It’s easy to feel, in a modern business, that a lot of your
success rests upon how successful your use of technology is. There are
industry-wide examples of tools that can provide a general function, like
social media, but you might feel more locked into a specific type of technology
depending on the field that you work in.
Following the path laid down before you won’t always be the
right answer, but that can open up an overwhelming array of options. Whittling
down your options can help you find the technology that will help you push your
brand forward. Keep reading to learn more about doing this.
1. Audiences Ask for It
The customer isn’t always right – not when it comes to the
internal workings of your business. People might think they know what’s best,
and that might become apparent through social media interactions and customer feedback,
but that doesn’t necessarily translate to the truth. However, the result of the
technology you use can be something that customers feel and experience, and
having them tell you about their experiences can help inform you about changes
you might want to make.
If, for example, you’ve been using AI in your operations, but you begin to have customers report that your
output is bland or contains errors, it might be that your use of this tool is
too widespread. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to completely pull
out of your use of AI, but it might mean going back to the drawing board in
terms of how it’s implemented or making sure that a human checks any work that
is produced using AI tools before it goes live on your channels.
2. Employees Ask for It
Those with a much more thorough understanding of the
internal workings of your business, however, are your employees. Sometimes, you
have to level their demands or hopes for your acquisitions with what’s
financially possible. They might want something you just can’t afford, creating
a process where you understand what is needed and work out a compromise that
can still lead to a distinct benefit. That element of understanding is
important, however, as it can prevent you from rejecting certain options
outright because they don’t fit into your budget. If there’s a strong enough
reason to include it in the first place, it might well be worth trying to make
room.
Part of the reason that your employees might ask for a
particular upgrade could be because of the standard set by the industry. If
your tools are limiting their work, or they feel as though they aren’t
progressing in their careers due to a lack of access to technology, a change
could have a profound impact on your output. This might involve looking at AI
if you haven’t already, or it could be about overhauling your digital working
structure with a Kubernetes migration.
3. It Saves You Money
Suppose you are concerned about making technological changes
that will cost a lot of money upfront. In that case, a change of perspective
might help you see things differently, allowing you to look beyond the initial
outlay. After all, a well-placed investment could save you money down the line.
This might be something that you’re familiar with through energy efficiency.
Getting something installed at home or in the office, like double-glazing, can
cost you money, but as it better conserves heating, it means you’re spending
less money on heating the interior over time.
Obviously, this is quite literally what you could apply to
the workspace. However, in terms of technology, it might better relate to an
investment in the cloud. A greater reliance on cloud collaboration tools or
back-ups can mean that your business is better protected, but it also means
that your team has a much greater degree of versatility in how they work. This
might even lead to you adopting an entirely remote business model that affords your employees a higher degree of customization
over their work/life balance, perhaps reducing staff turnover. It also might
mean that you don’t need to pay for a physical workspace as you once did.
4. It Aligns with Your Brand
The technology in question might even make the most sense
given the way you’ve marketed your brand up to this point. If, for instance,
you’ve taken the opportunity to position yourself as a business that cares
about sustainability and climate change in general, technology that reinforces this goal might be in your
interest. This isn’t because you’re now accountable to these claims that you
made back in the past, and seeing it as an obligation might rob the moment of
some of its opportunity. You’re trying, instead, to take your values and work
them into your brand – with the goal here potentially leading you to being seen
as the sustainable option in your industry.
If you’re torn between different technological options,
think about which one makes the most sense in this regard, and that might help
to point you in a direction. It won’t always work out this way – sometimes,
what makes the most sense for your branding won’t be the option that’s proven to
be the most effective for your working structure. There is a balance to
consider, but as long as you have a clear idea of the long-term implications of
your technology usage – such as avoiding those known to be less sustainable in
the prior example – you might be able to navigate ahead successfully.
5. Led By Training
The difficulty with some technological acquisitions is
having to ensure that your staff members are properly trained to use them
effectively. Regarding tools in practical fields like manufacturing, this
training takes on an understandable legal requirement where unfamiliar usage
could lead to serious injuries.
Still, this gives you the opportunity to carve out a path
for yourself by looking at where that training leads – relating it to what kind
of skills you know your business needs. If you know that you’ll need to use
certain software development qualifications or skills down the road, you’ll
want to position your employees so they’re ready to receive that training when
the time comes – even if that’s not right now. This gives you the chance to
cultivate your talent and develop a staff that is tailor-made to handle your
business needs. Promoting from within and delegating to these team members means that you’re giving responsibilities to the
people that you know you can trust most of all.
6. Work within Your Framework
Even when there are businesses in your industry that seem to
resemble yours in multiple ways, it’s worth bearing in mind that your
circumstances are still ultimately unique. Your business has a specific
framework that comes down to factors like the number of employees you have, the
kind of workplace you operate, your managerial style, your target audience,
your budget and many other factors. So, if you’re using other businesses as a
way of measuring which technology is right for you, this might not be
considering every factor. Will that technology be as relevant for you if your
business is entirely online while they have a typical office environment? That
depends, but it goes to show the kinds of considerations you should be making.
That can be most relevant when it comes to a technological
example that should be the right next step for your business. However, if
you’re finding that research suggests it wouldn’t be as much of a boon for your
business as you’d have hoped, don’t go through with it out of obligation.
7. Learn to Say No
That can bring you to a situation where you might feel as
though you’re trying to find new ways of technologically upgrading your
business just so that you can keep pace. On the one hand, this kind of
mentality can benefit you by having you embrace a more adaptable mindset,
constantly looking for ways to improve and refusing to stay stagnant. On the
other hand, it might also lead to a situation where you’re forsaking what’s
currently working for you because you think you need to make a change when it’s
not necessary. It’s a difficult balance to strike, as sometimes seeing the signs of stagnation is already an indication that it’s too late, but knowing when
to avoid jumping on a technological trend is a valuable skill.
Going back to the example of AI, you don’t have to look far
to see examples of businesses incorporating it into their own strategies. It
can make for an effective marketing hook – showcasing how their brand has
‘evolved’ through the implementation of this groundbreaking tool. In many ways,
that’s what it might function more as, however, a marketing hook. If the
technological implementation in question is one that costs you time and money,
this trade-off might not be worthwhile. Even if you don’t take advantage of an
available tool right now, that doesn’t mean that you never will, but you have
to listen to what your market research tells you.