Don't waste money on IT in 2019

If you are a business owner you know all too well the frustrations of managing your IT. 

It is one of those headaches you just want sorted, yet there is probably a constant stream of issues, from a member of staff having problems through to overly complex systems. 

If you have a larger team, of more than 15 people, you probably have a company supporting you and you rely on them to make sure it all works. 

It might seem like a bold statement, but, my view is that technology within a business should be making you money. IT shouldn’t be a necessary evil but a powerful tool to advance and develop a business. For many, IT can be a source of frustration or cost which doesn’t have real benefits to the productivity and growth of the business. 

I believe that when you align technology with your business goals it can give you a significant competitive advantage. So if you have IT support that isn’t connected to your business goals you will waste money on IT in 2019. 

Why do we hire IT support companies? By it’s very nature IT support to is resolve problems as they arise. But is that really the best way to look at IT? Should IT support not have a defined process for proactively finding more efficient ways for you to use technology to do business? 

Many businesses spend thousands of pounds each month on IT support without really knowing how these costs are going to deliver and contribute to the success of the company. 

Technology has made us all more efficient, there is no denying that, but there are levels of efficiency and efficiency isn’t just about minimising issues, it’s about eliminating issues and constantly working to find ways to drive efficiency of tasks utilising technology. 

For an example, whether you like it or not everyday innovations come into the market that can increase employee productivity, yet we manage IT on the basis on a preventative basis, like insurance. But do you really want to pay to just manage the status quo? 

I believe technology is an investment for the continuous improvement of a business; not changing for the sake of it. Technology is about profit not gadgets. IT support is part of that. 

Why not look at this differently, why not look at where you want to go in your business over the next 5 years and see how the existing technology and support helps you achieve those aims. That isn’t just about getting more technology, it is about streamlining technology to make the work easier. 

As a company when we review their technology and systems we’ve found many where their technology is reducing efficiency and some where their technology is held together with a goodwill and patience but is actually costing lost billing hours and piling up administrative work which should be straightforward.

This isn’t just a conversation for multi-nationals, all businesses can see real efficiencies in operations when their technology aligns with their plans and processes. Processes that change over time. 

If I had ￡1 for every time I meet a business owner that tells me they installed new technology which is not flexible to the changes in their business, I could knock Jeff Bezos off the top of the richest person list on the planet. 

Technology is a tool, a tool that should work for your aims. As a leader of a technology company, I believe technology fits the goal, but too often solutions are imposed on business which actually frustrate the productivity of the company. 

Efficient systems can reduce debtor days, increase cash flow, reduce time wasting and allow many of the day-to-day functions to be completed quicker thus freeing up time and resource to focus on the building of the business. 

In 2019, before you spend money on IT, why not consider taking a look at the bigger picture of how technology can help you build a more efficient and profitable business. 

If you want a different perspective on IT Support and what technology can do for your business; Just ping me an email: [email protected] or call me 07957 175 308.