Better Business through Technology and Relationships
As computers have become a standard in our lives, so has the use of technology for every aspect of our business.
For example, EMail is the most used technical solution in the world, something we are all familiar and comfortable with. But few stop to think about how old the technology and process behind EMail is; more than twenty years. EMail is a legacy solution, yet we all embrace and count on it vigorously. We are comfortable and familiar with it. Plus EMail Works, right?
That’s if it’s not caught in a spam filter, has a link or attachment your EMail program doesn’t like (and won’t let you open), or is simply rejected by your EMail host for a whole myriad of reasons. Simply put EMail is not reliable, and even worse we have become accustomed to “missing that one important EMail” on a regular basis. We get a phone call “did you get my proposal?” and respond with “oh no, not sure why. Just send it again.”
While normal solutions are fine for normal people and normal businesses, how will a normal business survive in today’s economy? How about what is on the horizon? We must expand beyond our comfort levels and increase our awareness not only in the area of technology, but also how we manage our work and communicate within our company and with our clients.
It doesn’t matter how big or small your business is, the core of being a modern business leader rests not just with embracing the latest methods of managing work and technology, but also knowing how to use all of it.
Understanding Technology
While the number of technical solutions has increased, often creating the illusion of complexity, the simple fact is using technical solutions becomes easier and easier each and every day. Data management systems which were once massively complex are now as simple as configure, point, click, text, and done. Online CRM (Customer Relationship Management) solutions such as Salesforce have shown us how easy and painless it is to embrace the latest technology, especially as it applies to business.
Today’s technology companies don’t just provide technical solutions, they provide simple solutions. Gone are the days of a hundred page manual just to get started with a new data management system; now it’s as simple as subscribe and use, and any help the customer needs is often built right into the interface itself. The customer learns to properly use the technology by simply using it.
Not sure if you want to use a large-scale CRM solution for your company? No problem. Try one out by filling out a few fields, submitting your information, and clicking a link. It’s that simple. And within just a few minutes you’ll begin your journey of learning a basic grasp of what the technology can do for you and your business. Is it worth the time? You bet. But why don’t more companies seek to try, learn about, and embrace these “simple yet powerful” solutions? Because most don’t know they exist or where to start.
Understanding tools and technology for enhancing a company doesn’t mean knowing the nuts and bolts of every solution. It means learning about what solutions are available and how to find them, what they can do, and most importantly how to properly use them within a business. This high level knowledge is a must have today, and it’s easy to acquire with the right focus and effort.
Don’t let the massive flow of information from EMail, social networks such as Facebook, blogs, and websites distract you. It’s all about focus and consolidation. Google isn’t just a great search engine, it is a critical tool in your efforts to learn as much as possible about the business solutions available to you and your business. Some simple rules of thumb are: if they don’t have a trial, don’t waste your time, and if you can’t sign up and be running with a demo or trial version in just a few minutes, move on. The quality solutions can all be accessed easily, and the older solutions cannot. A solution worth your consideration is powerful, easy to use and understand.
Just wait until Google Wave and other real time communication systems begin to integrate in our daily lives over the next few years, marking the first stage in phasing out EMail. No longer will we be sending and receiving chunks of information (which can get lost or intercepted); instead we will all work in and on a living, breathing system of data featuring real-time adjustments, notifications, and results.
The future of technology is exciting indeed!
Establishing Strong Relationships
Personal relationships are the root of all successful business and with the slow economy, are now more important than ever. Companies that learn how to balance the technical nature of growing their business with the necessary balance of personal relationships will greatly outperform their competition.
Our society has grown impersonal at an alarming rate with our teenagers growing up spending more time texting each other than talking. However business isn’t very far behind; many companies now conduct business globally with people they’ve never even met. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, there is no substitution for the human factor. Business leaders must work to establish personal relationships with not only other companies, but clients and customers as well.
Of course companies operating online and providing services to clients all over the world generally never meet their customers, but one thing they do offer is a level of interaction that is impressive; live chats or responses to any and all issues within an hour of a support ticket being created. These respectable and technically savvy solutions operate as a buffer between the great quagmire that is the internet and the very people who help solve problems. You actually “feel” like somebody is there when you need them because they really are.
The key is balancing how much time you spend meeting people in person vs. working in a technically advanced environment. Finding the “perfect synergy” is key to optimal relationships and performance. Too many companies waste time holding unnecessary in-person meetings on a regular basis. Effort needs to be put into stopping these huge inefficient wastes of time. In addition, some companies do not hold enough in-person meetings with their staff, quickly creating a situation where people only use the computer to communicate. This often results in an environment where the very people who make up and represent the company hardly know each other. Granted if a company is designed to operate globally with team members working from home or other isolated environments, the relationship-based needs are different.
One example is if six people are spread around Salt Lake City and working from home telecommuting for a company in Atlanta, they will work together and build a much stronger relationship by meeting regularly for something as simple as lunch.
It’s the responsibility of a business leader to ensure their environment does not create shut-ins among their team. I can’t emphasize the importance of this enough.
Make time to meet people in person. Have lunches as often as you can, collaborate, communicate, and work together. Skilled, experienced, and capable people are worth their weight in gold, but the gold isn’t worth anything if you can’t share it!
Conclusion
Learn everything you can about growing your business not only through embracing technology to strengthen everything you do, but also by putting effort into ensuring your relationships are rock solid through in-person meetings and communication.
With every penny counting now more than ever, a business must focus on what’s important. This is why I started Mercois and this is why I write articles such as this; to help companies become aware, educated, experienced, and ultimately self sufficient in growing and evolving.