The Real Benefits of Good Business IT

A large number of business owners and professionals can probably relate to this. Have you ever had a computer issue or some other technical problem that hurt your confidence? I’m not saying that an error message turns you into a shy little duckling or anything, I’m talking about letting technical limitations, or even gaps in your IT knowledge, affect the decisions you make within your organization.

It’s an easy pit to fall into, and you definitely aren’t alone. It also shouldn’t be the status quo. 

How Bad IT Hurts Your Business

It’s easy to take a shallow look at IT and only see the computers. You see the devices that your staff needs to work on, and the software that they use. When something goes wrong, it is frustrating. It means someone isn’t getting their job done, and money is being flushed down the drain.

Even if we just stick with this simple view, it’s clear that the better everything works, the more effective everyone is.

When something does go wrong, it is aggravating. It hurts morale. It might hurt relationships with clients or prospects. 

Have you ever had to work with another business over the phone, and while you are working with a person, they casually mention “bear with me, the computer is running slow.” On a good day, most people will shrug that off, or even empathize, “Yep, sounds like me on a Monday morning, am I right?”

That’s all fine… on a good day.

On a bad day, it can add a little extra fuel to the fire. If a customer or prospect isn’t having a good day, or this is the third time they heard someone in your organization say “Just one moment, I’m waiting for your information to come up” or something along those lines, it will start to feel unprofessional. Everyone has a different threshold for empathy, unfortunately, and while maybe you don’t want to think about working with customers who are affected by something small and minor as a few seconds of computer loading and idle dead air on the phone, it starts to creep into anybody and could have lasting effects on their feelings about your organization.

Does that make sense? I’ve caught myself making decisions based on that sort of thing too, and it’s almost completely unconscious unless I truly think about it.

And these have been super minor issues so far in the example—this gets much worse if the issue actually has a major impact on a person, such as losing their data. In Massachusetts, businesses that suffer from a data breach need to report it to the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation and the Attorney General’s Office, and notify any clients or customers who may have been affected. While this is in place to protect the personal information of everybody, it does lead to a situation where the business needs to tuck its tail between its legs and make things right. 

If your IT isn’t being properly managed, your business is more likely to experience scenarios like this, and they definitely get in the way of growth.

The Point of Technology is to Improve Effectiveness and Increase Productivity, Not Get in the Way

When you are dealing with an IT issue, or when you are simply the one dishing out the money to purchase computer hardware, IT can feel like it’s just an expense. It’s a cost of doing business and that’s all there is to it. A necessary evil.

It’s easy to forget just how much easier it makes our lives. Imagine going back to snail mail, typewriters, and walls of filing cabinets, and paying people who were dedicated to just managing the things that your network does with ease. 

If you aren’t feeling very confident in your IT, it’s likely because it isn’t being handled properly. A lot of businesses tend to manage their own IT in-house, or they rely on an hourly IT expert to fix issues when they occur. While this might work out for a little while, there will come a time when maintenance will fall to the wayside, updates will pile up, and issues will start to occur. Before long, you lose faith in your investment and stop seeing it as the means to better productivity.

We Manage IT, But Most Importantly, We Dish Out IT Confidence

When you and your staff can come into work and just know everything will work, and when decision makers are able to make informed decisions that drive business forward without technology hurdles; that’s when you know your IT is serving you properly.

That’s our end goal. It’s less about buying hardware and paying for support—we’d rather spend our time helping local businesses grow and thrive with their technology. Many of our clients see us as their secret weapon—we get pulled into meetings about growth and streamlining processes and long term budgeting as a virtual CIO. We get to share our expertise and experience, and make sure that your technology aligns with all of your goals. 

If you haven’t been confident in your IT for a while, and you feel like it’s just an expense that is getting in your way, it’s time we help you see things differently. It just starts with a free consultation. We encourage you to give us a call at (774) 213-9701 to set it up today!