Software companies sell software as a business solution. Are small businesses getting a business solution, or are they just getting software packaged that way?
When a business owner or manager looks for software, they are trying to solve a business problem. They are seldom looking for new software. Look at software as a way to upgrade your business.
What many businesses get insteadare a series of problems that they must deal with. Hopefully they overcome most of these, and recover to achieve a good return on thei investment. However, the cost are often much more than they need to be, due to a lack of planning for business outcomes, a lack of awareness of technology and a lack of experience with technology projects.
Showing posts with label IT problems. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IT problems. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Does technology frustrate you?
I just read a blog by George Zgourides, a clinical Psychologist titles Dont Let Technology Psych You Out! In it he talks about people who get frustrated with computers or anything else that frustrates them in their day to day work. It's kind of long, but at least worth checking out.
I see this problem all the time when I work with clients. In many cases they aren't comfortable with technology and use it grudgingly. This sets them up for frustration. Software fails. Get used to it! Software wasn't written for people, it was written by software programmers for software programmers! We get frustrated because it's too complex and doesn't just help you to do the job.
I've spent my whole career in technology. I've been a programmer, an analyst, a designer and I still get frustrated. I normally use a very small portion of a software product, but have to deal with all its features every day.
The key to minimizing that frustration is to focus on what you are trying to achieve and set yourself up to do that very well. I see the problem in every assignment. A business buys new software. The software supplier comes in and trains them on everything the software can do. People remember very little of this content, because it has no context. How do I do what I want to do? The software supplier doesn't know your business, so he can't tailor the training to your business. He can't spend the time to leaarn your business, because you won't spend the consulting fees to let him do it. If he's a software programmer, it may not help anyway.
The key to reducing this frustration is to get somebody who will manage the technology for you (Outsource it!). If you get somebody proactive, they will prevent problems and allow you to focus on your business. Then focus on your business process. Find out how to do what you are tryoing to do by using the software. Often the supplier will tell you that can't be done! Bull! They reason that they say this is that they don't understand what you are trying to do.
I encounter this all the time. With my experience as a programmer, I know what can be done. I also focus on the business process and look at other mechanisms which might give us an equivalent solution. I have found that knowledge is not the most imporatnt thing. Persistence is. I believe that when somebody can't make me underswtand, they have a problem. It's not my lack of knowledge, but theirs.
Focus, and will are the keys to eliminate frustration.
I see this problem all the time when I work with clients. In many cases they aren't comfortable with technology and use it grudgingly. This sets them up for frustration. Software fails. Get used to it! Software wasn't written for people, it was written by software programmers for software programmers! We get frustrated because it's too complex and doesn't just help you to do the job.
I've spent my whole career in technology. I've been a programmer, an analyst, a designer and I still get frustrated. I normally use a very small portion of a software product, but have to deal with all its features every day.
The key to minimizing that frustration is to focus on what you are trying to achieve and set yourself up to do that very well. I see the problem in every assignment. A business buys new software. The software supplier comes in and trains them on everything the software can do. People remember very little of this content, because it has no context. How do I do what I want to do? The software supplier doesn't know your business, so he can't tailor the training to your business. He can't spend the time to leaarn your business, because you won't spend the consulting fees to let him do it. If he's a software programmer, it may not help anyway.
The key to reducing this frustration is to get somebody who will manage the technology for you (Outsource it!). If you get somebody proactive, they will prevent problems and allow you to focus on your business. Then focus on your business process. Find out how to do what you are tryoing to do by using the software. Often the supplier will tell you that can't be done! Bull! They reason that they say this is that they don't understand what you are trying to do.
I encounter this all the time. With my experience as a programmer, I know what can be done. I also focus on the business process and look at other mechanisms which might give us an equivalent solution. I have found that knowledge is not the most imporatnt thing. Persistence is. I believe that when somebody can't make me underswtand, they have a problem. It's not my lack of knowledge, but theirs.
Focus, and will are the keys to eliminate frustration.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Why can't IT support companies make commitments
I got a call recently from a friend who had just purchased a new PC from someone that I had recommended. The IT support person seemed to have a great attitude and approach to service and the experience to date from my friend had been very positive.
When she purchased the PC, a number of small problems had been encountered and had to be resolved. This was not what my friend was reacting to. My friend was concerned that with each new issue or problem, she was being charged. This was so contrary to the way that she runs her own business that she called me to ask whether this was something that she should expect.
When she installs equipment for her clients, she gives them a price then sticks to it. She is the one with the skills to do the job and is in control of the results. Her clients have no experience with the equipment and cannot control the outcome. If something goes wrong she looks at it as a learning experience and something to be prevented the next time.
In my experience, few IT support companies operate this way, especially the ones that support small business. When a problem is encountered, they react to it and fix it. They may say that this always happens, but there is no ownership. They don't look at how they can prevent this in the future. Since they don't want to do work that they aren't paid for (and this happens all the time), they charge the client.
This is one of the reasons why people get frustrated with computers and computer support. They have no idea what is happenning and they regularly get hosed. It always costs more than they expect and they never know why. And their supplier takes no ownership.
Isn't it time that IT support companies take ownership of this issue? If there are glitches all the time, why don't they find out why and do something to prevent them? I worked in large businesses for many years and that was what we did. We recognized that every incident, every problem caused productivity problems and should be prevented. We diagnosed the reason why this happenned and made changes that prevented these problems. That increased stability and eventually required less support and greater satisfaction.
Why can't small support companies operate the same way?
Maybe the problem is not the IT support companies are not the problem. Maybe the problem is their customers who accept this type of service and feel that they can't do anything about it. Maybe they need to take action and say this response is unacceptable. That's what I suggested to my friend. I'm looking forward to what happens.
When she purchased the PC, a number of small problems had been encountered and had to be resolved. This was not what my friend was reacting to. My friend was concerned that with each new issue or problem, she was being charged. This was so contrary to the way that she runs her own business that she called me to ask whether this was something that she should expect.
When she installs equipment for her clients, she gives them a price then sticks to it. She is the one with the skills to do the job and is in control of the results. Her clients have no experience with the equipment and cannot control the outcome. If something goes wrong she looks at it as a learning experience and something to be prevented the next time.
In my experience, few IT support companies operate this way, especially the ones that support small business. When a problem is encountered, they react to it and fix it. They may say that this always happens, but there is no ownership. They don't look at how they can prevent this in the future. Since they don't want to do work that they aren't paid for (and this happens all the time), they charge the client.
This is one of the reasons why people get frustrated with computers and computer support. They have no idea what is happenning and they regularly get hosed. It always costs more than they expect and they never know why. And their supplier takes no ownership.
Isn't it time that IT support companies take ownership of this issue? If there are glitches all the time, why don't they find out why and do something to prevent them? I worked in large businesses for many years and that was what we did. We recognized that every incident, every problem caused productivity problems and should be prevented. We diagnosed the reason why this happenned and made changes that prevented these problems. That increased stability and eventually required less support and greater satisfaction.
Why can't small support companies operate the same way?
Maybe the problem is not the IT support companies are not the problem. Maybe the problem is their customers who accept this type of service and feel that they can't do anything about it. Maybe they need to take action and say this response is unacceptable. That's what I suggested to my friend. I'm looking forward to what happens.
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