How to ensure effective usage of Smartcat on a daily basis

You gave your team licenses. You ran the training. But a few months later, some people still aren't really using Smartcat. They translate by hand, find workarounds, or quietly avoid the platform.

If that sounds familiar, don't worry. It doesn't mean your rollout failed. It happens on lots of teams, and it's an adoption problem, not a technical one. Adoption problems can be solved.

Here's why it matters. Smartcat gets more valuable the more your team uses it. Every project adds to your reviewed translations and terminology, which makes AI translation more accurate over time. When people work outside the platform, their work never makes it back in. Good onboarding isn't a box you tick once. It's how you make sure you get the full value from your investment.

Start by working out which of two problems you're facing.

A usability gap. People want to use Smartcat but get stuck. Maybe a step is unclear or a template doesn't fit how they work. So they give up. The fix is simple: a quick training session, a template tweak, or a visit to the Support Portal.

Resistance to change. Some people are comfortable with their old way of working, like manual translation or spreadsheets, and switching feels like extra work. That's completely human. What helps is making the switch easier and building confidence with small wins.

Most teams have both. Start with the bigger one.

People rarely say it out loud, so watch for these signs:

• Content gets translated, but not in Smartcat. That means someone is still working the old way. Their work isn't saved to your translation memory or checked against your glossary.

• People skip training. Often the person doesn't see the value yet, or feels a little behind. A friendly one-on-one can help more than another group invite.

• One team lags while others are fine. If one office or region struggles, the cause is probably local. Maybe a manager isn't backing the change yet.

Start small. You don't need to win everyone over at once.

1. Pick a pilot group. Choose a small, willing team or one champion, ideally someone their peers respect.

2. Use their real content. Run their actual work through Smartcat, not a generic demo. People trust results they see on material they know.

3. Let the results speak. Once the pilot group gets a clear win, like faster turnaround, less rework, or consistent terminology, let word spread. Colleagues are often your best advocates.

This takes longer than a big announcement, but the change lasts.

Nicole Morgan, Director of Global Sales and Aftermarket Enablement at Cummins, ran a real test instead of asking people to just trust it. Her team evaluated a crucial, intricate document—the Mining Value Package—which is an extensive PowerPoint presentation designed to demonstrate total cost of ownership and technical advantages to clients.

A good first experience builds confidence:

• Use project templates. A project template already includes languages, workflow stages, translation memory, and glossary. Users pick one from the home screen and start working.

• Start with a two-stage workflow. AI translation plus one review stage works for most content. You can add more stages later.

• Show people only what they need. If someone only reviews translations, they just need the Editor (here's how to review AI translations). User roles let you keep admin and template settings with the people who own those tasks.

Teams that have used Smartcat for a while can miss out too. They stick to what they first learned and miss new features. That's easy to fix:

• Join Smartcat Webinars, such as the Smartcat Live: The Quarterly Launch.

• Hold short internal refresher meetings with your team, about once a quarter.

• Introduce one new feature at a time, and show how it helps that team.

• Keep these sessions separate from new-hire onboarding.

New team members can start with the Getting Started guides instead.

Adoption is often invisible until you look for it. Smartcat's project statistics show how much work each person was assigned and completed on each project. This lets you see who's really using the platform.

Use them to:

• Check in now and then on teams you're unsure about.

• Celebrate early wins. Share a pilot team's strong results with leadership and other teams.

• Offer support early. If someone hasn't completed any work for a while, reach out for a friendly, low-pressure chat.

Strong adoption starts with strong onboarding. When people learn Smartcat in a way that fits their job, they're much more likely to make it part of their day. Here's what's available to help.

Each guide focuses on what matters most for that role:

• Workspace Administrator, for the people who set up and manage your workspace.

• Teammate, for team members who work in Smartcat day to day.

• In-House Reviewer, for colleagues who review and approve translations.

See how teams like yours use Smartcat:

• Marketing

• Learning & Development, Sales and Commercial Enablement

• Product, Software & Engineering

• Product Information Management (PIM)

• Workflow & Knowledge Management

You can also browse all Getting Started guides in one place. If your team works with AI Coworkers, start with Getting Started with Chief of Staff and Smartcat AI Coworkers.

Prefer to learn step by step? This free, self-paced course takes you from a new account to running your first translation project on your own, in about 60 minutes. It's a great fit for new hires, pilot groups, and anyone who wants a refresher.

If you've tried a pilot, simplified the workflow, and adoption is still stuck, reach out to your account team. Ask for a re-engagement session for the specific team or region that's struggling.

If the problem keeps coming up across teams, ask for a dedicated contact to track adoption with you. These requests are a normal part of a growing rollout. Helping you get the most out of Smartcat is exactly what your account team is there for.