instead, he identified 2-3 foremen who were:
- Early adopters (already comfortable with smartphones)
- Respected by their peers
- Frustrated with paper chaos
- Willing to test something new
He rolled out the mobile app to them first.
Phase 2: Pilot (Weeks 3-6)
Step 3: They Made it Stupidly Simple
John stripped away the fluff and focused on three core workflows: Field Tickets, Timesheets, and Photos. The goal was a “tool for the job,” not a complex enterprise system.
- Mirror the Paper: The mobile interface (iOS and Android) used the same logic as their old clipboards so crews didn’t have to “re-learn” their jobs.
- Beat the “Big Thumbs” Problem: Instead of typing on tiny keyboards, crews used larger devices and took advantage of dropdown menus and voice-to-text.
- Built for the Middle of Nowhere: Since the app works offline, data is captured in the mud and syncs when there’s WiFi.
Step 4: Champions become Evangelists
Within two weeks, those champions were showing other crews:
- “Look how fast I can fill this out”
- “Customer signed right on my iPad! No chasing signatures.”
- “I took a photo of the work before we backfilled. Saved my ass when the customer claimed we didn’t compact properly.”
Peer pressure works both ways. When the guy everyone respects says “this is way better than paper,” others pay attention.
Phase 3: Full Rollout (Weeks 7-12)
Step 5: Training was Hands-On, Not Classroom-Based
John didn’t do PowerPoint presentations or lengthy training manuals. Instead, he leveraged:
- 15-minute job site demos – Champions showed new users right before a shift
- Buddy system – Pair new users with experienced users for first week
- “Help” button in app – One-tap access to support team
- Office support on speed dial – If you’re stuck, call the office and they walk you through it
Training happened on the job, not in a conference room.
Step 6: They Tracked Adoption and Celebrated Wins
The company didn’t just hope adoption would happen. They measured it.
| Timeline | Adoption Rate |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | 15% of crews using digital tickets |
| Week 4 | 45% of crews using digital tickets |
| Week 8 | 78% of crews using digital tickets |
| Week 12 | 95%+ of crews using digital tickets |
Plus, they publicly celebrated milestones:
- “Shout out to the Midland crew – 100% digital for 30 days straight!”
- “Thanks to everyone using the app. We closed the books in 3 days instead of 2 weeks.”
- “Because of digital tickets, we billed $47K in equipment hours we used to miss”
People want to be part of a winning team. Show them the wins.
Phase 4: Optimization (Weeks 16+)
Step 7: They Collected Feedback and Iterated
- What’s still frustrating?
- What features would help?
- What workflows can be simplified further?
Step 8: They Expanded Capabilities Gradually
Layer the features; don’t overwhelm.
- Start with tickets and timesheets
- Add equipment tracking
- Add safety forms
- Add project management
Why Field Crews Actually Love Digital (Once They Try It)
Crews don’t hate technology; they hate office tools that don’t work for them. When a tool is built for the field, it answers the question “what’s in it for me?”
- Getting paid correctly: Digital timesheets flow directly to payroll with zero re-entry, ensuring overtime and per diems are never missed.
- Not getting blamed for stuff: Crews stop getting blamed for delays or damages when they have photo evidence and digital signatures attached to every ticket.
- Less admin hassle: There’s no more driving back to the office to drop off greasy clipboards or calls at 8 PM because the office can’t read a handwritten note.
- Looking professional: Signing a clean tablet makes the crew look modern and organized to the customer, building more trust than a crumpled paper form.
- Tools that actually work: Unlike paper that gets wet, torn, or lost, a rugged digital tool with offline capability stays reliable in the grit, from the oil patch to the interstate.
