During the course of our numerous meeting with small companies’ entrepreneurs and CEOs, we often heard that they want IT software such as CRM, ERP, LIMS to manage their operations but cannot take these as these are not essential need. Number of factors blocking the move or causing reluctance is as follows (in order of its impact).
1. They feel, It will be costly
2. They may have to hire IT resources to manage IT applications thus increasing cost of operation
3. Additional investment on IT machines/network and maintenance of these afterward
4. It may makes operation more complex as shout over the desk would then require to be clicked through application
5. Could not find right suppliers or right solution
Thus in clear words, there is situation where these organization “want” the IT solution but cannot identify these as clear “need” thus they are working with minimal IT Solutions (at the most excel/word). It is not that they had never felt a need, many a times in the past they sincerely experienced a need when they go through the scenarios (some listed below) but have mended the situation by employing additional workforce or adding another manual control in the process.
1. Customer complained about delay in responding to their requirement
2. Customers rejected the work due to bad quality of paperwork associated with the work
3. Incorrect Invoice/payable reminders
4. The old and experienced hand retires or lured by competitors
Though technology has made advancement and the applications that earlier required heavy investment on IT infrastructure and resources are available to the users at very low rate now a days and also on shared basis (the concept of Cloud). But this awareness has not spread amongst the small companies as rapidly as it could as these are not focused as customer segment for large IT service provider (especially in India, where IT companies takes pride in servicing dollar customers only).
The gap nevertheless is reducing between “want” and “need” due to Software as Service models now adopted by even large software providers. Moreover other factors such as increased wages, low cost of software deployment, competition in the business environment have started to pinch small businesses to realize reality (wakeup from slumber) and have started to feel the “need” of IT solutions to optimize their operations, increasing efficiency and responsiveness.
SCC specialize in the field of providing hosted solution to automate the processes of companies, we have been in forefront to spread awareness wrt technology amongst small business. We have felt the change in companies after the sessions. Though there are still many businesses reluctant to take new technology and adopt IT solutions but technology can only do as much as user wish or expect it to do, rest has to do with the mindset. Ability to experiment, taking risk and countering resistance to change, hunger for more growth, thirst for fame are behavioral expect that does not come automatically to all. These companies and leadership that are steering these companies may change slowly in their normal course of time, may be with a nudge or lure or shock.
We all may know 1 small company that has made it to the big league but we don’t know that it was only one in 1000 that has made it to the big league. Satvinder Pal Singh, Director, SCC IT Solutions pvt. Ltd.
