How to answer: 'What tech is right for me?'

Dorian Trevisan, Co-Founder - Via Technology

If you’re a business owner or operator, at one point you’ve probably asked yourself, “Is my current tech right for me?” or maybe, “Will my current tech support us as we grow?” 

These are essential questions. 

However, trying to answer them by focusing on technology first will inevitably lead to headaches. Answers to your tech conundrums become easy when you first analyse which core process(es) really drive your business and what it needs to succeed.

Technology should support your business, not dictate how it runs. 

Where to start

To make the right tech choices, you need to look at your business in three parts: Process, People, and Technology in this specific order. 

Here’s how to approach it:

1. Start with Process

You want your business to run more smoothly, not add complexity. Technology is an amplifier, so when you apply automation to an inefficient system, chaos ensues. Before purchasing that new shiny software, ask yourself:

• Have we mapped out how things get done?
  
• Are our processes being followed and working well for us?
  
• How are we tracking and measuring success at every step? 
  

More often than not, when technology staggers your operations, the source of the problem can be found at the process level.

2. Align Your Team

Even the best tools will fail if your team doesn’t use them properly. To make the right tech decisions, you need to:

• Ask your team: what’s working for them, and what’s frustrating them? Involve them in the solution.
  
• Ensure leadership and teams agree on what a great customer and employee experience looks like and how each person plays their part.
  

When your team has ownership, adopting new technology becomes more accessible, and it serves your business rather than complicating it.

3. Review Your Technology

Once you’ve assessed your processes and team, you’re ready to see if your current technology fits your needs. 

In fact, you might discover you already have the right tech and are simply not using it to its full potential! Ask yourself:

• Are we using all the features in our current software, and are we using them as they were intended?
  
• Does our tech help us deliver a great experience for customers and staff?
  
• Can this technology grow with us and adapt to our future needs?
  

By taking the time to answer these questions and focus on your business and team’s needs first, you’ll avoid the costly “shiny objects syndrome” while building systems (process+people+tech) that work both hard AND smart, so you and your teams don’t have to. 

The outcome? Incredibly loyal customers and employees.

Should you need further information please visit:  w: Via Technology | Build businesses that work harder or  contact me  e:  dorian@viatechnology.com.au | 0404 154 036