One of the most important things a business can do is adapt, and keeping current will often make or break a business. Savvy owners have no issue changing the way they sell, market, and provide services. Curiously, these same owners don’t adapt their technology to match. We’ve seen countless (successful) businesses still using Office 2010 and fax machines to create their documents and communicate with clients. One could argue that there’s no problem: the business is successful, and ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. This may be true today, but clinging to old technology is a recipe for disaster. To illustrate why this is bad, let’s consider an example.
Think about math and how you learned it. When you first were learning, you were taught simple concepts like addition and subtraction. These were sufficient when you were young, but as you grew, so did your needs. Addition is great for figuring out how many Legos you have, but it won’t help you figure out 20% of $45 is so you can tip your waiter. Now imagine that you were forced to go from only knowing addition and subtraction, to figuring out percentages. It would be daunting for all and impossible for most. However, you weren’t educated this way. You took small steps, stayed current, and adapted to new challenges as they came along.
This same principle applies to your current processes and technology. The longer you wait to update your QuickBooks, eliminate faxing, or update your Line of Business software, the harsher the learning curve will be when you finally do. Having such a steep learning curve can negatively impact your efficiency and profitability, and for this reason we suggest that you take some time this year to see what can be upgraded, changed, or eliminated. Taking these steps now can be painful, but this pain will pale in comparison to pain felt by waiting another few years.
How can you go about this? The best answer is to contact a trusted IT advisor or your current IT provider. If you don’t have those at your disposal (or want a second opinion), ETC is happy to help. You can take our IT Survey [link] and schedule a conference call with us. You can also call us directly at 234-200-0800 option 2. Looking for more info? Click here to schedule a call with an ETC team member.
