As companies grow, the tools they need to be effective need to become more sophisticated and flexible. Everything from billing to CRM systems, which often start out as spreadsheets and Word documents, require upgrading to systems designed for the specific task at hand. When this happens, a process is changed and everyone knows that nobody really likes change. For most of us, doing things the way they’ve always been done is often the easiest path.
To continue to thrive, companies must evolve and grow and that includes incorporating new software and technology into their current stack. With that in mind, here are some of the factors business operations professionals should take into account when rolling out new software and technology:
Is the software the right scale for the business?
Yes, you may need marketing automation software, but maybe it’s not the time for Marketo yet (although you can keep on dreaming big). Can you live with Mailchimp until the time is right? Pushing software that’s overloaded with features that you and your team won’t actually use can often slow internal processes down and confuse employees with too many options that aren’t needed at the particular stage of the company’s growth.
When will you need to upgrade to a more heavy-duty version of the software?
It’s important not to purchase software too far beyond what satisfies current needs. However, it is important to understand when you’ll need to start looking for the next level of software. For example, your accounting software may allow you manage and track accounts, but if your company is a B2C business with goals of reaching hundreds or thousands of small transactions per day, the software may not handle this beyond a certain point.
Is your team communicating the rationale behind the software across teams?
When a company is small, everyone understands the reason why new software is being rolled out because there’s typically a lot of communication across teams. But as a company grows, sometimes one department or individual finds a piece of software will be valuable to their team, but may not communicate the benefits across departments. Weekly All-Hands or monthly Town Hall meetings are a great place to share this kind of knowledge because it allows employees to ask questions about the software/technology and learn how it’s going to benefit the company and them.
Will the relevant team use the software, and will there be proper training?
There’s nothing worse than wasting valuable time and effort researching and selecting a piece of software if, after a few months, no one is using it. Ensure that everyone is trained well right from the start and understands not only why your company has chosen it, but also the particular features their department will be using. Setting a deadline a few months after launch to review whether the software is working for the company and whether employees are using it in the right way can be valuable.
Changing processes and adding new software is always a challenging process.
Employees generally don’t like change. The addition of new software and technology within a growing company can supplement and augment the free-flowing ways from the past with improved processes, but the transition is never easy. Although difficult, it’s a change that needs to happen, and it’ll need to keep happening again and again with different software as the company grows. A good operations plan can assist in standardizing the process of implementing and training employees on new software as companies grow.
Connect with BeachHead
At BeachHead, we are passionate about helping businesses scale up from a strong Operations foundation. The BeachHead Organization Audit (BOA) helps founders evaluate their business through an objective lens. Our BOA scorecard allows us to evaluate all aspects of a growing business so we can recommend changes based on what the organization wants to accomplish in the next phase of growth.
If you’re ready to take your company to the next level, reach out and let’s start a conversation.
Email: rdrynan@beachheadstrategic.com
Phone: 416.888-4004
For more posts and insights, follow us on Twitter and Medium and connect with us on LinkedIn