Finding The Right Technical Advice
In recent blogs, I have addressed the importance of building and maintaining a quality communication system both inside and outside your business. Technology plus communications is the glue if you will that not only holds your business together but allows it to grow and prosper. When it comes to communications in today’s business, technology is the key. Technology, its selection, implementation and maintenance is a determining factor in your company’s ability to compete and expand.
One of the major challenges when dealing with technology is to simply understand it and how it can best work for your business. Many of us have a broad or simple understanding, but very few of us have the time, inclination, background and or necessary skill to really properly evaluate what can and will work for our company. Therefore, the need to engage with outside advisors or experts is a necessity. The selection of the right advisor for your business thus becomes a very important undertaking for you as the company’s owner. Your willingness to engage and outsource the role of technology guru in your company will be one of the most important business decisions you make in the history of your business.
The place to start looking for your own technology advisor is with your IT service company. Your IT service company should be able to help you at the very least put together a plan for IT needs. In some cases, they will have the ability and expertise to help you develop your entire communication
plan. The IT component of your communication plan is at the core of the overall plan. Therefore it, is not a big leap for a ‘smart’ IT advisor to have the skill and ability to connect the dots if you will for the overall plan.
If your IT service company is not up to the task of advising you on the entire communication plan then you can look for a communication consultant who is more of a generalist. As is the case when hiring any outside consultant, you should thoroughly check their background, resume and especially their business references. In the face to face interview pay attention on how well they understand how your company works and communicates. Once you select someone then you need to be comfortable and confident enough to trust them with your all-important communication system.
At this point, you are almost ready to finalize the selection of a technical advisor. You need to determine how much you are willing to spend and the terms of your arrangement with the advisor. To learn more of how to complete the selection of this all-important position then please tune in to The Weekly Business Hour on Monday February 26th from 11:00am – 12:00pm CST on www.irlonestar.com , the Lone Star Community Radio app, or on Conroe City Radio at FM 104.5 & FM106.1.
You can also find the podcast of the show (posted on Wednesday February 28th ) by going to The Weekly Business Hour page on www.irlonestar.com or on Facebook to The Weekly Business Hour page: https://www.facebook.com/theweeklybusinesshour. The podcasts are also posted weekly on Wednesdays on YouTube on The Weekly Business Hour channel and on other social media outlets such as Stitcher, Google Play and ITunes.
I invite your questions or comments. Please email me at [email protected] and I will respond immediately.