Why is enterprise work software so frustrating to use?
Enterprise platforms like Salesforce and mandatory internal AI tools are so slow and poorly designed that employees are abandoning them for physical planners. Instead of helping daily operations, these bloated systems add friction and useless metrics that stall actual work.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 76.3× more often in r/hubspot than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1switching back to physical paper daily or weekly planner calendarsDid this help you?
- 2paying internal IT staff to custom-build software from the ground upDid this help you?
- 3verifying the AI responses manually before using themDid this help you?
- 4Asking ChatGPT the same question and getting instructions on how to do it manuallyDid this help you?
- 5Relying on the API to do things instead of native workflowsDid this help you?
- 6Ignoring the features and building workflows or reports manuallyDid this help you?
- 7Moving intrusive AI interface elements out of the wayDid this help you?
- 8Using helpful Chrome extensionsDid this help you?
- 9Switching to alternative systems like SAP or SageDid this help you?
- 10Creating custom workflows and saved searchesDid this help you?
- 11Adding custom development to handle standard business practicesDid this help you?
- 12Tracking pipeline data in secret Excel sheets instead of the CRMDid this help you?
- 13Logging deals into the CRM only after they are closed-won to secure commissionsDid this help you?
- 14Using automated CSV imports to bridge data gapsDid this help you?
- 15Working weekends for extra moneyDid this help you?
- 16Using specific transaction codes and workarounds provided by peers (e.g., fbl5n, fb70, fb75)Did this help you?
- 17Documenting everything to present a business case for hiring helpDid this help you?
- 18Telling coworkers to start complaining to managementDid this help you?
- 19Closing accounts and moving to another bankDid this help you?
- 20Calling customer support to verify account and card detailsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“internally we are given so many useless Ai tools, which don't add any value and rather increase our work and then they are going ahead and creating metrics expecting us to use them more.”source ↗
“Our company unfortunately uses NetSuite, and I think it is one of the most painstaking pieces of software I have ever used.”source ↗
“One of my biggest pet peeves is saved search. Saved search ***could be*** so powerful, but for whatever reason, NetSuite has decided to randomly not support certain fields.”source ↗
“My company also made the switch, it makes me hate my job. I literally cant stand it.m, every click every load screen, it grates on my soul.”source ↗
“Hate it. Every day with it is a struggle.”source ↗
“the sales reps are completely rebelling because the system requires way too many clicks just to log a basic update.”source ↗
“instead of using the platform... they've gone completely rogue. they are tracking everything in their secret Excel sheets...”source ↗
“they added all these dependent picklists where you literally have to click through 12 dropdowns just to log a standard bolt-on attachment or a quick pricing tier change...”source ↗
“has anyone successfully dealt with sales reps flat-out refusing to use a new CRM??”source ↗
“Our company just switched to salesforce this year and it’s been the biggest disaster of my entire Sales life. I’ve never seen such a piece of shit software anywhere ever - I hate it more than anything I’ve ever used”source ↗
“I went back to my physical daily/weekly planner calendar earlier this year, it’s faster, easier and bette than salesforce. Pathetic.”source ↗
“Every time I use Hubspot's AI I'm disappointed. From the bad generate property AI to the useless workflow action generations, everytime I try it I feel like I wasted time.”source ↗
“No and it’s annoying that they are shoving it in my face so much even for admin tasks like reports and workflows”source ↗
“It’s horrible. I have negative expectations for the output of any Hubspot AI product”source ↗
“I’m doing an implementation now. I’ve moved it to the bottom of my contacts page - it’s so busy ‘helping’ me and moving cards down. Visual noise and not adding value.”source ↗
“They have 6 apps and each account type uses a different app. Ridiculous.”source ↗
“Somehow my accounts continued getting intertwined with notifications for the business going to the personal email and vice versa.”source ↗
“Each time I’ve called I’ve had to wait 45+ minutes and usually ended up getting no where.”source ↗
“I've heard the horror stories about SAP but never expected it to be sooooo bad!”source ↗
“I went from having steady work days and getting 99% of my tasks done in a day to literally having 500 emails a week that I can't work because the tasks that I can do in SAP require 10+ steps.”source ↗
“On top of the drowning in bullsh!t, they refuse to hire new people. Instead i'm working my weekends (willingly because money lol) but things are still falling thru the cracks.”source ↗
“acumatica is the one that makes me want to throw my laptop out the window most often”source ↗
“the UI feels like it was designed by someone who hates people who use computers”source ↗
“I just feel like there are 55 clicks for everything. Even entering a simple PO Receipt or doing a Debit Adjustment makes me feel like I am a first year student.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 39Why does every software update make things slower and harder to find?
- 2Why are software implementation partners so bad at configuring systems?
- 4Why is NetSuite API development so inconsistent?
- 7Why does every software platform keep shoving AI down our throats?
- 5Why do website builder tools and admin dashboards keep breaking?
- 4Why is classroom quiz software so cluttered now?