With the rapid advances in technology, the drive to stay ahead of our competition to retain and grow our customer base is becoming a bigger part of our daily business modeling. Basically, anything that has ever been invented to make an advancement inefficiencies pertaining to any industry is considered new technology. Think about the market share the stapler had for nearly 30 years in the late 1800’s before the disruptor known as the paperclip made an appearance commercially in 1896. We are using technology in every aspect of our day to day life, from the newest tablet to the oldest of paperclips.

So how do we integrate new technologies into our habitual routines and processes?

1. Does it make sense? - Determine how this positively effects business efficiencies and service delivery to clients. If it does not check off one or both of the boxes, the new technology does not make sense to utilize.
2. Do your homework - Learn more about the makers of the technology. As we are in the world of start-ups, be sure to explore the background of the company creating the technology and their ability to operate a profitable business. As integrating new technology can make a drastic shift in your habits, if the new platform doesn’t stay in business, you are now left with a gap in your processes, and that could be a huge disruption to your business. Imagine your CRM platform goes out of business. What do you do then? I can tell you from personal experience, this is not something you want to encounter.
3. Be Realistic - Understand that you will need to continue to utilize your existing technology until you are comfortable with the new techniques. The phase-in process will determine the level of importance the technology plays in the business process and the complexity of the new technology. Phasing the implementation allows for testing the new technology during the roll-out to ensure the change is fluid and does not interrupt business.
4. Stick with it – The hardest part is avoiding the action of going back to the “Old Ways”. As with creating any new habit, humans always want to stick with what they know. If the above steps have taken place, particularly Step 1, the patience and persistence will ultimately pay off.
5. Become an expert – Once you have integrated the technology, become an expert at using the tools to their fullest. Using excel without knowing how to insert functions and formulas is a perfect example of not understanding the full capabilities of the technology.
6. Provide Feedback – We have found that providing feedback to the creator of the technology typically will result in their acceptance to make the changes necessary to not only help you but other users of the platform.
7. Never Settle – Even though you may have just implemented new technology into your process, the next greatest platform is right around the corner. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the constant rollout of new technology. It may just increase your business efficiencies and service delivery.