The most puzzling office apps in the United States, according to Google

Are you baffled by apps? You aren't the only one.

As our workplaces become more digitized than ever, with hybrid or remote working taking off and the ‘digital nomad’ becoming more common, new data reveals the common office apps which cause workers the most confusion and sap the most productivity.

Digital adoption magazine digital-adoption.com used Google search data to analyze which digital work tools required the most support to understand and use.

The 10 most puzzling office apps, according to Google

Taking a list of 35 phrases associated with support and pairing each one with the names of 275 of the most popular office apps (almost 10,000 search terms), the below data reveals the top 10 office apps that internet users Google for help with.

App

Average Monthly Support Searches (US)

QuickBooks

68,320

Microsoft Excel

49,490

Shopify

44,720

Salesforce

39,420

Square

34,510

Microsoft OneDrive

26,140

Microsoft Teams

25,780

Zoom

24,300

WordPress

24,290

DropBox

21,730

With 68,320 estimated monthly searches, QuickBooks accounting software is the most confusing office tool with approximately 67,710 related monthly searches. The most commonly searched term is ‘QuickBooks customer service’ and is Googled 19,000 times per month in the U.S., which makes up nine in ten of 21,000 global monthly searches. The second most searched team is ‘QuickBooks support’ which is searched 12,000 times each month in America. Over two-thirds (68%) of all global monthly support-related searches for QuickBooks are made by Americans.

Microsoft Excel is the second most confusing office app in the United States with approximately 49,490 estimated monthly searches. The most common search is ‘how to use excel’, which is searched 9,600 times per month in the United States out of 29,000 monthly global searches, meaning the United States makes up a third of all monthly searches for this term. Americans searching for ‘Excel help’ makes up nearly half (47%) of all global monthly searches for this term, with 3,100 out of 6,500 global monthly searches happening in the U.S. With a total of 221,140 estimated global queries, Microsoft Excel receives the most queries for support out of any other office app, except for the U.S.

Ecommerce platform Shopify is third on the list of most confusing office apps for Americans with 44,720 estimated monthly searches. ‘What is Shopify’, ‘Shopify customer service’ and ‘Shopify support’ are the top most commonly searched terms, with 15,000, 8,400 and 7,800 monthly searches from the U.S, respectively. ‘Shopify help’ is also a top search, which is Googled 4,700 times in America each month.

Salesforce CRM is the fourth most confusing office tool for Americans, with an estimated 39,420 support-related monthly searches. ‘What is Salesforce’ is Googled around 17,000 times per month in the United States, making up just over a third (36%) of 46,000 global monthly searches for this term.

Mobile payment company Square is the fifth most confusing for Americans. ‘Square customer service’ is Googled 19,000 times per month in America. ‘What is Square’ and ‘Square support’ are both popular search terms, receiving 7,000 and 3,000 searches per month, respectively. Between all support-related search terms, almost two-thirds (61%) are made from the United States in total.

Microsoft OneDrive is sixth on the list after receiving approximately 26,140 monthly searches. Most searches are due to the term ‘What is OneDrive’ which receives 14,000 monthly U.S. searches. ‘How to use OneDrive’ is also searched 2,200 times per month. ‘What is OneDrive used for’ receives 1,100 monthly searches by Americans. Almost half of all searches (49%) come from the U.S.

Communication app Microsoft Teams is the seventh most confusing office app for Americans. There are approximately 23,880 monthly related searches in the U.S. In America, ‘what is Microsoft Teams’ is Googled 6,400 times per month, followed by ‘how to use Microsoft Teams’ with 4,600 monthly searches.

Video platform Zoom is the eighth most confusing office tool for Americans, with approximately 36,000 monthly support-related searches. ‘What is Zoom’ and ‘How to use Zoom’ are the most commonly searched terms, with 8,700 and 8,200 monthly searches in the U.S, respectively. ‘Zoom support’ is also searched 4,900 times per month by Americans.

WordPress places ninth on the list of most confusing office apps in America. There are an estimated 24,300 related searches made each month in the U.S. Despite being released almost 20 years ago, ‘What is WordPress’ is the top online search with 8,700 monthly searches in the U.S. ‘WordPress tutorial’ is the second most commonly searched term, which Americans Google 3,000 times per month. WordPress receives the lowest proportion of U.S-based searches at 21% compared to global volume.

Cloud storage app DropBox rounds off the list at number ten with an estimated 21,730 related searches. ‘What is DropBox’ is searched 10,000 times per month in America, followed by ‘How to use DropBox’ which receives 3,400 searches. ‘DropBox customer service’ is Googled 2,400 times per month in America. ‘What is DropBox used for’ and ‘DropBox support’ are also top search terms, with both terms being searched 1,500 times every month in the U.S.

A spokesperson from digital-adoption.com commented on the findings: “By measuring the volume of support-related queries, we can reveal which apps cause the most confusion for its users. According to this study, QuickBooks is the most confusing app for its users, with almost 70,000 support-related searches per month just in the United States alone. QuickBooks searches also have the largest volume and share of U.S. traffic out of any app in the top ten, which means that even though it is arguably the most well-established in the country, it receives the highest amount of queries from people that need help and support to understand it. These results show that as companies implement digital adoption strategies, it is vital that their employees are well supported to ensure that the approach is implemented effectively and brings clear benefits rather than confusion.”

The study was conducted by digital-adoption.com, which provides detailed information on how companies can maximize and accelerate the impact of their digital transformation strategy.