20 Tips for Making the Right Technology Decisions for Your Business

In last week’s email, I shared a LinkedIn comment that made me laugh out loud. This new LinkedIn comment made me pause and think.

I posted a short, LinkedIn-digestible version of last week’s give your content a job to do post. One commenter said she also follows our clear, actionable approach. But she also shares this valuable piece of information with her clients – what the solution doesn’t do.

Brilliant.

Think about that. Not only does this transparency build a ton of trust and credibility, but it also sets realistic expectations.

What We Expect Technology to Do

No matter what product or service we provide, our customers have preconceived -- and sometimes misguided -- expectations about what they will receive for us. They “already know” what legal, accounting, medical, or technology means.

How often are they left wondering what happened? 

Some professions are clearer than others about the scope of their services. We know, for example, what our primary care physician provides because they refer us to a string of specialists. 

Attorneys prominently display their practice areas. Accountants, for all their attention to detail, have a good bit of work to do clarifying their services. But that's post for another day.

This brings us to technology. 

What is Technology?

The top Google search result defines technology as “The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry.”

Terrible.

Following the Google results breadcrumb trail leads to one obscure, unhelpful definition after the other. It’s no wonder that we all have concocted our own definition of -- and expectations for -- technology.

We often hear company leaders share their frustrations with tech investments that fail to deliver and IT people who just don't get it. We completely understand how this happens.

They've simply come to expect way more from technology -- the tool -- than it can deliver on its own.

We Gave Ourselves This Business Technology Challenge

We created a fun challenge for ourselves --  list all the things that technology can’t do without an assist.

Just like a screwdriver needs the steady hand to turn the screw, technology needs the human helping hand. Our list quickly grew to 47 items, and now we can't seem to stop thinking about this. 

Here are 20 things that we thought you might find helpful in your search for the right technology for your company. Each of these could easily be a post in itself, but we’ll save the to-do list behind each these for another day. For now, just ask what will help each deliver a useful result.

Use these 20 items as discussion examples the next time you’re frustrated by technology, disappointed with your results, or considering a purchase. 

Technology Needs a Human Helping Hand to Deliver the Right Solution

The common thread among these 20 items is obvious. Each is supported by technology in some way. But what powers the tool to deliver your expected outcome is human thinking, listening, planning, and continuous attention.

Fancy technology alone won't make make your life better.