Shelfware is Killing Your ROI

Every business has at least one. A piece of software you bought with good intentions. Maybe it came highly recommended. Maybe it was bundled in with another deal. Maybe your old IT guy said you had to have it. And now? No one’s using it. It’s possible that no one even knows what it does. It’s just sitting there, quietly billing you month after month. That’s shelfware. And it’s not just annoying, it’s expensive too.

You’re Not Alone

This is more common than people realise. Businesses pay for software, licenses, tools and subscriptions that never actually get implemented properly. Just recently, we did a quick audit for an engineering firm. It turned out that over 30% of their Microsoft 365 licenses were redundant. Mostly unused accounts and mailboxes that should’ve been converted to shared mailboxes, but that’s money they’d been throwing away for years.

This isn’t unusual. Industry estimates put software waste somewhere between 10% and 40% per year. (Source: Understanding Shelfware Licenses With OpenLM – OpenLM) And that’s just what’s measurable.

What’s Worse Than Shelfware?

Shelfware that people try to use without really knowing why or how to use it. That’s when it becomes dangerous. Bad data. Messy workflows. Wasted hours. People using tools wrong (or fighting against them) because they were never onboarded properly or told why the tool would be useful.

Fixing It Starts with Asking the Right Questions

• What tools are we paying for that no one’s using?
• What tools should we be using but aren’t using well?
• What tools are people misusing because they were never trained?

Answer those honestly, and you might find you don’t need new software. You just need to revive the stuff you already have.

It’s Not About Cutting Tools; It’s About Using Them Properly

Shelfware isn’t just a budget issue. It’s a productivity and morale issue. So, before you go shopping for the next shiny thing (trust me, I can relate), maybe first dust off what’s already on the shelf. You might be surprised what it can still do.

Cheers