Technology and business go hand in hand nowadays. Workplaces that fail to adopt new technologies can lose to competitors that do. But bringing new technologies into your business is a delicate matter, one that requires careful planning and preparation. If executed carelessly, technology can act as a double-edged sword, slowing your workforce down, imposing more bottlenecks for you to deal with, and increasing costs. Luckily, it’s not that difficult to integrate tech into the workplace. Here are five ways to help you get started:
Audit Your Existing Tech
Check if there are any outstanding integration issues that have been sitting on the back burner and resolve them first before bringing in new technologies into the mix. Auditing your current IT infrastructure can also bring to light areas wherein new tech would be most advantageous. Auditing can also help you identify unexpected areas of the business that are in need of an update.
Establish Hardware and Software Standards
Whether it’s a new computer system or cloud storage platform, successfully integrating new technology into your workforce means ensuring that new software solutions work seamlessly with your existing hardware and any proprietary software you use. Having a solid technical support team is key when standardizing your business’ hardware and software. While many hardware and software manufacturers offer phone support lines for assistance, they are quite unreliable.
Install It Once
Utilize your resources when installing new technology. If you are running the business on your own or do not have any in-house IT department to lean on, seek help from the manufacturer regarding proper setup and installation before you purchase new hardware or software. Ask them to walk you through the process step by step and test that all the features of the program work before you finalize the paperwork. Having professional IT support during installation helps guarantee tech issues are sniffed out and resolved before they turn into major issues.
Ask For Employee Feedback
Employees absorb the full brunt of technological changes in the workplace. They are the ones to go through the learning curve of pressing new buttons, getting used to new interfaces, and using new program features. If you do not involve your workforce as much as you can when it comes to the installation and adoption of new technologies, it will likely result in resistance and tension, something you can easily avoid by asking for feedback before, during, and after tech implementation. This can give you an idea of how your efforts to revitalize your existing tech solutions is being met by your workforce.
Invest in the Right Talent
Technology is only good as the people using it. If you have the right tech, but the wrong people are using it, then the potential advantages are gradually chipped off and lost. This is especially true when it comes to artificial intelligence. Make sure that your employees are trained to think logically as AI requires them to create algorithms that are based on sound logic. To find great talent, hire the help of a retained recruitment firm. There are many reasons why you should use a retained recruitment firm, one of which is added peace of mind that you are paying the recruiter only when you find and hire the right fit.
Final Thoughts
Integrating tech into the workplace is deceptively simple – license software, install it, and start using it. However, effective implementation and usage of modern technologies including blockchain, eCommerce platforms, and artificial intelligence require the cooperation of your workforce, the auditing and pairing of your existing hardware and software with new tech investments, and establishment of hardware and software standards.
