Cracking Technology Adoption on Construction Job Sites

Adopting new technology on construction sites can be challenging. Between busy schedules, multiple subcontractors, and varying levels of comfort with tech, getting everyone from management to the workforce to consistently use new tools isn’t easy. Yet, accurate data collection and real-time visibility are critical for keeping projects on track, improving safety, and making informed decisions.

At Kwant, we’ve seen firsthand how the right approach makes a difference. One of our clients has achieved consistent 98% badge adoption across their sites without the use of turnstiles or other heavy-handed enforcement measures. The secret? A partnership with our Customer Success team and a plan designed around people, processes, and technology.

Two Sides of Adoption: Management and Workers

Successful adoption happens on two fronts:

• Management adoption: Project teams need to understand and trust the dashboards, reports, and insights that technology provides. Be clear about the specific problems you’re aiming to solve with increased data visibility. The richer your data, the greater your ability to identify trends, make informed decisions, and drive improvements.
• Worker adoption: Badges and other on-site tech only work if the people on the ground use them consistently. Everyone deserves to work in a safe and compliant environment- workers who wear the badge are all contributing to this effort.

Without both sides engaged, data can be incomplete, inaccurate, or delayed and that reduces the impact of even the most advanced technology.

Why Kwant’s Approach Works

We don’t just install technology and walk away. Our Customer Success team is embedded in the adoption process:

• Clear identification of KPIs to ensure the site is optimized to make a tangible improvement.
• Onsite kickoff visits to introduce tools and answer questions.
• Ongoing training for both management and workers.
• Dedicated Customer Success Manager to monitor progress, address challenges, and optimize processes.
• User-friendly tools that are designed to integrate into existing workflows, reducing friction and pushback.

This hands-on, supportive approach helps teams avoid common adoption pitfalls, ensuring that both management and workers see the value and use the tools effectively.

Focusing on Worker Adoption

Workers are the backbone of any project, and ensuring their consistent use of badges is key for accurate workforce tracking, safety, and productivity. Here are strategies that have proven successful:

Safety Benefits 

Lead with safety it’s the most important thing on any jobsite. Show your team how technology can keep them protected: SOS buttons for quick help in an emergency, SMS alerts sent to crews on specific floors, fatigue warnings during hot summer days, and instant notifications when an area becomes unsafe like if another trade is testing equipment without proper barriers.

Operational Integration

Adoption is easiest when badges are directly tied to the work that crews do every day. By integrating badge use into essential workflows, workers naturally see the value of consistent use.

Tool & Equipment Access
Badges can be tied to tool and equipment checkout, whether through internal systems or partners like United Rentals. Workers adopt badges because they are required to access the tools they need to complete their tasks efficiently.

Task & Zone Access
With ZoneIQ or similar features, certain zones can be designated as “badge-required” for logging work hours or tracking task completion. When entering a restricted or critical area, the badge becomes the easiest and often only way to confirm presence and progress.

Digital Orientation & Compliance
Badge activation can also be linked to digital safety orientation or training, making it the final step to being “cleared” to work. This ensures workers are compliant before starting tasks on site, supporting a key priority for GCs and owners: onsite safety and regulatory compliance.

By tying badges to the work crews already need to do, adoption becomes seamless, intuitive, and aligned with project goals rather than an extra task to remember.

2. Positive Reinforcement

Recognition is a powerful driver of adoption. Crews or subcontractors with high badge usage can be celebrated through weekly updates, awards, or leaderboard-style gamification, fostering friendly competition and pride in compliance.

Beyond recognition, crew leaders and subcontractors should have access to their own project data. This includes:

• Company-level hours worked
• Worker counts on site
• Status on compliance documentation such as COIs or other required forms

Providing this transparency gives crews ownership over their performance and encourages active engagement with the system. At Kwant, our goal is for every subcontractor to interact with the platform in some way whether to view their data, manage compliance, or track productivity. Highlighting this early creates an opportunity to start the conversation about adoption and positions Kwant as a partner in streamlining both site operations and workforce management.

3. Incentives and KPIs

• Align badge compliance with safety metrics or project KPIs for subcontractors.
• Offer milestone rewards, such as faster verification of hours worked or other small operational perks.
• Show a badge, receive a free coffee, unannounced 

4. Behavioral Nudges

• Display anonymous site-wide compliance stats to encourage social pressure and friendly competition. (for example: “Site is at 92% badge compliance goal is 95%”)

5. Trust and Transparency

Building trust on site is critical for badge adoption. Rather than relying solely on the GC or owner to enforce compliance, each subcontractor can designate a “badge champion” a crew member who serves as the go-to person for questions, guidance, and day-to-day support.

Badge champions help:

• Answer questions on the spot about how the badges work and what data is being collected.
• Encourage their crew to consistently wear badges without feeling micromanaged, emphasizing safety benefits.
• Foster crew ownership of the process, making adoption a shared responsibility rather than an imposed requirement.

This approach shifts the burden away from management while giving each crew a voice in the adoption process, helping to ensure buy-in and smooth integration across the site.

6. Physical Barriers and Enforcement Options

While many sites successfully achieve high badge adoption without physical barriers, there are situations where additional enforcement can help ensure compliance. Kwant provides options such as turnstiles, gates, and guard stations for projects that require a higher level of control or want to reinforce adoption as part of safety and access protocols.  Some project teams routinely walk the site and spot check for badge compliance, adding emphasis to the importance of using your badge.

These physical measures:

• Provide a clear point of entry that ensures badges are worn when entering or exiting a site.
• Complement other adoption strategies like badge champions, crew recognition, and operational integration.
• Support compliance for sensitive or high-traffic zones without adding administrative burden to the GC or owner.

By combining thoughtful adoption strategies with optional physical enforcement, project teams can tailor the approach to fit the unique needs of each site balancing usability, compliance, and safety.

Ultimately, the right mix of strategies should be a decision made by the project team with guidance from the Kwant Customer Success team. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach but there are proven methods that work when tailored to each site and crew. (can we add in a photo of our CS team - bonus if they’re wearing PPE on a site?)

Making Adoption a Success

Adoption isn’t just about technology, it's about people and processes. Kwant’s Customer Success team partners with project teams to plan, support, and guide the adoption journey. The result is smoother operations, safer worksites, and better data for project teams.

When implemented correctly, high adoption rates aren’t just possible, they're predictable. Our clients consistently see strong engagement because adoption is treated as a partnership, not a mandate.

Ready to see how your team can achieve the same results? Reach out to Kwant to start the conversation.