Biggest technology challenges growing companies face
Tech support is eating the world. There is no industry today where new technologies are not present: its imprint more and more visible to all players. So here are the biggest technology challenges growing companies face (and solutions for them):
Problem: Productivity
Productivity loss is a combination of inefficient processes, poor tracking, communication overhead, incomplete onboarding.
An organization that doesn’t address the human motivations behind productivity will constantly be at war with itself, fighting to grow revenue and gain advantage over the competition while continuing to lose the talented people who could make that happen.
Possible solutions:
There are many solutions to this problem but here are ours:
- Say no to unnecessary meetings — Before booking your next meeting, ask yourself whether you can accomplish the same goals or tasks via email, phone, or Web-based meeting (which may be slightly more productive).
- Follow the “two-minute rule.” — The entrepreneur Steve Olenski recommends implementing the “two-minute rule” to make the most of small windows of time that you have at work. The idea is that If you see a task or action that you know can be done in two minutes or less, do it immediately. Completing the task right away actually takes less time than having to get back to it later.
- Use the power of nature — Believe it or not, your natural habitat is not a room filled with fluorescent lights and computer screens. As the technology has been developed, working outside of office became much more realistic and beneficial. Take advantage of this — it reduces stress and distracts in a good way.
Problem: Deploying technology for innovation
Even when tools are available, deploying them at work may turn out to be a complex set of processes.
Growing organizations use dozens (if not hundreds) of software tools responsible for different activities. Effective applications talk to each other, pulling data from financial software tools, cross-checking with marketing applications, and generating reports in ERPs or CRMs.
Possible solution:
Review the current technology stack and identify its associated benefits, challenges and costs. With this understanding, create requirements for a new system based on the needs of departments, staff and executives, while considering the intricacies of deploying on premise or in the cloud, across multiple locations, or for numerous users with different permissions. Also, think about release plans, change controls, data management and future technology upgrades as part of the technology plan.
Problem: Training staff at large
Aside from the technical logistics, teaching employees new software applications is an expensive investment.
While the younger generation is more comfortable switching between applications (thanks to the adoption of laptops, tablets, smartphones), that’s not the case for everyone, especially for the older generation. Which is why training may take weeks, months, or even over a year.
Possible solution:
Personalized learning for employee trainings can help manage this. Just be sure that you deliver the right lesson, to the right person, at the right time, using the right approach.
Problem: Keeping up to speed with innovations
Due to the challenges of deploying new software, organizations often get too comfortable using outdated tools or applications.
This creates a false sense of “efficiency”. A software is in place and some of the work gets done. Oftentimes, this is not the most optimal way forward.
Moreover, identifying the right technical solutions to deploy is questionable.
Organizations with limited tech-savvy leaders may miss out on great opportunities. While tech-driven businesses relying on the latest tech may deliver similar results at a fraction of the cost or time.
Possible solution:
Every opportunity should drive forward your company’s long-term vision. Here are a few principles that ensure you’re making smart moves:
- Evaluate opportunities with a critical eye — Don’t charge into every opportunity that presents itself. Start by gathering as much valuable information as possible. Identify courses of action, and list possible outcomes to weigh your options. This approach will ensure you’re not driven by emotion or held back by fear.
- Say no to always saying yes — remember that If you have so many ideas you can’t realistically pursue them all. You have to learn to say no to most of them so you can say yes to the very best.
- Be ready to change course — once you’ve walked through the process, keep your forward-focused mindset. As you start implementing new ideas, you may need to change course. Prepare for this.
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