Businesses are judged in all sorts of ways, most of them completely unrelated to how you actually do business. Sometimes its the initial hand-shake between customer and business owner, sometimes its the new suit that your salesman is wearing during his pitch, sometimes it’s the way the phone is answered by your receptionist, but what if the first thing potential customers saw of your business was the technology that you use? How do you think you would be judged? Here are a few things that can be updated to help sway that judgement, in no particular order:
1. Windows XP
You know that guy that always talks about how he won the big game back in highschool. He was the MAN! You want to look at him and say, “Dude, that was 9 years ago, move on.” Windows XP is that big game, it’s time to move on. Sure, Windows Vista was a disappointment (I think we can all agree that there are better adjectives to use here, but I’ll be civil), but Windows 7 is a steady OS with a tiny learning curve. Seriously, let it go.
2. CRT Monitor
Nothing says, “I’m out of touch with technology.” like a 95lb, off-white, monster sitting on your desk. When someone comes into your office they judge your computer by your monitor. A large percentage of people think that your computer is your monitor. You can save yourself from endless mocking, reclaim some desk space, and even help the environment by going to a nice Flat Panel Monitor.
3. Fax Machine
I don’t consider myself an Environmental Crusader, but I do try to help out where I can. A Fax Machine that prints out every fax it receives is a waste of paper, especially in an age when businesses are striving to go completely paperless anyway. You can very easily and at low cost replace your old Fax Machine with a Multifunction Printer that will deliver incoming faxes directly to your email.
4. Printer
I can hear you now, “Wait, wait, wait…you just wrote an article about how printers haven’t changed in 20 or 30 years, why replace my printer, what changed?” Even though the basic technology behind printing is virtually unchanged, new printers are much more efficient than your old LaserJet 4si that’s as big as a Smart Car. New printers, even large ones, use less energy, less ink/toner, and generally cause less problems.
5. Office 2003
Have you ever had to reply to an email and ask the sender to please save their document in a version of Word that you can read? Its time to upgrade to Office 2010. This problem was understandable with Office 2007, it was new, we hadn’t had to worry about file compatibillity in Office for 10 years. If it’s still happening 4 years later you’re starting to annoy people. Not me, I’m easy, but some people are definitely getting annoyed. They told me so.
6. Tape Backup
Tape Media had it’s place and time. It was the best possible solution for backing up tons and tons of data right up until companies like Mozy, Carbonite, and SOS came onto the scene. Tape backups have a few serious drawbacks: The media (tapes) take up a lot of room in physical storage, the media is susceptible to enviromental disasters, and the media has to be replaced periodically. Online Backup is the way to go and it’s only going to get more affordable as more companies get into the game.
7. Web Presence
This is the big one. If your presence online consists of a single page with your company name, phone number, address and some pictures, then you are farther behind that you realize. Your Website is usually the first thing potential customers see about your business, you need to stand out. But your presence is more than just a website, at the minimum your company needs a Facebook page, a Linked In page, and a Twitter account. Depending on what type of business you do you may need a photo sharing account on Flickr or a video sharing account on YouTube. The same thought and effort you’ve put into your company’s physical appearance and presentation in the past need to be put into your Web Presence in the present and the future.
I left out a few obvious updates: Floppy Disks, Dial Up Internet, and the “Zack Morris” Cell Phone. I kind of feel like if you are still using those, then you might need more help than I can provide. So what did I miss? What upgrades would you recommend?
Dennis Edmondson Jr
Computing Concepts LLC
