Has Your Organization Fallen Into the Trap of Using Too Much Technology?

Starting a business is far from easy. It was probably a hassle just to get operations up and running at a basic level. While most businesses that provide a product likely had to focus on getting that product to market, technology has begun to help aid this endeavor significantly. Alas, it’s easy for your business to fall into the trap of using too much technology, so much that it affects your bottom line. 

It’s predictable that some technology is absolutely essential for organizations to function, but there are always those who look to technology to solve every single problem facing them. This is a hazardous mindset. Technology might be great for sharing data, growing collaboration, and ensuring that your organization can meet its designated requirements, but too much technology can make it more difficult for businesses to get their jobs done. Listed below are some situations when technology hinders an organization instead of helping it.

Extraneous Technology
It’s unnecessary for your business to implement every single new solution. It’s often the case that more technology creates more stress for the average employee, especially if that employee doesn’t need to utilize the technology in order to go about their day-to-day responsibilities. For example: a CRM solution might be able to help your business manage customer and interdepartmental communications, but if you only have a small number of employees, is it really worth it? There isn’t as big of a need to track how long everything takes, or how your few customers connect with your organization; this is simply because you only have a small number of employees or clients in the first place. It will become evident if somebody isn’t doing an adequate job, or if one of your clients isn’t happy with how they are being treated. This isn’t to say that your business can’t benefit from a CRM solution; it’s about weighing the costs versus the benefits that your business receives from a CRM solution. Essentially, if a centralized software solution is what's required to keep your employees busy, it’s probably more than just a technology problem that needs to be addressed.

This is only one example. Technology that’s not needed ultimately wastes both time and resources that could be better spent elsewhere. Thus, you need to be cautious about how your business implements new solutions, as well as how you determine whether or not a solution is worth investing in. To accomplish this, begin by analyzing how much value your organization gets from implementing it. To use the CRM as an example, ponder how much time is actually spent using a CRM when you have only five employees. Now compare this to the time spent using a CRM when you have 40 employees. Compared to the smaller workforce, you’ll practically have to use a CRM in order to ensure that you can properly manage all of the relationships and communication within your business.

Outdated Technology
In contrast, you may consider implementing new technology if your organization has been around the block a time or two. If your business has existed for several years, has a dedicated consumer base, and is still increasing despite the fact that it’s using outdated technology, it can be a detriment to your business to resist implementing new technology. Basically, outdated technology is more prone to failure, leading to more revenue spent on maintenance and management, as well as opening up the door for security threats.

Some organizations wait so long to replace or upgrade their technology that they face major legacy technology issues down the road. Other organizations simply don’t have the resources available to upgrade as every new version is released, compounding the problem and making it even larger the more time passes. Either way, failure to upgrade your technology when it’s needed can lead to considerable detriment:

• Loss of productivity: Outdated technology can lead to a decrease in operational performance. The latest and greatest solutions are much more efficient, leading to faster processing speeds and more productivity.
• Problems with security: More recent operating systems are more likely to have addressed security concerns found in older operating systems and software. This makes them much more secure overall. Additionally, older technology is more likely to be fast approaching its end of life event, where it’s no longer updated or maintained by the developers.
• Redundancy: Technology is often the solution to the redundancy issue, but work needs to be invested so as to allow both new and old technology solutions to be compatible with it. This takes time and resources that not all businesses have access to.
• Loss of opportunity: Regarding your web presence, having an outdated website or page can negatively influence your potential interactions with clients. If they don’t like what they see, chances are that they will take their business elsewhere. On the other hand, if your website is streamlined and sleek, they will be more likely to invest in your business.

Does your organization want to take full advantage of business solutions so as to improve your organization’s functionality for the long haul? Macro Systems can help. To learn more, reach out to us at 703-359-9211.