Busted: The Biggest Myths Holding Back Your Construction Tech Trial
Trying new construction software? Don’t let a poorly planned trial cost you time, data, or team buy-in.
In the heavy highway and civil construction space, new technology is changing how teams manage jobsite documentation, communicate in real time, and streamline project closeout. But while the tools are getting smarter, many construction companies are still running outdated or underpowered tech trials—missing out on the real value before they even get started.
We’ve seen it happen again and again: a tool gets tested by one person, used on one job, with no plan, limited support, and no clear way to measure success. It’s not that the technology didn’t work—it’s that the trial didn’t work.
In this article, we’re busting the five most common myths that cause construction tech pilots to stall out—and showing you how to set your team up for a smarter, more successful trial (even if you don’t buy the product afterward).
💭 Myth #1: We’ll start small and see how it goes.
✅ Fact: Small pilots often miss the bigger picture.
Testing with one user or crew can validate logins—but not real-life workflows. In construction, tech is most valuable when it's used across roles, projects, and job types.
Across the board:
According to FMI, over 80% of construction leaders say cross-functional collaboration is a key driver of tech success, yet most trials don’t include more than one team.
In enterprise software, trials involving multiple departments have a 30–50% higher adoption rate post-purchase.
Better approach:
Don’t limit your trial to just a few users. Instead, include your whole team—everyone who would actually use the product if it were rolled out. That might mean field crews, project engineers, inspectors, or even subcontractors.
And if you're unsure who to include? Don’t guess. The tech provider should offer you a plan tailored to your workflow—including recommended roles, user setup, and key features to try. If you're not being guided through that setup, you're not getting the most out of your free trial.
💭 Myth #2: We’ll figure it out as we go.
✅ Fact: The most successful trials start with a plan.
Construction teams are busy, and new tools are easy to push aside. Without a plan, trials stall or underperform—then get chalked up as a bad fit, even if the tech never had a real chance.
Across the board:
Teams that enter trials with defined success metrics are 2x more likely to convert to full use, per a 2023 SaaS industry report.
In a recent survey by Dodge Construction Network, only 29% of contractors said they document success criteria before starting a tech trial—and most of those had higher satisfaction with the outcome.
Better approach:
You don’t need a 20-page document. A simple one-pager works just fine—as long as it covers the basics:
📍 What project are we using?
👷 Who’s involved (roles + users)?
🎯 What are we hoping to improve?
📅 What’s the trial timeline?
✅ How will we define success?
Don’t worry—we’ve already built one for you.
Download our Quick Trial Planning Template to get a head start. It’s clean, simple, and designed specifically for construction tech teams trying something new. Fill it out in 10 minutes, and you’ll save hours of confusion later.
💭 Myth #3: We’re not ready to commit, so we’ll keep it basic.
✅ Fact: A trial is the best time to go all in—while it’s free.
You’re being given access to software, support, and training at no cost. That’s huge. Even if you don’t move forward with the system, you still walk away with valuable data and hands-on experience.
Across the board:
Gartner research shows that companies that fully engage during tech trials see 3–4x more ROI once implemented.
In construction tech pilots, users who import real project data during a trial report a 40–60% improvement in buy-in from the field.
Better approach:
Use the trial to your full advantage. You’re getting:
Free access to the platform
Real project data capture (location tracking, documentation, photos, etc.)
Time-saving tools you can test in real-world conditions
Training, onboarding, and customer support—resources that are sometimes paid services outside the trial
And if your trial runs 30+ days? That’s a full month of free project insight and team behavior data. Even if you choose not to move forward, you’ll walk away with better visibility into your workflows—and maybe even documentation you can use on your jobsite today. Bottom line, you don’t have to commit to the product to commit to the trial. Go all in while it’s free—you’ve got everything to gain and nothing to lose.
💭 Myth #4: One person can test it and teach the rest later.
✅ Fact: Tech trials fall apart when knowledge is limited to one person.
