Challenges of Technology
Our Guest Blogger for July is Rick Backus. I've been able to work with Rick on several projects in the past and with each project Rick work was awesome. Rick's got an excellent piece this month and we plan to have more from Rick in the future! The race for new business that every dealership competes in has never been an easy or simple endeavor. However, as the technology of the industry has evolved from analog to digital, copy to print/scan dealers could typically look to their hardware vendors to assist in understanding the changing technology while they got up to speed.
Now dealers are once again facing challenges but this time the circumstances are dramatically different because the technology is considerably more complex.
The introduction and on-going integration of document management solutions into the sales repertoire puts new demands on the dealership infrastructure. Not least of which is how do you keep up with technology in order to offer your clients the best possible combinations of hardware, software and technical expertise?
There are essentially three options to choose from. Continue to rely on your existing hardware vendors who may offer various applications that will meet some level of document management capability. These are typically hardware specific and somewhat limited in their scope of both capability and customization. You may often find yourself trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Not something most clients will buy into as this will result is asking them to modify their process to match your applications functionality (or lack thereof). Clients want and need their vendor to create a solution that will automate, streamline and simplify their process. There will be times when process modification may be warranted, but that is a topic for a future conversation.
The second option is to develop or recruit employees with dedicated time and resources toward discovering, evaluating and testing all of the components that could go into a business solution. These individuals must be the proper mix of:
1) IT professional with network infrastructure, database, development and application skills.
2) Sales skills like articulate communication during meetings and appointments with prospects. Too much “IT speak” and you will lose the client. Demonstration ability to prove the relevant value and benefit of your solution options to clients.
3) Business Analyst with a thorough understanding of general business practices including AP, AR, Accounting/Finance, Inventory and other back-office functionality.
This is no simple task and merely promoting the current “IT person” is probably not the answer. This individual will be a key component in creating customer confidence in your organizations ability to provide and maintain a successful solution for their business challenges.
The final option is to partner with an organization that possesses the technical resources (as described in option two) to support your companies solution efforts either until you get in-house people up to speed or on a more permanent basis. The permanency of this relationship depends primarily on the type of solution practice your company plans to build. The intended level of involvement in supporting additional areas that are directly related to your solution practice such as network infrastructure and hardware play a key role in shaping your solution practice.
While all of these options have their pros and cons the most important take away from this is your company needs to do something. Sitting on the side lines with a handful of clients who are scanning documents to folders is not going to make you a sought-after solution provider. Review your long-term business strategy and decide how solutions and the technology behind them will provide your organization with a broader range of clients and the benefits that they will bring.
Cybercon Services is a technology management consultancy with over 25 years of business consulting, IT and office equipment industry experience. Whether your needs are building or retooling your business solutions practice, becoming a managed network services provider , leveraging best practices to improve your core business or updating your companies network infrastructure, Cybercon Services is uniquely positioned to help business equipment dealers realize their goals and overcome challenges. Visit www.cybercon1.com or call 610.745.2481 today and let us tailor your plan for growth and success.
http://www.cybercon1.com/
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