May 21, 2020 | Awake & Dreaming

We are living in a technology-driven world. New tools and systems are continually being introduced to improve productivity, efficiency and cost-savings. Businesses must stay up to date if they want to survive. Whatever industry you are in, the companies most willing to adopt new technology will be the most successful. Whether it’s computer software, augmented reality, artificial intelligence or the latest set of industrial scales, your company should be keeping on top of new developments and striving to stay current.

When adopting new technology, there are some things to keep in mind. Follow these steps for a successful integration within your company.

Choose the right technology

Why are you adopting this new technology? It shouldn’t be because your competitors are doing so or because you think it will make your company look more impressive. You should adopt new technology because it helps you meet your goals, whether they’re saving money, improving productivity or freeing up time and resources. Although there will be an initial financial outlay, the benefits should give you a significant return on your investment. Ask yourself whether it will fit seamlessly into your business and whether all of your employees will be able to use it.

Educate and train staff

Often, employees can be unwilling to adopt a new system, particularly older team members who have used the same processes and technologies for years. Why should they need to change things when the old way worked perfectly well? It is up to you to ensure all staff understand the advantages of the new system and how it not only benefits the success of the company but will make their lives easier too. Let them understand how the new technology fits in with the company’s goals and visions and bring them onto the same page as you. Full training and ongoing support will be necessary to ensure it is used to maximum effect.

Take it slow

Seeing success with your new tech tools will probably get off to a slow start. It will take time for staff to adjust to the new way of doing things and for it to integrate seamlessly into your current business processes. There will be lots of things to iron out and make more efficient, so set your expectations accordingly.

Measure progress

After some time, you should hopefully see some measurable success from your new technology. Each milestone and every little victory should be a cause for celebration. This will help win over those who are still unreceptive to the new system and convince them that it is the right way to go. Get feedback from your staff who are using it to see what they think about it and get advice on how it could be made easier for them. Crunch the numbers and compare data before and after the adoption. Identify improvements and areas where there is still some way to go. If, after a while, you are still not seeing any results, don’t feel you have to stick with it. Although it was a costly investment, it will be better in the long run if you accept it was a mistake and start looking for a new solution.

Adopting new technology can be difficult but being willing to adapt is the only way for businesses to survive in the modern world. By making sure you choose the right technology and implement it strategically, you will see your business productivity increase dramatically.

If your business is doing well right now, you might not be thinking about what might go wrong in the future. And that’s something that’s definitely understandable. But if you’re going to run your business in a way that’s sustainable, you definitely do have to think about the things that could potentially go wrong. No one wants to consider that stuff, but if you don’t, your business could be taken by surprise. So here’s how to prepare it for potential trouble ahead.

Create a Financial Buffer

First of all, you should think about creating a financial buffer that your business can call upon when it needs to spend some extra money in an emergency. It’s nice to know that you have that safety net in place and that you can use it whenever you might need to. Start putting this in place if it’s something that you haven’t been able to do up to now.

Have Tradespeople You Can Trust

You should definitely think about how using tradespeople might be needed in an emergency situation. If something goes wrong, you might need a builder, plumber or even a locksmith service to get you out of trouble. Start establishing these connections and find tradespeople you know you can trust and call upon in times of trouble.

Make Sure the Business is Properly Insured

It’s vital that your business is properly insured and if it’s not, this is something that you should definitely look to change at the soonest opportunity you get. Find insurance that offers the basic cover you need and more on top of that if you can afford it. It’s never a bad thing to have more insurance cover than you might ultimately need.

Look for Planning Assistance

If you have doubts about the direction in which your business is heading, it’s a good idea to start planning things out and making the future more sustainable. And as you do that, you might want to look towards planning assistance that might be able to give you that help and guidance you need as you start to think about your company’s future.

Create a Disaster Recovery Plan in Place

Finally, you should think about creating a disaster recovery plan and putting it in place as soon as you get a chance to. A good plan will allow you to know what to do in an emergency situation. Of course, you won’t know the specifics until the situation arises, but having a plan in place will create a process that you can follow, so it’s worth making this happen.

When your business starts to go through a difficult time, you should make sure that you’re ready to respond to that in the right kind of way. The way in which you respond when a crisis arises will dictate whether or not your business is capable of getting through it and coming out the other side.