Modern office products have changed the way businesses operate. Not only has it helped to streamline production when it comes to manufacturing and workflows in office buildings, but it has also changed the way people shop with businesses and even how they find them. If your company is not up-to-date and utilizing the current technology available today, you could be falling behind your competitors.
Unfortunately, one of the most common mistakes businesses make is assuming that their technology is still contemporary because they invested in new office products within the last decade. Technology is constantly changing and adapting, and technology that is even five to ten years old may be dated and obsolete. By taking the time to invest in state-of-the-art office products, you’ll be prepared to stay ahead of your competition, while also helping to streamline your business processes. Ultimately, this helps you to get more bang for your buck when it comes to employee productivity. Here is what your business needs to know about updating its office products.
Why Cutting-edge Technology Matters
As a business owner, you want to do everything you can to keep your company profitable and to maximize your bottom line. One of the reasons why businesses are not always using cutting-edge technology is because owners and executives often try to squeeze an additional year or two out of a dated printer or software that they paid a lot of money for. While you may view technology as simply another expense for your business, failing to update your business’s technology as needed may actually wind up costing you more money in lost productivity and slower workflows than investing in new software would cost.
Dated technology actually:
- increases productivity costs
- puts you at greater cybersecurity risk
- increases your IT support costs
- carries higher labor and repair costs
- can lead to greater employee turnover
- can cause problems with the scalability of your company
- can cause your customers to stop doing business with you and go elsewhere
All of these costs add up, and over the course of a year or two, can amount to a lot of money. Instead of trying to make the most out of the dated products and equipment you have, investing in cutting-edge technology can greatly pay-off.
Hardware That Will Help Your Workflows
When you are looking to invest in your business and update your dated technology, you need to find hardware and software that will optimize your workflows. What helps one company may not make a lot of sense for another. This is why it is so important to look at the different types of office technology is available. Learning the benefits of various types of technology and how each piece can help your business will help you determine whether or not they are solutions that you should invest in, and if they make sense for your business.
One type of office technology that benefits most businesses is office equipment such as multifunction printers. Multifunction or all-in-one printers allow you to print, copy, fax, and scan from a single device. Rather than buying four pieces of equipment, you can have access to all of these functions by leasing or purchasing one piece of equipment. Other types of hardware that may greatly help to improve the workflow in your office include scanners, label printers, production printers, and large format printers. Each device provides a different functionality that allows your employees to do their job more efficiently, and can also help with costs, especially if you are currently outsourcing some of these tasks to printing companies. Carefully review the benefits of various types of office technology devices to find out what will make work a breeze for your employees.
No Shortage of Software Solutions
Having the right hardware available to you is not the only key to making the most of the technology that is out there; you also need to take advantage of the right software solutions. Fortunately, thanks to technological advancements, there is a wide array of software solutions that can be beneficial to many types of businesses. One type of powerful software your company should consider is document management. Instead of working with paper files, you can have all of your documents digitized and stored securely in electronic versions. Another type of software that benefits many types of businesses is project management software. Project management software helps to determine who is doing what and allows multiple people to track and work on a project at the same time. Customer relationship management (CRM) software is another must for almost every type of business. This type of software helps with every aspect of your interactions with customers, including support, marketing, sales, and procurement. Finally, accounting and money management software tools are also a must. There are many different types of accounting and money management tools available, each with their own unique benefits. Finding the right type of finance software can help you to track your incoming and outgoing expenses, budget money for future expenses, and see how your business can potentially scale upwards. This type of software also allows you to see money trends over time, helping you to track busy periods and see when you should order more or less of particular products.
As a business owner, it can be challenging trying to decide where to spend money and what you should invest in. When it comes to technology though, you should spend money when you can, always working to ensure that your business is using the latest, greatest office products. You may think you are saving money by using old equipment or software solutions, but, in the long run, you may be costing yourself money doing so. You also allow your competitors to edge ahead of you, and catching up is not always easy. Staying up-to-date with current technology in the office helps your business workflows and allows you to stay competitive. If your San Francisco Bay Area business needs new office technology, contact Golden Gate Office Solutions today to speak to one of our office technology experts.
