You would do everything in your power to ensure that your customers have a painless and enjoyable experience when they come to you, but is it worth the hassle you have to go through? The short answer is yes, and the long answer is much the same. Although it may seem annoying or expensive, keeping your software and systems up to date helps not only your customers, but you and your employees as well.
What’s the big deal with updated technology? You may look at a new operating system for your computer and think, “This was a waste.” But while that may apply at home with personal use, this doesn’t apply to the workplace. Technology is an ever-changing beast, constantly evolving to fit with new innovations. Your business is evolving in a similar fashion to keep up with the supply and demand of the field. Keeping your computers up to date every few years is the best way to ensure top tier reliability and satisfaction for you and your customers. You are more than likely aware that computers wear out over time. You may have gotten it 10 years ago and gotten some great mileage on it, but it’s time to put it to bed. It may cost you a bit of money, but it will save you in expenses later on. Changing computers every 5-7 years, potentially even longer with the current market, can save you a fortune in the long run. Old computers need maintenance constantly to ensure they are up to date, fully functional, and able to run at their top capacity, but the older they are, the lower this threshold is.
On a similar vein, keep everything up to date. Literally, everything. If there is a new version of the software you use coming out, place that update on a high priority. Not so high that it would interfere with necessary actions, but high enough that you only wait at minimum a week to get everything set up and updated. This may sound extreme, but time is money. Having an upgraded system or software reduces issues and keeps bug fixes in constant rotation. You will always be on top of things and always ahead of the curve if you stay current. Issues are easier to resolve as well. If something goes wrong and you contact the company, it will take a bit longer to fix an issue being run on an older version. Keeping current ensures that everything goes as smoothly as possible.
Finally, technology support should be quick, timely, and clear. Nobody likes to wait around doing nothing while the gears are stuck, which is where technology support comes in. Their job is to fix the tech issues that the everyman can’t handle or doesn’t have the knowledge to fix on their own. Time is of the essence in a business, so every minute spent fixing a problem could be another minute spent fixing another problem. It sounds confusing, but making sure tech support is fast and reliable is a great way to increase productivity. If they fix problems as they crop up, nobody will have to waste time sitting around, waiting for their ticket to go through. A company is working at its utmost capacity when technology support doesn’t have to help anyone with issues, meaning more productivity and money for you.