In yesterday’s New York Times, David Pogue’s State Of The Art – A Leap Forward discussed a revolution in the way we understand the upgrade. Microsoft and Apple are both launching scaled-back versions of their operating systems this year that are smaller, faster and DO NOT boast an army of new features that we’ll never have time to learn or use.
When it comes to business systems, the era of increasing complexity is finally coming to a close as well. Companies are starting to respond to our belt-tightening by selling us products and services that are made to last – made to simplify our lives instead of dazzle our eyes with new bells and whistles. (It seems our insatiable appetites bloated not only our bellies, but our IT budgets too.) Every time I buy software, I have a sinking feeling that I’ve just signed a deal with the devil. I’m adding more clutter to my system and I’m stuck in a trap of needing to constantly buy upgrades or else. When it comes right down to it – I don’t really care about how happy that software company is about the new features I may never need or even learn. I have work to do.
Many small and mid-sized businesses have been waiting on the technology sidelines until now, and I really don’t blame them. I hear stories every day about businesses that don’t want to take the plunge into automation because they don’t want to spend money on bloated software that will require major hardware upgrades. Even the term “automation” carries a stigma for some. But I believe this is the beginning of a new era. It’s not just a trend in operating systems. Integrated accounting systems are becoming simpler as well. Automation guarantees more control through company-wide dashboard views and brings us closer to our customer base, not further away. The need for bulky programs that require expensive hardware upgrades is also fading in the rear-view. Microsoft and Apple listened to the plea for streamlined simplicity. You might be surprised how many other companies are listening to us as well.
Learn more about this changing landscape from 1 to1 Media’s whitepaper -Peppers & Rogers Group: Getting Social, the Open Road to CRM 3.0
