Growing a business could be a daunting task for small entrepreneurs. Purchasing, maintaining, and updating tech and equipment can really dig a deep hole in the entrepreneurs’ pockets. But, because a high percentage of business processes are highly dependent on technology, nowadays, business owners cannot simply neglect this cost on tech. Instead, they’d have to see this as an investment, rather than an expense. Entrepreneurs who also manage IT support of their businesses experience more stress in resolving minor technical difficulties than creating a sales strategy, unless the business is in the tech industry as well. This is because IT support is a job on its own, and businesses have to acknowledge this fact in order to properly set the direction forward.
How, then, can growing businesses secure the right IT support for their business while making sure that profit margins don’t get entirely spent on maintenance and upgrades?
1.Start with the right IT Consultant.
If you’re the business owner, the first thing to embrace is that you cannot do everything alone. Once business owners grasp this inevitable fact, it’s easier to convince yourself to set aside a budget and start looking for an IT Consultant. Doesn’t have to be a long contract. Start simple. Set a meeting for one to two hours to explain your current situation, the most common issues you encounter, and start picking his brain. The first session of consulting should not aim to resolve all problems as you would only end up getting band-aid solutions. Instead, make this a “getting to know you” stage. This means literally getting to know YOUR business and how the consultant sees the situation. Understand his recommendations and ask questions. Remember that your main objective is to have a proper long-term process to manage IT support within your company. CMS Information Technology is a reliable company in Sydney that can provide this first consulting session.
2. Prioritize and schedule investments on technology.
Assuming that you’ve gathered the necessary information from the consulting session (including costs, itemized equipment and software licenses which need to be purchased, etc.) Your next goal is to organize your list and identify which investments would have the most impact on your business, or the ones which are most immediately needed to either resolve an issue or drastically improve efficiency. Arrange the items from the most crucial investment down to the least important ones. After which, check your budget for the investment stretch, and identify if your budget aligns with your investment needs. For growing businesses, the best approach is to schedule your investments over a period of time. Depends on how much your budget is, but the idea is to make the investment more bearable for the bottom line and liquidity of your business. Do not empty your pockets for IT investments alone. Remember that IT support is just one facet of your operations, and while it is important for maximum efficiency, you also have other areas of the business to invest on. Name this step as “establishing your IT investment schedule”
3. Commit to constant practice of Tech maintenance.
Once you’ve established your IT Investment Schedule, you have to commit to the practice of maintenance. Now, businesses always have a “fix-it-when-its-broken” mindset. This is not going to help your business long-term. Once you commit to the practice of Tech Maintenance, you will experience the benefit of having less and fewer breakdowns and IT issues in the future. Like a vehicle with the perfect engine hum, your network and computer systems will have the right “hum” consistently due to fantastic maintenance practices.
These are just the first three steps to securing the right IT support for your business. Talk to CMS Information technology to learn more about the areas of IT that need to be checked for your business’ sake.
