Could working with outdated technology be costing businesses more than we realise? With almost every business using tech, when it becomes outdated and slow, frustration is just the tip of the iceberg.
You’ve logged on, made a coffee, checked your e-mails and opened up your accounting software, then the dreaded pop-up appears – ‘new update needed’. You deliberate, but decide leaving the update would be foolish, so you click update, pick up your phone and start scrolling until your computer is ready for use. How often does this scenario play out at your desk? Or your colleagues’ desk? How often do you find yourself waiting for a program to open, or the spinning wheel of doom appears in place of your cursor?
We estimate that an employee at an average accountancy firm wastes around 2.5 hours every week! That is a huge amount of time, and money, wasted on IT and not on billable time.
The Facts
The costs of technology can be detrimental to the productivity of the firm, with research suggesting the average office worker spends at least 24 days of work every year waiting on IT – that’s longer than most workers’ annual leave allowance! And when time is considered one of the most valuable currencies a company has – especially when you bill clients by the hour – losing minutes to IT every day soon adds up!
Tech troubles such as computer updates can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 24 hours, with contributory factors such as internet speed, age of the machine and storage space on your hard drive affecting the time of the updates. Opening software and programmes all take time, and when they fail, slow down, or freeze mid-task – we know we’re in for a frustrating day. In fact, according to a study carried out by Curry’s, it is believed that 1 in 5 workers regularly lose focus due to slow tech and 1 in 10 say that regular problems make them want to quit their job.
We’ve come to realise that using tech isn’t straightforward, and the need to keep it up to date is of the upmost importance – especially when dealing with client data. Improving IT efficiency can keep your business running optimally with less downtime for your employees, boosting morale and efficiency. And with the rise of remote working, equipping employees with the tools to get the job done, from the comfort of their own homes, means investing in up-to-date tech to minimise downtime and maximise efficiency.
What can we do
The realisation of this loss of work time made us think about what we could do to help our customers save time and money on their IT. As a result, Mark Flynn, Computer Care’s strategic advisor specialising in IT solutions for the accounting sector, has created a free webinar for accounting firms to join. These webinars are designed to add value to accountancy firms by introducing them to Mark’s ROI model and top IT tips to save time, and money. Utilising Mark’s model and tips, the average 50-user accountancy firm should save around £350,000 per year! That’s around £7,000 per employee wasted on IT each year. So, if you’re an accountancy firm, big or small, join Mark for just 45 minutes to learn how to bring these savings to your business.
Follow the link to our webinar sign-up page:-
