akumo Survey: Nearly 80% of Local Governments Reverted to Paper, Email, or Phone After Introducing Internal Tools

akumo Inc., a developer and provider of SaaS services, conducted a survey of 115 municipal employees responsible for or involved in DX promotion, information systems management, and the introduction, operation, and utilization of internal tools such as groupware and workflow systems. According to the survey, the most common reactions from frontline staff when tools were introduced were: “I am too busy to learn how to use them” at 38.3%, “I cannot fully understand the content even with briefings or manuals” at 37.4%, and “The screen is complicated and hard to operate” at 36.5%. This indicates that the burden of learning and operating tools is a common challenge for frontline users. After tool implementation, 78.3% of respondents experienced some degree of reversion to previous methods such as paper, email, or phone. Specifically, 18.3% said most usage failed to take root and reverted to previous methods, while 60.0% said some operations or people reverted. Only 16.5% reported a complete transition to the tool. The top reason for reverting was “Other staff around me were not using the tool, so I could not complete the work by myself” at 47.8%. This was followed by “I was not used to operating the tool, and the conventional method was faster” at 44.4%, and “The tool’s functions did not match actual business operations” at 36.7%. These results show that practical barriers such as surrounding usage and individual proficiency directly contribute to reversion. More than 70% of respondents said they spend time supporting tool adoption. 14.8% said they spend a great deal of time and that it interferes with their core duties such as planning and promotion, while 60.0% said they spend a certain amount of time. Even after providing briefings and manuals, unresolved issues remain: 46.8% said staff cannot apply the tool in actual work even after attending briefings, 40.5% said staff do not read manuals and instead make direct inquiries by phone or at service counters, and 40.5% said new training is required whenever personnel transfers occur. Regarding the burden of current tool operations, the most common answer was “There are too many functions, making staff avoid the tool because it seems difficult” at 37.4%. This was followed by “Settings and customization are complex, creating a heavy maintenance burden for administrators” at 35.7%, and “Only some functions are used, so the tool is not worth the cost” at 33.0%. For future tool selection, respondents most emphasized “simplicity that even staff who are not good with IT can use without resistance” at 46.1%, followed by “an intuitive UI and screen design that can be operated without a manual” at 40.0%, and “a mechanism that enables a smooth transition from existing paper-based or analog operations” at 38.3%. About 70% said that when considering replacement or new introduction of internal tools, they would value UI and operability as much as or more than functionality. akumo concludes that the essential challenge in establishing internal tools within local governments is achieving a state in which tools continue to be used on the frontline after introduction. Briefings and manuals alone cannot overcome differences in IT skills or busy workloads, leading to repeated reversion to previous practices. In future tool selection, local governments will need to prioritize usability that allows anyone to operate tools without confusion over high functionality, while designing products and operations with organization-wide migration in mind.