When it comes to expenses in your business, it can feel like they never end. There is always something that you need to pay; the cash may flow in from your customers, but it seems to flow right back out. You may be doing okay financially, but the idea of spending a large amount of money unexpectedly is never going to be welcome.
Perhaps the above is why so many business owners have a tendency to avoid the idea of upgrading their technology. They think it’s going to be expensive-- perhaps even more expensive than they can afford. It’s also easy for entrepreneurs to think that tech upgrades aren’t necessary, providing their existing systems haven’t completely failed altogether-- they can manage, so why should they spend?
If you find yourself thinking along the lines above, then it might be time to change the way that you think. Below are three signs that a business needs to upgrade their tech; if any of these sound familiar, you might want to investigate further…
1) You’re Running Old Program Versions
Surveys have shown that over 50 percent of businesses are still running Windows XP, despite the fact the software is now well out of date, and Windows no longer offer support or security patches.
If you are running out-of-date software, then your business is vulnerable. If you’re one of the businesses still running XP, then you’re definitely vulnerable; without the security patches, your system could be incredibly easy to break into. Companies like Qoverage can help bring your business’ IT right up to date, so you can be sure that it can be relied on.
2) You’ve Had A Customer or Client Comment On Your Tech
They sound like friendly comments, jokes that are nothing more sinister, but if you have a client or customer utter any of the following…
- “Wow, I haven’t seen one of those in awhile!”
- “I didn’t know that software was still available!”
- “Your systems are pretty retro, aren’t they?”
… then this is a warning sign. Your client is basically saying: “your tech is ancient-- why?”, and if you don’t have a good answer, then they will inevitably look down on your business. Good technology is essential to modern businesses; if you go without, then you’re going to look very out-of-date.
3) Your Tech Is Unreliable
If you have employees complain that their computers take a half hour to switch on, or customer service reps having to apologize to customers while they wait for their software to load, then you’re not saving money by sticking with old technology. You’re not even making life easier, because that tech is causing issues.
The hours of lost productivity caused by out-of-date or malfunctioning technology can be huge. A five-minute computer glitch doesn’t sound too bad in and of itself, but when this happens two or three times a week, the lost time can become substantial.
In Conclusion
Holding on to old or malfunctioning technology will ultimately do your business far more harm than good. If any of the above sound familiar, it may be time to investigate the options available to you when it comes to improving your tech.
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