Business technology can be a significant investment, especially if you own a large company. You might easily spend tens of thousands of dollars ensuring your employees have everything they need to perform their jobs to a high standard.
However, knowing when to invest that money isn’t always easy, especially if you’re not on the front line working with the technology you have in place. However, if you’ve heard about any of these issues below, now might be the right time to start exploring the best tech upgrade options.
The Technology Is Outdated
After browsing tech websites like Twelve South and seeing all the fantastic products available, you might be well aware that nothing in your office comes remotely close to the offerings. That can be one of many signs that your technology is outdated. However, there are also others.
You might find that upgrades are difficult to make on your current systems or that your IT teams need specialist knowledge just to maintain and repair them. If your current systems aren’t compatible with new tech, any upgrades can be out of the question. Sometimes, business owners also find that their technology breaks down far more often than it should and is costly to repair. At this stage, upgrades can be an essential next step.
You Can’t Modify Or Adapt Anything
Business practices change over time. You might require your team to perform different tasks or scale their efforts. With new technology, that’s generally not an issue. You can integrate various functions, customize programs and software to suit your unique needs and scale up or down. In old technology, it’s often much harder.
Old, outdated programs and software don’t always have integration options for new features. They can also often be complex to customize and can’t scale up or down to suit your ever-changing needs. The harder it is to use a program or software that isn’t fit for purpose, the harder it might be for your team to provide exceptional customer service. Now might be the right time to start shopping around for new tech options.
Everything Is Slow
Work systems can have bad days. The occasional program glitch typically only proves to be mildly inconvenient. However, that’s often not what happens in a business with old technology. Employees can find that their computers, software, and programs all operate slowly daily, leading to a great deal of frustration and reduced productivity.
Slowness, lagging, and freezing issues can be frustrating to deal with, especially when they stop employees from being able to do their jobs to a high standard and start affecting customer service.
You Have Too Many Programs and Software
According to studies, employees will toggle between various programs, browsers, and software up to 1,200 times daily. That equates to around 9% of their time at work. Old technology rarely integrates with other programs, which is half the problem. Rather than being able to customize the technology you have to incorporate new features, you must purchase multiple programs and use them separately. This can be both costly and impractical.
Not all programs will work in harmony with each other, either, further complicating matters. New technology can be a game-changer in this respect. Many software types are designed to be customizable to suit various business applications. As a result, you can often use one or two systems to perform most of your business processes instead of multiple.
Customers Are Becoming Frustrated
It’s not always just employee frustrations that can indicate the importance of updating your technology. Sometimes, customers can also become frustrated. They might not have convenient ways to access your products and services, such as online bookings and online shopping. You might also not have a user-friendly, mobile-friendly website that makes it easy for people to get what they need while using a mobile device or computer.
Even in-store customer experiences can be affected by outdated technology. Customer service teams might find it challenging to get their programs to do what customers need them to do, delaying timely service.
Employee Onboarding Is Challenging
Many programs and software today are incredibly intuitive. Even if you haven’t used a particular program, the features are so straightforward that it won’t be long until you’re close to an expert. The same can’t always be said for older technology.
Alongside being clunky, slow, and impractical, some features can be far from innovative. As a result, new employees can take a great deal of time to learn how to use it. Sometimes, only the employees who have been at your business for the longest time know how to get the most out of your business systems. When they leave, their knowledge goes with them.
The onboarding process can be costly and time-consuming enough without throwing outdated technology into the mix. By investing in new systems that prioritize user-friendliness, you might enjoy a far smoother training process for new team members.
You’re Experiencing Security Problems
Over time, program and software developers stop supporting their older offerings. This can mean that they no longer provide necessary updates or patches to fix security issues. While you might not see that as a big deal when your programs still work, they can be vulnerable to cyberattacks.
The easier your networks are to break into, the more vulnerable they are. You might then risk having your systems compromised. In situations like that, important customer and company information can be taken. Cyberattacks can cost businesses tens of thousands of dollars and can even contribute to business failure.
It’s Costing You a Fortune
Running a business is expensive, there’s no denying that. However, it might not cost as much as it currently does if you were to upgrade your business tech. While there can be an upfront cost to consider, the ongoing expenses associated with new business tech are generally much more affordable. In part, this is because new programs are typically more reliable, easy to operate, and easy to fix.
As challenging as it can be to change how you manage your daily operations, it can be worth considering. Alongside saving money, you might also increase productivity levels, reduce employee frustration, and enjoy a far more convenient and seamless way of doing business.
