Technology has helped businesses to improve the services they offer, the speed at which they can deliver them, all while providing an improved customer experience. Few business owners would prefer a return to the days of paper records, storing them in large filing cabinets, or even to the comparatively more advanced time of slow dial-up modems.
However, these improvements also come at a cost. Companies can be utterly reliant on technology, sometimes to the point of not being able to provide their services at all in the event of a system failure.
The problems many businesses face, and the costs they can incur, are a genuine threat to a company. Every company must have a plan should its IT systems run into difficulties.
Customer Interest
Many businesses have trouble distinguishing themselves from a competitor. The internet has allowed the creation of thousands of similar online stores, each selling goods that are also readily available from another site.
Companies have to grab the interest of a potential customer instantly. A website that is taking too long to load or shows an error page will likely see the customer go elsewhere.
Most businesses will not have specialized staff on site, and often using a managed IT partner is an affordable and sensible solution.
Reputation
Online reviews can be the difference between a business becoming successful or failing before it even gets started. If your site is down, customers don’t have to wait until it is back up to make their purchase; they can go to another seller, probably never to return to you.
Worse still, they can let other potential buyers know about their experience online. Not only will a company have lost a sale, but their reputation will suffer as well.
Employee Dissatisfaction
Employees dealing with customers need to have the equipment to perform at their best. If a business is experiencing IT downtime, it may mean staff can’t access customer information, process sales, or even provide up-to-date information.
Angry customers may take their frustration out on the staff who are in customer-facing roles. Employees expect management to give them the tools to do their jobs well; if IT downtime is a familiar problem, staff are likely to become unhappy.
A workforce with low morale will not be at peak efficiency. Staff who are waiting on the next system failure will most likely not be upbeat when meeting customers. Their quality of work may suffer, and this can cost the company dearly over time.
These issues are often ongoing and need regular maintenance. Outsourcing this area of a business can help ease the burden of ensuring equipment is in peak condition.
Final Thoughts
IT downtime is a serious threat to businesses in the modern world. There may be a cost at the time of the issue, such as lost sales or low employee productivity.
However, the ongoing loss may be difficult to quantify at the time. Sales figures could continue to decrease, as word of mouth and online reviews reflect on the company in a poor light.
Businesses may find they can use technology to help them reach out to customers faster than ever before, but customers can also air their dissatisfaction quicker as well. A reputation can take many years to build, but only a short time to destroy.
Every business needs to consider what they will do in the event of IT downtime. Expert help is available in an area that has become too important to ignore.
