Increasingly, professional service firms (PSFs) are adopting technologies to become more innovative and remain competitive. Technology adoption is not a straightforward journey, and firms need to prepare the best possible to implement technology successfully. Precisely, PSFs need to be able to diagnose where they are in the adoption journey and identify those areas that need more attention to prepare, implement and obtain the expected benefits that new technologies promise. This paper looks into the factors that contribute to a successful technology adoption in two mid-size professional service firms in the UK. We conducted 11 semi-structured interviews, 43 group interviews and 5 observations. Using Framing Theory, we analyzed the views of professional workers from a law and accountancy firm. Our findings show that technology adoption is a process, where nine different factors grouped in three key frames are essential for a successful technology adoption: Functionality, Complementarity, Knowledge Gap (Tech Preparation Frame); Training and Mindset, Integration, Staff Experience (Tech Implementation Frame); and Efficiency, Quality, Client Value (Tech Impact Frame). This novel interpretation of what is important in technology adoption contributes to the digital transformation literature by identifying enablers and inhibitors of technology adoption. Furthermore, our findings consider the specific conditions and debates present in PSFs where the role of technology continues to be controversial. Finally, firms can use those the success factors to evaluate their current position and determine actionable steps in their technology adoption journey.
