Asking a business owner to use profits to upgrade a company’s technology will often be met with an eye roll. Although it may be helpful in other areas, the adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is not something you should apply to your business’s technology.
If you have been holding off on investing in business tech, you should immediately reconsider that position if you see any of the following 3 signs in your operations.
Failing Productivity
The first sign that a business needs to invest in new technology is a noticeable drop in productivity. This can manifest in many ways, and they tend to be obvious to your front-line workers.
For example, your computers may not be optimized to work with new or updated programs and applications. The result is that your designers are going to take longer to get their tasks done because they are delayed by long loading screens, choppy performance, slow internet connections, and poor communications between various computers.
A single worker can lose upwards of a few hours each week between the time it takes an older computer to load programs, download files, communicate with the internet, and finalize projects. Meanwhile, your competitors are humming along.
If your workers are losing an hour each week to poor tech performance, then you’re losing valuable time and money.
Failing productivity can appear in other ways, including:
- Slow POS interaction times
- Inconsistency between customer files and your software
- Sudden loss of data due to tech failures or internet outages
If your workers can’t get their jobs done, then it’s time to invest in your business and make changes.
Security Issues
A very obvious sign that your business should invest in technology is if your devices reach the point of obsolescence. That occurs when your hardware is no longer capable of running the latest operating systems or security programs.
Some business owners may be tempted to continue running their old computers since they still function. However, using unsupported hardware can expose your business to a host of security problems, including ransomware, spyware, and malware— any of which can bring your company to its knees.
Do not fall victim to thinking that you’ve made it this long without a security incident by accident. Your systems’ protection has kept the bad actors at bay.
You should also take some time to update and upgrade your software, too. You’ll benefit from having added layers of modern security between you and cybercriminals.
Stunted Business Growth
Some businesses are more dependent upon technological innovations than others, so your company may not need to upgrade to the latest, greatest software every single year. Other businesses are not so lucky; they’re intrinsically linked to modern tech, such as operations in the following sectors:
- Healthcare
- Finance
- Media
- Retail
These are just a few examples of industries that can suffer if they do not frequently invest in their technology. If you discover that your customer base is stagnant and your sales are starting to slow instead of growing, then you should examine your technology as a root cause.
Updating your POS systems, adding Smart WiFi, or getting your hands on current-generation technology can help bring your business up to par with others or exceed their capabilities.
Integrating new technology into your business can help you stand out from the crowd and do more to compel customers to come to you instead of your competition.
Knowing that your business needs an update in your technology is just one part of the equation. You have to assess the situation and determine what is going to have a specific, measurable impact on your operations.
Fortunately, you do not have to make these decisions on your own. Simply contact WheelHouse IT and start a dialogue with their experts. The award-winning team at WheelHouse IT can audit your business to determine what tech is most helpful considering your company’s industry, size, customer base, and budget.
Start investing your business’s hard-earned money in impactful tech that will help transform your company and pave the way for a brighter future.
