How your outdated systems are holding you back
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
Benjamin Franklin might have uttered these words in the 1700s, but it still rings true, even in the vastly different landscape of the digital age.
There have always been those who are slow to react to change – and with technological advancements constantly pushing the world forward, it’s so important to ensure you’re ahead of the curve, not behind it.
So, what’s the simplest way to start?
In our experience, ensuring your systems are regularly updated is a crucial first step – otherwise, you could find yourself and your organisation being held back over the simplest of issues.
But what if business is booming? Why invest in a new system? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – right?
Wrong. That’s a mantra that doesn’t really work in the world of technology. New versions and generations of software means that systems that used to be state-of-the-art just a few years ago are left broken and outdated once global updates are rolled out.
This impacts directly on your business growth; there are dozens of opportunities you could be missing out on by remaining with antiquated systems. Read on if you want to discover a few of them…
Customer experience
Customer experience expectations are always rising. According to research from Deloitte, 88% of companies prioritise customer experience in contact centres now.
But what can you do to improve customer experience? Digital proactivity is key.
On the front-end, intuitive UI/UX design and features like customer portals enables users to navigate apps and websites in a smoother fashion, leaving your antiquated customer experience facilities where they belong.
No longer do people simply search for a company from their desktop – this is why it’s so important to invest in multi-channel servicing, especially mobile.
Indeed, around 54% of all Internet traffic comes from mobile devices, according to StatCounter. Super Office say that the most common reasons for complaints with mobile services are down to difficulties navigating and displaying a website, slow load speeds and unhelpful search results.
If you don’t satisfy these demands, it will lead to churn and you can lose out on valuable business. This is why you need to invest in a system that meets modern-day users – but let’s not forget the back-end, which has to do all the heavy lifting once users engage with you.
Out of date systems can leave processes slow, vulnerable and prone to error, while those shiny new features experience bugs and lag. If you want to provide top customer experiences, you need to address the foundations they’re built on. Speaking of which…
Security
It’s impossible to be completely safe from cyber threats, but the older your system is, the more vulnerable you are to attack.
According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, 88% of consumers base their decision on whether to share their personal information based on how much they trust the company.
In the era of GDPR, it’s more important than ever to ensure the confidentiality and protection of the personal (sometimes highly sensitive) details of your customers. Not doing so is a huge betrayal of trust.
If your systems are incapable of processing such data, it’s time to invest in upgrades that can handle today’s regulations and new standards – even a new system if required.
Productivity
Productivity is something all businesses aim to increase. But this isn’t just about boosting the good, it’s also about reducing the bad – namely, reducing non-value added time. Legacy systems are a common culprit where this is concerned.
Data Science Central says that modernising your system can reduce your production costs by as much as 500%, while a study from The Access Group states that 48% of employees waste three hours or more per day due to inefficient systems.
Legacy systems often create the need for workarounds that will ultimately mask a problem within your system. When this happens, only a few of your staff members may know how to solve a problem.
The benefit of refreshing your system is clear to see here, which is why you should keep outdated systems in the past.
Cost
According to ITProPortal, 60-80% of IT budgets are spent on maintaining the legacy systems of an organisation. That’s a huge chunk of budget just to keep the wheels turning on outdated tech!
Your cost will be dictated by the complexity of your build – but this investment means your organisation can save huge amounts of money in the long run, redirecting IT maintenance budgets into areas that will push your organisation forwards and seek to create better experiences for your customers and colleagues.
How can you unleash the shackles of legacy systems holding you back?
These examples are just the tip of the iceberg.
Fixing and replacing your systems can move you from paper-based clunky systems to proactive, automated and real-time data that can track analytics and drive your business or organisation forward.
AI and predictive analytics can help you devise product strategy and grow your organisation, dramatically improving employee productivity at the same time.
And these systems don’t have to cost the earth; if great tech has a solid solution foundation, maintenance costs can be kept to a minimum.