Ten years ago during the.com business model was more than a little shaky and as the internet has now produced more millionaires than any other medium in modern business, the technology fields have been blasted in to the stratosphere. We all know that technology plays a major role in our every day life, from the cell phone we carry with us to the GPS systems that farmers use to navigate their fields. Some companies still persist on doing things the “old school” way, but is there really any advantage for businesses to rely on pencil and paper when there are so many advantages to using word processors and digital media storage?
For some companies and businesses it is hard to see the advantage of taking on the new technologies and trying to find ways to integrate them into their current business processes. For others it seems like a “no brainer”, but each company has to decide for themselves. What new technologies are available for a company can differ quite a bit depending on what market they are involved in. This is a big change for companies that have been doing business for many years and using the same methods.
This is a question that many are asking as the group of businesses that refuse to step into the twenty first century is shrinking. Today’s technology does pose many benefits for a business, some instantly recognizable and some that only become visible with years of implementation. The big technology barrier for many small businesses is the initial cost of implementation. This can be a considerable number for many businesses and since the return will not be seen for years to come, this can be a big stumbling stone as a company tries to move forward and take advantage of all that the newer technologies have to offer their companies bottom line.
In almost every case a business can save a lot of money in the years to come by converting old methodology into new, and this is just one of the benefits. If your office is operating off of paper, then you may be much more vulnerable to a disaster than you may think. Using a computer system to keep track of customers, orders and any other records can not only cut down on man hours, but it can also make backing up your data off site a snap. Then if anything ever happens to your office, say a fire, flooding or any other natural disaster, your business is not lost, you can always recover your vital data in a mater of minutes to another computer. This is one benefit you will not find when you are putting a pen to paper to record your valuable business data.
If you are considering to integrate more technology into your business, you may want to look at all the benefits it can offer you before you decide to keep on keeping on. The new business models that are proving to be the most successful are those who harness the power of today’s technology. If your staff is not technically inclined, that is no excuse, you can always get some office automation training for your whole staff an bring them all into the next generation of business together!