A Winning Strategy for Implementing New Technology for Your SMB

February 19, 2024

Have you ever tried to introduce new technology to your team, only to have your efforts at improving your business’ efficiency bounce off of your apathetic and frustrated employees who just don’t see the benefits? You’re not alone; it’s difficult to teach old dogs new tricks, as they say. Granted, it’s not impossible, and your team can (and should) be able to get on board with any new implementations, provided you do some initial legwork.

Here is one approach you can take to ensure your team sees the value of your new technology solutions and is ready to embrace them, too.

Make Sure There is a Need First

The best way to get your team on board is to implement a solution that they see a need for. Before committing to something that you want for your business, consider getting the opinions of your team. Ask them what they need to do their jobs more effectively and what some of the biggest struggles in their workflows are. While you cannot address all of their concerns at once, it helps to have many opinions when considering new opportunities for your office.

Plan to Train and Educate Your Team

Employees will likely feel intimidated and overwhelmed by a blanket rollout of new technology or service, particularly if they are used to doing things a certain way. To ensure your team is confident in using your new technology, provide comprehensive training and education on the new solutions. If you can showcase and explain the benefits properly, your team will be more likely to jump on board.

Use a Pilot Program with Built-In Feedback Loops

Finally, before you fully implement a new technology solution for your business, consider doing a “trial run” of sorts with key stakeholders within your business. These small-scale trials will help you identify where issues reside within your implementation process and will help you address challenges before the solution is rolled out at large. We recommend selecting a group of enthusiastic employees who are ready and willing to try to learn something new that could change the way your business operates for the better. Listen to their feedback and take it to heart when implementing the technology for the rest of your business.

Let Us Help You Out

Introducing new technology can be stressful, but working with a trained and professionally managed service provider like First Column IT can make it a lot easier for your business. We can help you conduct a needs assessment, design your implementation strategy, and train your employees on how to use your new solutions effectively.

To get started, contact us at (571) 470-5594 today.

‍

How to Approach Network Security Like a Pro

Network security is an incredibly nuanced topic with a lot of specifics that must be addressed. Still, today, we want to give you some actionable items that you can use to take an active role in improving network security for your business. Let’s dig into some of the essential dos and don’ts of network security for small businesses.

February 9, 2024

Avoid Sending Sensitive Information Over Email

A single oversight can potentially nullify the effectiveness of your cybersecurity measures. For instance, even if you've implemented security measures like multifactor authentication, a phishing scam or certain malware variants could grant unauthorized access to your email, compromising all the data stored in your inbox.

February 7, 2024

6 Crucial Strategies for Effective File Sharing

Your business runs on its data, and as such, you need a sound strategy for sharing files and other important information to ensure collaboration goes off without a hitch. You must also do all of this while protecting your sensitive data. What are some best practices that SMBs can utilize for file sharing? Let’s go over them.

Welcome to the First Column IT Tech Blog