Gartner revealed an amazing statistic from a survey last year — 60% of technology buyers involved in purchasing or renewing software-as-a-service agreements regretted almost every buying decision they made.
The reasons they gave for their dissatisfaction ranged from frustrating buying experiences and poor communication to the sheer number of options they had to consider.
And to make the decisions harder, they cited longer buying cycles and an inability to manage conflicting objectives as significant factors.
[Related: Maximizing Technology Purchases: All-in-One vs. Best-in-Class Solutions]
The Need for an Effective Technology Strategy
Consider this: more than 1,500 businesspeople from companies with annual revenues of at least $50 million responded to the Gartner survey. Companies that large, you would think, would have a decision framework already baked into their buying decisions to support the managers who make large purchases. Apparently not.
What is clear is that regrets are abundant when companies don’t deploy effective strategic technology strategies.
Granted, few associations manage annual revenues of $50 million or more. But fortunately, creating effective strategies is a low-cost endeavor, and it can save thousands of dollars for even the smallest organization.
Here are five suggestions for creating your own effective technology strategy.
[Related: Understanding the Difference: AMS vs. CRM for Associations]
1. Tie Your Technology Strategy to Your Overall Strategy
With all the choices available in the technology marketplace, it’s easy to become overwhelmed.
We suggest that you start by reviewing the strategic plan for your association. Your strategic plan will inform your overall goals; and as you develop your technology strategy, you’ll add the technology pieces that will help you reach your goals.
For example, collaboration software may seem like a great idea to get sign off from all your team members — unless your team collaborates so much that they get bogged down with discussion and are unable ultimately to take action.
Likewise, if various departments don’t talk to each other, you might find that they duplicate efforts and spend more money on individual projects than is necessary. In this case collaboration software might be very useful to open lines of communication.
2. Evaluate What You Have
Conduct an assessment of your existing technology. It will help to know exactly where you are.
You can see whether you have any duplicated solutions that can be combined, old or ineffective solutions, or tools that just don’t serve staff or members all that well anymore.
With that knowledge, you can determine what it will take to move forward.
3. Talk to your team
Sometimes small but effective changes are overlooked in a large strategic plan. Your team members can tell you what changes and applications might make their jobs easier.
Often these technology upgrades are inexpensive but can make a huge difference in how productive your team is.
For example, using an app like Canva instead of the Adobe Creative Suite to design social media posts can make posting to a variety of platforms much quicker and easier.
[Related: How To Deliberately Create Space for Innovation at Your Association]
4. Define Your Needs
Keep in mind what you’re trying to accomplish. Once that’s established, you can begin to slot in the various technologies that will help you achieve your goals.
If something doesn’t help you get to your objectives, put it aside until later. This will help keep your decisions grounded in what you really need and will help you avoid emotional purchases.
[Related: 9 Tips and Tools for Successful Technology-Focused Project Management Within Associations]
5. Consider the Total Cost of Ownership
Often the initial purchase of new technology is only the beginning. Be sure to consider all the costs as you compare software, such as the cost of upgrades when new versions are released.
Sometimes new technology strains existing systems, requiring upgrades to run the new tech.
Security, training, after-sales support, maintenance and scalability expenses may also need to be included in the budget. And if you can’t prove that the tool has a legitimate return on investment, it may be time to look around for other options or process changes.
6. Ask for Expert Help When Needed
Technology consultants can be very helpful when you’re planning new initiatives or upgrading your existing systems.
As part of their jobs, they work closely with vendors and know what systems and functionality might work best in your situation.
Especially for large projects, they can save you time and money because you won’t have to examine all the technology on the market; they have already done the initial screening.
[Related: Benefits of Outsourcing for Your Organization]
Contact Dennison & Associates to Deploy an Effective Technology Strategy
Technology no longer exists in its own world. These days it is integral to everything an association does.
As you develop your strategic plans, be sure to add technology strategy to your planning, and make sure your top IT staff member is involved in strategic discussions. Knowing what technology will help you meet your association’s challenges makes responding in a rapidly changing world easier and more effective.
At Dennison & Associates, we want to help you determine what your technology needs are and how best to meet them. Request a consultation or contact Vanessa at vanessa@dennison-associates.com if you’d like to find out how.
Featured image via Pixabay
