Why 90% of Businesses Waste Money on Software And How to Stop It

abiadekunle
Aug 11
2 min read

The Shocking Truth Most Businesses Discover Too Late

Imagine a small-to-medium business spending £10,000 on a fancy CRM. It's sleek, loaded with features and promises to revolutionise the sales team. Six months later? It’s barely used, staff are back to spreadsheets, and the business is still chasing leads manually.

This isn't a one-off story. It’s the norm.

Research shows that up to 90% of businesses overspend or underutilise the software they buy.

From bloated subscriptions to poorly integrated systems, businesses are losing thousands each year, not because the software is bad, but because the strategy is broken.

Let’s break this down and more importantly, fix it.

Where the Money Leak Happens

1. Too Many Tools, Not Enough Integration

You’ve got:

A CRM for leads
Accounting software for invoices
A separate HR system
Google Sheets to track stock
Slack, Trello, WhatsApp… the list goes on

Each tool might solve a piece of the puzzle, but they don’t talk to each other, creating data silos, duplicate work, and missed opportunities.

2. Paying for What You Don’t Use

Many businesses buy software because “it’s what others use.” The result?

Features go unused
Logins are abandoned
Monthly subscriptions drain the account quietly

A tool that’s only 20% used is 80% waste.

3. No Clear Digital Strategy

If your team doesn’t know why they’re using a tool, they won’t use it.

Without a strategy:

Adoption fails
Training is ignored
ROI becomes a guessing game

4. The ‘Big Brand’ Illusion

Yes, SAP, Salesforce, and Oracle are trusted names, but they’re also overkill for many SMEs. You pay for scale, complexity, and enterprise-level features you don’t actually need.

How to Stop the Waste (And Start Winning)

Step 1: Consolidate Your Tools Into One Platform

Modern ERP systems like Odoo replace dozens of disconnected apps with a single, modular solution.

With Odoo, you can:

Manage sales, CRM, invoicing, inventory, HR, projects, and more
Automate processes end-to-end
Avoid data duplication and human error
Pay only for what you use

No more app-hopping. Just a single dashboard to run your business.

Step 2: Think Strategy, Not Software

Before buying another subscription, ask:

What problem are we solving?
What tools do we already have?
Will this integrate with our other systems?
Who will use it and how?

Digital transformation is a journey, not a shopping spree.

Step 3: Get the Right Implementation Partner

Software is only as good as its setup. A partner like Blackston Coopers Consulting ensures:

You choose only the modules you need
The system is tailored to your operations
Staff are trained and supported
You see results and not regrets

Real Example: The Business That Switched and Saved

One of our clients was juggling 7 different tools, from invoicing to inventory. Monthly software costs exceeded £2,000. After moving to Odoo, they:

Cut costs by 60%
Increased customer response time by 40%
Gained real-time visibility into every part of the business

The Bottom Line

You don’t need more software.You need the right platform with the right strategy.

Stop the silent bleed.

Let us help you assess where your business is wasting money and what to do about it.

Book a Free Business Systems Audit

👉 Schedule a Meeting

📩 Or visit blackstoncoopers.co.uk