To make sure your business is firing on all cylinders, you need to give your team the best tools to work with. After all, not even the best racing driver in the world is going to win the Grand Prix in a hatchback. The same applies to your team. To succeed, great technology systems are necessary to back up the sterling work of your team.
Read on to recognise when your IT infrastructure isn’t pulling its weight.
1) Sluggish devices
Your team can only work as fast as their devices will let them. If your PCs and laptops are dragging the team down, the situation demands remedy. What’s more, out of date devices could become vulnerable to network security and application security issues, putting your operations at risk.
2) Limited remote working capabilities
Modern business is fluid and requires remote working as well as traditional in-office activity. To reflect this, your technology should allow easy, secure and reliable remote access, equipping staff members to log in, handle tasks and record progress – like Office 365 does. Migrating to cloud delivers remote working as one of its core advantages; if your existing systems don’t allow it, you’re at a disadvantage.
3) Getting left behind
Going from prospect to a signed, sealed and delivered customer should be a quick process with no hiccups in service delivery. If you are spending hours where competitors take minutes, customers will head elsewhere. Make sure your IT systems can handle the tasks of the day – such as bespoke ordering, quoting and report commissioning – quickly and easily. Opting for managed IT services, too, means your provider will be tasked with keeping you up to speed.
4) Data loss
Businesses are data generators. Every day of operation creates more data which must be stored, building up a valuable resource to plan future strategies, analyse market position and identify new opportunities. A lot of that data must also be retained for statutory purposes. But if it is inaccessible, or worse, if data loss is suffered, it becomes useless. Your IT infrastructure must be capable of accessing and delivering company data ‘on demand. If there are delays or difficulties in accessing information, your IT just isn’t up to speed; if you aren’t already, consider using cloud storage and cloud backups.
5) Gaping holes in operational tracking
In slickly-run teams, each member has their own task to handle at any one time; effective operation depends on every member being aware of the tasks each colleague is handling, and where that task slots into the bigger picture. IT systems are essential for keeping track. If project management software is absent, operational tracking will suffer (and it is time for an upgrade).
6) No reliable feedback dashboard
Business owners need a vantage point from which to gauge the performance of the whole team. Management software provides that view (a virtual one), affording a clear and detailed picture of how the operation is performing. Your technology systems should include software of this nature; if it doesn’t, keeping track of everything can be difficult or impossible.
7) Isolated systems
Businesses perform better when they have integrated systems which readily exchange information and eliminate manual processes and data entre. This is the dream. It is just a shame that, all too often, it’s not the reality.
If your IT systems are letting the business down, give us a call. As the outsourcing solution provider of choice across Western Australia and beyond, Leap Consulting delivers a proven ability to create and deliver systems to improve operational efficiency and strategic advantage. Download our free ebook, ‘8 Mistakes Businesses Make When Outsourcing Their IT’ and, to see what we can do for your business, contact us on 1300-532-748.