Don’t Believe All the ROI Geek Speak You Hear

You want a return on your investment for business technology, right? Well, it’s not as simple as “buy the thing and profit.” Today, we’re looking at why you can’t always rely on information about modern IT solutions and how you can simplify your tech decisions to align with your business goals.

Why Is ROI So Difficult?

Really, it stems from the way some providers talk about their goods and services.

Jargon Sounds More Impressive than It Really Is

More often than not, big words and corporate speech say a lot without actually saying anything of value. Unfortunately, IT as a market is chock-full of jargon, and it is tough to parse through it all to find the value of the solution. A provider should speak to you clearly and articulately so you can see the value of your investment; otherwise, it’s just another barrier to your success.

Some Providers Can’t See the Benefits of Their Features

Providers often fail to express the value of what they offer in context, which means they end up listing off a bunch of features without communicating how they impact you and your business.

It’s Tough to Prove a Negative, i.e. Prevented IT Issues

This one’s tricky; after all, if IT issues have been prevented, then there’s nothing to prove that the service is valuable. Look at the health insurance industry for an example of this in action. It feels like a waste of money if you go months or years without needing surgery, then, all of a sudden, it becomes quite apparent why you invest in it. It’s a formula that makes ROI difficult to measure.

Businesses Are Catching Up

Businesses often wait until they’re experiencing an issue to bother investing in new IT solutions. This results in a greater perceived ROI. However, there are other approaches that can more accurately gauge how much money you’re spending (and saving) with your IT solutions, like proactive monitoring and maintenance.

Here’s How You Evaluate Your Prospective IT Provider

We recommend that you use the “elevator pitch” approach when you are in the market for an IT provider. If a provider can’t sum up the value in what you’re buying in 30-to-60 seconds, they either don’t know enough about the services for you to make an informed decision by hiring them, or they’re not good at communicating their value.

Here’s what you can keep an eye out for when considering ROI and technology service providers:

Make Sure They Care About Your Goals and Outcomes

• Risk mitigation or reduction: There are a ton of serious threats out there these days, so make sure your provider is prepared to discuss how they keep your business safe.
  • “Adding multi-factor authentication to your processes can help prevent as many as 95% of phishing attacks.”
• Impact on efficiency and productivity: Does the provider communicate reasonable and attainable metrics, and do they have a process for making it happen?
  • “By automating these processes, each member of your team will save about two and a half hours each week, allowing that time to be reallocated.”
• Business growth: A good provider will want to see your business experience growth, especially as they help you carry out your goals and achieve outcomes.
  • “Using a customer relationship management platform can help boost your sales forecast accuracy by about 40%, allowing you to better stay on target.”
• Cost reductions and savings: The provider should have your best interests in mind, and they should be vocal about your organization taking full advantage of the value they offer.
  • “By switching to cloud-hosted services, your operational costs could decrease by 23% annually.”

We’ll Help You Optimize for ROI

Alright, time to put my money where my mouth is. Here’s my “elevator pitch” to you:

• Our proactive approach enables you to invest in your continuity, saving on downtime costs, repair expenses, and maintaining a better business reputation.
• We keep you up-to-date on the state of your IT through regular reporting, and we’re always ready to discuss strategies with you.
• Rather than implementing the same IT across the board, we take the time to get to know your business and its specific needs, ensuring that your unique challenges are addressed.
• Working with us is a partnership, built on openness and mutual growth.

How does that sound? Let’s schedule a chat so we can learn more about how to support your business’ goals. Learn more today by reaching out at 631-905-9617.