My IT guy says: “We cannot do this…”
Hey there, welcome to another episode of Design Under Influence, a podcast that informs you how technology can be a competitive advantage for your business.
Today, we’re talking about a subject that is near and dear to all of us business owners and business leaders: My IT guy says: “We can’t do this.”
These are dreaded words, and ones that can really hold your business back.
We’ll be the first ones to admit to making this mistake in the past. Our fearless leader – Boris was once let go by a Venture Capital firm consulting client because he told them that something could not be done.
Boy did he learn quickly that that type of attitude is very unproductive, and adopted a completely different mindset going forward.
The first answer to a potential problem should always be an exploration of potential solutions, even if it means investing more money to fix the problem. Only after all resources have been exhausted should the answer be no, I can’t help you.
We’ve seen this mistake made plenty of times by many IT people we worked with over the years. Look it is true, many IT people tend to be set in their ways, without the ability for flexible problem-solving.
This is not a good strategy for any business, especially when technology is key to your business’s success. Things are always changing, and a willingness to search for diverse solutions is a key skill.
IT people can tend to separate themselves from the business. However, as Alex has experienced first-hand, IT is directly responsible for the success of a business.
So, why aren’t IT people more open-minded?
IT staff can become deeply entrenched in day-to-day tactical operations. They’re not wired for creative and strategic solutions, because switching between tactical and strategic tasks isn’t easy.
Lots of IT firms are generalists—they don’t work in any specific industry. This differs from the mindset of ArchIT, which specializes specifically in solutions for architecture and design firms.
We attribute this generalization to IT company’s fears about industry unrest, limiting potential client pools, and ease of the work.
This is the exact opposite mindset of ArchIT. We seek to understand the business so thoroughly that we can function as a partner and take on strategic business conversations relating to IT.
Many times firms will ask us: “Can we do this?”
And our answer is always let’s have a dialogue. We layout potential risks, costs, and benefits of the solution, and make a plan from there.
Business owners are looking for a path to their desired outcome. A good IT firm helps to co-create this path with honesty and transparency.
Both the business and IT professionals must understand the why behind the project for the conversation to be productive.
The most important part of your relationship with your IT provider is a willingness to have a dialogue. This is what separates an IT strategic partner from the traditional IT guy who fixes basic issues.
A business owner should always be open to avenues for improvement. A good IT provider will respond to critical issues in a timely manner to keep the business functioning at maximum potential.
To summarize, an IT firm should be:
- A strategic partner open to dialogue
- Responsive and attentive
- Proactive in cultivating ways to improve
A proactive IT firm makes sure that all of your systems are thoroughly checked and monitored. It also provides additional opportunities for improvement through monthly or quarterly conversations.
An IT partner like this sounds really good. But a good business owner knows that this could lead to additional costs.
The truth is, you shouldn’t have to pay more for a great IT service. Additionally, with proactive and strategic support, you’re likely to save money down the road as you faceless technological problems.
With basic IT help, issues repeat themselves. Things need to be fixed more often, costing the business owner more money.
With proactive IT, problems are minimized. This keeps the business operating at its fullest potential without the worry of technological failure, saving your company productivity, time, and most importantly, money.
ArchIT is a proactive IT company with similar costs to basic IT providers. Not only will you not pay more upfront, but you will save money going forward with a strategic IT plan that optimizes your architecture, engineering, and design firm’s productivity levels.
Have questions? Contact us for dialogue or visit us on Facebook! We love hearing from you.