The Objections You’ll Hear (And How to Handle Them)
When you propose going digital, your crews will have legitimate concerns. Here’s what you’ll hear and how to work through each one with them.
| Objection | Reality | What to Say |
|---|---|---|
| “Our crews are too old for tech.” | If they use Google Maps or Amazon, they can use this. | “Let’s pilot with 2-3 tech-comfortable foremen. If they hate it after 30 days, we stop. Companies see 92% adoption for workers 50+. One company’s oldest adopter, age 62, said the tablet was easier than reading his own handwriting after a 12-hour shift.” |
| “No cell service.” | Aimsio was built for the “middle of nowhere” with offline capabilities that allow crews to work in the grit without a signal. | “This platform was built with an offline mode. Fill out tickets in the field, sync when you’re back at the yard or shop. Works perfectly for crews in rural areas or underground.” |
| “It will slow us down.” | Digital is faster because it eliminates handwriting and the drive back to the office. | “Crews who have used the system said digital tickets were faster because they didn’t have to drive back to the office or get called later with questions. Fill it out once, on-site, accurately – done.” |
| “They’ll break the tablets.” | A tablet is cheaper than lost tickets. | “There are crews who have run over tablets with forklifts and they survived. And even if one breaks, a $500 tablet replacement costs less than the $5,000 in lost revenue from one week of missing paper tickets.” |
| “They just won’t do it.” | They resist “office” tools, not helpful tools. | “The guys usually resist for the first week until they realize they aren’t fighting paperwork anymore. Once a foreman uses the system to prove his hours or protect himself from a false claim, the rest of the crew gets on board fast. You don’t need a mandate; you just need to show them a tool that actually works as hard as they do.” |
The Real Question Isn’t “Will They Use It?” – It’s “Will It Work for Them?”
Here’s what we’ve learned after helping hundreds of field service companies make this transition:
Crews will use technology if:
- It makes their job easier (not harder)
- It protects them (photos, signatures, timestamps)
- It gets them paid correctly (accurate timesheets → accurate payroll)
- It’s designed for how they actually work (offline, big buttons, simple)
- Leadership commits to the change (no mixed signals, no “you can use paper if you want”)
Crews will reject technology if:
- It’s complicated and office-focused
- It requires constant data entry and typing
- It doesn’t work offline or in harsh conditions
- It slows them down or creates more work
- Leadership doesn’t use it or doesn’t enforce it
The difference isn’t the technology. It’s the execution.
What to Do Next
1. Talk to Your Field Crews: Ask them what frustrates them about paper tickets. You’ll likely find they’re tired of the chaos too.
To see how their feedback translates into a field-ready tool, schedule a custom walkthrough of the workflows.
2. Identify your champions: Find the 2–3 people who are respected by their peers and tired of manual re-entry. Start with them.
3. Pilot before you commit: Don’t roll out to 200 people on Day 1. Start with your 2-3 champions and focus on core workflows like tickets and timesheets. Prove it works in your environment before you scale. To try it yourself with no strings attached, you can start a 30-day free trial of Aimsio Lite. It’s the fastest way to see if a field-first approach is the right tool for your crew.
The Bottom Line
“My guys won’t use it” isn’t the real objection.
The real objection is: “I’m scared of spending money and time on something that might fail.”
And that’s a legitimate fear. Change is hard. Especially in heavy industry where people are proud of doing things the hard way, the proven way, the way that’s always worked.
But here’s what the data proves:
Field crews don’t hate technology. They hate bad technology.
Give them tools that:
- Work in their environment (offline, rugged, simple)
- Make their lives easier (not harder)
- Protect them (photos, signatures, accurate pay)
- Respect their time (fast, intuitive, familiar)
And they’ll become your biggest advocates.
John’s team didn’t just tolerate going digital. They championed it. They told the office how much better it was. They showed their peers. They pushed for more features.
Because the tool worked for them, not against them.
Aimsio serves construction and oilfield services companies across North America. Our field operations management platform is purpose-built for companies in underground utilities, pipeline construction, completions, well servicing, and heavy industrial services – industries where field-to-office efficiency and crew adoption determine success or failure.
