Your Small Business Technology Plan: The First Step

The need to have a technology plan for the small business has never been more important. The first step is to understand what technology does, or can do for your business.  It’s not about the devices–it’s not about software, it’s not about the hardware.  It’s about getting information from one point to another–about effectively transmitting that information to another person.  At the base level it’s all about communication.  Everything that technology does for us is about communication.

Traditional tools like cell phones, email, and documents, are obviously about communication. But what about the customer database, the accounting spreadsheet, the payroll program, the shipping records, the inventory and countless others?  They are all tools that are used to communicate information in a specific format to another entity or person.  It’s all about communication.

Once you realize it’s all about communication–then take a look at how you currently use technology. How do you use things like email, cell phone, voice mail, text messaging, wired phones, internet, documents, spreadsheets, faxes, LCD projectors or televisions, programs and applications to process information?  Be as thorough as you can and just make a list.  Next take a look at the list and rank them according to importance.  Each business is different–but typically you’ll find email and telephones towards the top.  When you consider importance–think about it in terms of communication.  In other words—what is the most important information you need to share with others and what tool or tools are used to transmit that information.  For most small businesses–I think you’ll agree that the most important information is related to your customers–regardless of the type of business.

To cover all your bases–take some time with this part. Don’t try to list everything in one sitting.  Think about it over a week or two and refine your list.  While you are creating the first section–think about how you might want to change things in the future.  Perhaps you’ll want to be able to access your email from multiple locations and don’t currently do that.  Or perhaps you want to be able to share your documents with others in the office.

When considering email and how you use it–remember that it’s “mail”. The expectation with mail is that it’s OK to wait a day or two for delivery.  All too often I have clients who think they want to have access to their email 24/7.  My view is: If it’s that important—you are better off to pickup the phone and get it done that way.  I realize that in some businesses you need to communicate a lot of information quickly and that email may be the right tool for that—but if so–make sure the expectation on urgency is shared by the person you are working with.

Next time we’ll talk more about some of the latest trends and how you might want to build them into your technology plan. The plan like technology is ever changing.  It will be important for you to keep looking into the future and make sure you are ready to take advantage of all the tools available.  In the mean time–work on the list of how you use technology.  If you need help or have questions:  Please feel free to comment back here.  You can also visit my blog through my website at http://CallMyPcDr.com or email me directly at Rusty@CallMyPcDr.com

Have a Great Day,
Rusty Lee