There are numerous applications out there that will help your business be better at communicating, marketing, budgeting, etc. I’m not going to compile a list of recommended software for each of these categories, but rather reflect upon some of the intangibles that specialized software applications offer to help your business get to the next level.
Before reading this list, it’s important you come at it from a prejudice-free perspective. Try to set aside those terrible experiences you’ve had with technology (we’ve all had them) and read this with an open mind to allow you to envision how technology might fill the exact need you didn’t even know you had. Please note that these observations are offered from a software perspective.
Three Areas in Which You Might Benefit from Technology Software:
- Productivity – There are times when I’ve stepped back and realized that whatever I was doing could be done faster if the right technology was developed. Sometimes the cost outweighs the benefit, but in other cases, the benefit greatly outweighs the cost. If done right, the technology in which you choose to invest, either off-the-shelf or custom built, will help free up your time to focus on the more “important” tasks. As is the case with any technological investment, it’s important to learn it so that you can fully integrate it as quickly as you can so you can start reaping your return on investment.
- Transparency – Before the digital age, everything was done on and through paper. Trying to find a document to share with a fellow colleague was much more difficult and time intensive. Not only did this affect your overall productivity, but it made it near impossible to see the “big picture” or overall workflow of what you were working on. Technology, namely software, is helpful in that it not only allows you to see what you’ve been working on, but it also organizes all your work so that you can locate important information with a simply click of the mouse. Envisioning how technology could help your business organize the progression of a project/task/etc. is very helpful for you, your employees, and clients.
- Measurability – Software implementations with built-in metrics can help you measure progress, or ‘success”. It’s like the old saying, “you can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been”. It’s important to measure performance at the very beginning in order to evaluate your progress down the road. In other words, it’s the only way to tell in which direction you’re moving. If done right, you’ll be able to adjust your business to do the things that make you more money.
These observations about technology aren’t earth shattering by any means, but they are, in my humble opinion, good reasons to at least consider when contemplating whether or not a technology solution is the right choice for your business. Unique needs or problems often require unique solutions, in which case you may want to reach out to a local technology firm to discuss a custom solution to fit your needs.
