Keeping up with technological advancements can feel like a constant slog. The speed of change is so rapid that you can quickly find your business meandering in the technological dark ages.
For smaller businesses, spending that extra cash on new technology might seem like an expense you can’t afford. However, when you look at the figures, you might find that working with sluggish, outdated technology presents its own costs in terms of productivity and customer satisfaction.
So is it time to make a change? Here are the seven signs to look out for when you’re determining whether or not to update your business technology:
- Your Company is Experiencing Rapid Growth
Growth within your company will require a whole host of organisational changes. One of these changes has to be the technology you’re using. Trying to accommodate more users as you employ more people or to deal with multiple office locations are likely to present you with a variety of technological choices with varying price plans. You need to put together your own strategy for development and create a budget to prevent costs from getting away from you.
- Your Company is Looking to Diversify
If your company is changing direction or adding a new string to its bow, you’ll need to put the appropriate business technology in place for your new ventures. As when experiencing growth, a clear plan and budget is necessary so you can manage your upgrades effectively.
- Company Computers aren’t Secure
If your company computers are repeatedly suffering from viruses or hacking attempts, you need an upgrade fast. You don’t want your company security or your customer’s privacy to be affected by old technology. Older software and technology is vulnerable to attack as cyber criminals have had the time to discover where its weak spots are.
- Company Technology is Lagging Behind Home Technology
Ask yourself if you and your employees are using more up-to-date technology at home or in the office. If your answer is the former, now is the time to look at a business technology upgrade. Your customers will be using more advanced technology at home too and won’t look kindly on your business for falling behind.
- Departments are Working Inefficiently
Do you find yourself exporting data just to import it into another program? Are different departments within the company failing to share information or having to repeat certain tasks? If the answer is yes, you probably need to invest in a more joined-up technological solution which caters for the needs of the whole company. What once worked for one small department now needs to work for a much larger network.
- High Energy Bills
Spending on new technology could save you money if you’re spending lots on running outdated machines. Newer equipment is more often made with energy saving and ecological friendliness in mind, meaning it’s kinder to the environment and also to the company finances.
- Sales Or Productivity Are Dwindling
If your customer sales are falling short of your targets or employee productivity has taken a nosedive, question your technology. Are you offering the best online experience for customers? Are employees struggling with slow operating systems? You should try to stay ahead of the curve in order to keep the trust and respect of customers and maximise the worktime of your employees.
Investing in new business technology can help to make your company run more efficiently and successfully. With the right equipment and software in place, your company will have the tools to go from strength to strength.
Heidi Finigan is a technology enthusiast with an unquenchable love for all types of new gadgets and apps. Her passion for technology manifests in her job too as she writes for VPN Compass, often covering Internet and data security topics.