That’s right – you read that correctly – Don’t buy any new technology!! So as a the owner of a technology focused business, have I completely lost my mind?? Not completely(at least not from solely from this comment). So exactly where am I going with this? Obviously our business can’t survive if you don’t buy any technology. However I wanted to point out a few things that get overlooked in terms of technology and what it can do for your business.
First of all – I love the opportunity to work with businesses that can see dramatic results from utilizing technology. Sometimes that presents itself in the form of consolidating expenses, or increasing productivity, and becoming more competitive in the marketplace through the innovative use of technology. However, the basics of business must be in place for any technology to provide substantial results. This is a post that I have had in the back of my mind now since the Spring when my family and I went on vacation. There were some glaring examples of how technology is not going to make your business successful and be the magic bullet to fix all issues. It can product dramatic results in the proper environment however the foundation of the business has to be strong first.
First example - When traveling with three kids, it is rare that we know how far we can get driving on a given day so we normally book a hotel room while in the car and close to the breaking point for the kids to contain themselves strapped in the car seats. My wife and I both use an iPhone and love it. Consequently there are great apps that allow you to search for available hotel rooms right from the iPhone and ultimately book your reservation. We have used this feature for a while and have never had an issue. However on day one of our 21 hour road trip back, we made it almost 12 hours on the road used the iPhone app to book our reservations in Birmingham Al. By the time we arrived at the hotel it was almost 11pm. My wife goes in to check in and a young man in his early 20s is “working” the front desk(but much too occupied with his cell phone to get up out of the chair immediately to help. My wife finally asks if he can help get us checked in and he says “sure – I guess so”. Long story short – we have no room reserved for us. He said that he saw the reservation come in from the website/iPhone app but forgot to enter it earlier and since there is a basketball tournament in town he had sold all of the rooms. My wife at this point is almost in tears from the long day and his lack of concern. She asks for the manager and he tells her there is not one on duty. He continues to just stare at her when she asks if there is a sister property that they could get us into since they had not fulfilled the reservation. After 30 minutes of getting absolutely no where, I drive a few blocks over and just walk into a brand new hotel with 3 staff members at the front desk who all greet me and tell me it is absolutely not a problem to get us a room and they even upgraded us to a suite since we have had such a rough evening.
Second example - While on day two of traveling, we push to make it to Olive Branch MS, just outside of Memphis for lunch. We could have stopped around 11am for lunch a few towns over but the kids are doing great and we push on. Getting in to Olive Branch we are hitting the 12:30 after church crowd. We stop at a national sandwich chain restaurant that is famous for their potatoes and sweet tea. When we get there they have HUGE signs across the front door and on all of the table toppers to encourage everyone to “like them” on Facebook and “follow them” on Twitter. Everyone is pushing this now and for good reason! It is a great way to keep in contact with your customer base and drive new business and increase brand loyalty. Once I get inside, the line to order is really backed up. My wife and the kids go to the rest rooms while I wait in line to order. After about 10 minutes waiting in line I get up to the counter and start to order our food and the employee at the register stops me in mid-sentence and says – “You’re not wanting this right now are you??”. Confused I answer – ummm yeah … uhhh why is that a problem? She lets out a sign of disgust and curtly answers back – “Can’t you see all of these people that have ordered before you? It is going to be at least 30 minutes before we will even be able to start on your order!” I smile and tell her that I hope she has a wonderful day and we go across the street to another privately owned sandwich shop and get our food and are back on our way.
Both of these businesses had spent I am sure a good amount of money on technology with the projected outcome being that it would in turn produce more business, increase customer loyalty, and possibly streamline expenses. All of these are very viable goals through technology. However, the basics of business were overlooked – customer service, proper training, proper staffing, and proper management. I am sure the folks that invested the money on technology would cringe reading this post. The bottom line – if it is a choice between spending money on technology, or spending money on the basics of your business – SPEND THE MONEY ON THE BASICS FIRST AND FORGET THE TECHNOLOGY! I know this is counter intuitive to DaZZee Integrations and the services that we offer. However if you cover the basics first and make that your priority, I can promise you that you business will flourish and you will be in a much better position to take advantage of all that technology can do for your business.
DaZZee Integrations in my biased opinion does a stellar job in finding ways to improve your business operations through the use of technology. We love the opportunity to even sit down and talk about these things with you and help build technology plans and budgets for the immediate and long term goals. However, we are also very honest in whether or not we are a great fit for your business and if not – we will tell you. That is one of the biggest delineations between DaZZee and our competitors – we want to see the results of the business technology instead of just making the sale.
If you have any questions about our services, whether it is right for your business, or just want to talk technology in general – give us a call or shoot us an email. We LOVE that aspect of business, and by all means – BUY TECHNOLOGY – but do so wisely after a full evaluation of your business operations 