It might seem efficient to assign one “go-to” person to trial a tool, figure it out, and train everyone later—but this approach creates more problems than it solves. It puts an unfair burden on that person to juggle learning new software, documenting processes, and eventually onboarding the rest of the team—all on top of their actual job responsibilities.
Even worse? If that person changes roles, leaves the company, or misses certain workflows during testing, your team loses key insights and momentum—putting you right back at square one.
Across the board:
SaaS usage studies show that trials led by one user often miss 40–60% of available features or use cases.
In construction, when a solo tester leaves mid-trial or post-trial, teams report delays in rollout, retraining costs, and internal resistance to trying the tool again.
Better approach:
Yes, internal champions are valuable—but they can’t do it alone. Involve your full crew of expected users: foremen, inspectors, project managers, and field staff who would use the system day-to-day. That way:
The knowledge is shared—not siloed
You catch more feedback, use cases, and questions early
You reduce risk and make the eventual rollout smoother and faster
And don’t worry—bringing more people into a trial doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are a few ways to make it seamless:
🛠️ Hold a quick kickoff meeting to align everyone on the goals, the timeline, and what’s expected.
📝 Keep it simple. Use a shared doc or spreadsheet to track who’s using what, what they’re noticing, and any questions that come up.
💬 Create a single point of contact (a tech lead or your rep at the company) to answer questions or troubleshoot.
📅 Schedule short check-ins during the trial to keep everyone aligned and supported.
A team-based trial doesn’t mean more complexity—it just means more value, faster. And with a little structure, it can run even smoother than a solo test.
💭 Myth #5: If it works for the field, the company will get on board.
✅ Fact: One late-stage blocker can derail everything—especially if they weren’t included.
You run a successful trial. The field crews are on board. PMs love it. Everything’s working. But then—someone new joins the conversation late. Maybe it’s a regional lead, a senior exec, or a decision-maker from another team who wasn’t part of the test. And just like that? The whole thing stalls.
Across the board:
Construction tech vendors report that late-stage blockers are one of the top reasons promising trials don’t move forward.
Internal feedback often reveals that teams didn’t loop in enough stakeholders early—and the final "no" came from someone who never saw the tool in action.
Better approach:
From the start, bring in the people who have a say in adoption or budget approval, even if they’re not the end user. They don’t need to log in every day—but they should:
Know what’s being trialed
Understand what problems it’s solving
Hear feedback from the team along the way
Here’s how to avoid surprise blockers:
🧭 Identify internal decision-makers early. Involve them in kickoff or midpoint check-ins.
🗣️ Share team feedback regularly so everyone sees the value firsthand.
📈 Track and summarize wins during the trial so you have something concrete to show skeptics.
When decision-makers are part of the journey—not just the final vote—you’re far more likely to keep momentum and move from trial to full rollout without friction.
🚧 Final Thought: Tech Trials Are a Team Sport—Set Yours Up to Win
Trying out new construction tech shouldn’t feel like a gamble. But too often, trials get scoped too small, assigned to one person, or cut short before the full value is ever realized. The result? Teams miss out on real data, stronger workflows, and thousands in potential time savings—all from tools they never got to fully explore.
The truth is, a successful tech trial doesn’t happen by accident. It takes:
Involving the entire team who would actually use the product
Building a simple plan before you start (we made a template for that!)
Taking full advantage of free resources, onboarding, and support
Making it easy to test tech as a group—not just as an individual
Getting early buy-in from decision-makers who can make or break the rollout
Whether or not you move forward with the tool, you should walk away from a trial with more clarity, more insight, and more data than you had before. That’s what a smart trial gives you—value either way.
So if you’ve got a chance to try a system for free? Don’t go halfway. Go all in. Because the only bad trial is the one that doesn’t show you what’s possible.
✅ Ready to See What’s Possible?
Explore how a fully supported, 30-day free trial with OnStation can benefit your entire team—from field crews to project managers to inspectors.
We’ll help you build a plan, onboard your users, and capture meaningful data from day one—no pressure, no commitment.
👉 Start your trial today and see what a smart construction tech trial really looks like.