Not Just the Tech, Know Thy Business

February 6th, 2020 at 6:30pm CDT

I have been involved with computer technology all of my career. First it was programming, support, then data, implementations, personal computers, web development, operations and currently support and software as a service. Over three decades of technology. But one thing i see often is not the diversity of technology or the speed in which it is introduced, but the reaction of others in adopting technology. Non-technology people are still afraid of it, and the fear is palpable. At one end, there is a resistance to adopt it. On the other end, there is an active fear of it.

Technology is Everywhere!

I can get people to feel more easy regarding it by telling them the subtle ways they use some rather complex technology in their everyday lives. Almost everyone has a cellphone. Any car you drive has a host of computer-driven electronics. Appliances? Doctor's visits? Kids school work? All are heavily driven by technology that no one thinks about. Don't you hate that you speak to a computer instead of a human for a support problem? Pressing "2" for that option is definitely technology.

The Decision Maker is out of the Building

So when many business owners look at technology investment to make their businesses operate more efficiently, those same sinking feelings that many non-tech people have come forefront into their decision making. Since they don't know about, or worse, are afraid of, technology, they leave areas of the decision making process to the tech geeks that rightfully belong to the business decision maker. Geeks are like everyone else, and want to get paid. So they fill in the void. And often, they are wrong. And for any business owner, wrong decisions can be disastrous.

First off, technology needs to be seen as any other resource you bring into your businesss: To achieve the objectives and goals for your business.

Where this gets confused

It's easy to see why people think differently of technology than they do other resources.

It can be found everywhere
The prices for technology are relatively cheap
My staff took to it immediately upon taking it out the box
You can learn everything online through a Google search
It can't be that hard, my kids are using it

Using Your Fear Against You

But how YOU perceive it is a lot different than how YOU use it. Despite your fear, every one of those points come to mind when you negotiate purchasing technology for your business.

This leaves you vulnerable to two highly sales tactics:

Yeah, you can go the nonprofessional route, but if this fails, your doors will close forever!
Yeah, you can go the nonprofessional route, but your customers and competitors will see you as a dinosaur.

And these sales tactics are quite successful!

Overcoming Fear to Retain Your Advantage

First of all, you do not have to learn the minutia of how technology works. Your mobile phone is a classic example. One of the most sophisticated pieces of technology you own, it rings, you answer, have a conversation and end the call. It's that simple. OK, some things like charging the phone (you did this with cordless) are different, but still simple. You don't have to know how cellular technology works.

This is the same with your business. You know why you have phones - to talk with customers and vendors. And you should know what you want out of every piece of technology you acquire. If you don't, it will probably be a waste of money. Here are five guidelines to help you in making your technology decisions:

Understand what YOU want from technology. What is it supposed to do for your business? That goes a long way towards making sure you deal with the fear of tech and make better decisions. This includes online services, like social media and online business accounts.
What are the implications for your business? A pro/con list might help here. By now, no one argues the Internet is an essential business tool. But does your staff understand it cannot be used to check their personal social media, send jokes or negative speech, or watch Youtube for hours while working? There are policy and people issues that come with technology.
Adopt technology with a health dose of measurement and skepticism. A consultant can recommend a whole slew of technology and be right. However, if your business and staff is not ready for it, and/or if the consultant over promises the potential, this becomes a disaster that will eventually happen.
Set goals and objectives this technology (it is an investment) is supposed to meet, then measure it's progress.
Get competent, professional help. Just because your young staff member is tech savvy doesn't mean she can run a technical assignment. And generally, you didn't hire her for that, so she will focus on the job you did hire her for.

You don't have to know everything about technology to use it. However, you do have to understand what it can do for your business objectives (make tasks easier to perform, get more tasks done, save money, make money, etc.) and treat it like any other business decision you make.