Directive Blogs

The holiday season can be a busy (and lucrative) time for businesses, but that’s only if your network can handle the increased traffic. A network that buckles under the weight of more traffic than usual can cost you in sales. How do you address this issue so you don’t miss opportunities to make money?

You can start with these five fixes.

Did you know that, in physics, regardless of how much time, sweat, and energy you put into pushing a boulder, if it doesn’t move, the “work done” is seen as zero? The same is true in business… at the end of the day, your investment in your organization and its people is only worthwhile if you see results.

So, you need to ask yourself: how much work are your team members actually getting done? Are they moving the boulder, or are they just trying a lot but not actually making any progress? Let’s examine what often leads to this kind of stagnant struggle and how you can fix it.

You invested in technology to support your business, spending time and money to acquire and implement it. What happens if that technology turns out to be a lemon… a high-priced item that’s ultimately a dud, or at the very least doesn’t mesh with your future plans?

This is often the result when tech is purchased to fix a short-term issue without a long-term strategy, and ultimately means that the purchaser loses money and productivity due to incompatibility issues. Alternatively, planning a strategic roadmap for your IT to follow helps ensure your investments actually advance your business’ future.

There are a bunch of shortcuts that most (if not all, at this point) of us should already know… cut, copy, paste, new tab, things like that. These are the basics. However, if you really want to show off for the boss—blowing them away with your efficiency and professionalism—some more advanced options are also handy to know.

Let’s go over some shortcuts to take advantage of:

One of the most valuable, and often squandered, resources in the modern workplace is time. In the course of our IT management role, we frequently observe bright, capable employees who are nonetheless trapped in cycles of inefficiency. It's not usually a lack of motivation; it's a lack of effective strategy.

Wasted time doesn't just hurt the bottom line; it causes stress, delays important projects, and prevents you from focusing on truly meaningful work.

One of the core responsibilities of a manager is to get the best work done efficiently. It's not just about delegating; it's about strategic assignment. It is often the key to unlocking both peak employee performance and maximum return on the company's dollar. Poorly assigned tasks can lead to confusion, rework, burnout, and wasted time. This month, we thought we’d share our proven framework for assigning tasks that truly get the most out of your employees' time and the company's money.

Small and medium-sized businesses are continuously grappling with the complexities of their supply chain. If you're trying to compete with industry giants, the right technology is more accessible and affordable than ever. This month, we will go into some of the ways you can make your supply chain more efficient.

Business is already complicated enough without having to remember all of your passwords. Unfortunately, logins and sign-ons are a necessary part of operations, and without them, work isn’t going to get anywhere. All that said, there is a solution to the problem of having too many accounts with too many unique credentials, and it all starts by asking a simple question.

Congratulations! After a long and arduous interview process, you’ve found the ideal candidate for your business. They’re enthusiastic and experienced, but as soon as they sit down, they realize that they aren’t properly equipped to do their job.

This is precisely how to start a new hire on the wrong foot. Not only is it discouraging for them, but it is also expensive for you. While it may be tempting to blame individuals in these situations, they actually indicate a systemic shortcoming in your onboarding process. The only effective way to prevent these outcomes is to create procedures that ensure everyone on your team—new people included—can fully contribute.  

The average email inbox can easily become packed with so many unwanted messages… not necessarily spam, per se, but threads and feeds you’re just no longer interested in. Fortunately, there are capabilities baked into Gmail and Microsoft Outlook alike that allow you to remove these messages from your concern.

Do you feel like you’re walking a tightrope between getting things done and maintaining the security of your network and data? You’re not alone. Ultimately, we’re all trying to be as productive as possible, and we want to use all the cool collaboration tools, work from anywhere, and get things done fast.

There’s a specific stress that comes from the disconnect between the money you invest in your business IT and the value that comes back from it. Sure, you know what the money is being spent on… but that’s a far cry from knowing how these investments are shifting the needle.

Let’s discuss the importance of understanding what your IT is telling you and when you need to demand more information… politely, of course.

No one likes the feeling of being plugged into work all the time. Not even the most diligent employees will appreciate receiving an email after hours. Yet despite this feeling, there’s an unspoken expectation that you are always on, so to speak, especially with the advent of mobile technology and remote work. How can you prevent these issues from escalating into burnout?

Synergy. Paradigm shift. Disruption. There are so many buzzwords saturating modern business jargon nowadays, including and especially “digital transformation.”

Unfortunately, “digital transformation” sounds big and, worse, expensive… especially for our small and medium-sized business neighbors. We wanted to step in and assure you that this is not the case and that any business can benefit from it, provided it is approached correctly and mindfully.

Has this ever happened to you?

It’s late, a long day of work behind you, but you’re finally home and able to relax. Just as you get comfortable, your phone dings. You glance at your phone. It’s a work email… and if you’re like most, you’ll be itching just to check it and get it over with. The problem is, each time you do so, you whittle away the line between work and the rest of your life. This “always on” impression our technology provides has contributed to a few significant issues. 

Let’s see if we can address these issues.

Productivity is one of the most common business goals today, with many doing everything they can to optimize it. In fact, today is officially World Productivity Day, highlighting the significant importance placed on this specific metric.

Despite this, productivity can often feel unattainable… regardless of how busy one is throughout the day. Let’s fix that and consider three habits that will greatly support your work and help make the most of your time.

Many—we’d go so far as to say most, at some times—businesses have a pretty concrete view of the role that their IT plays in operations: cost center, money pit, necessary evil.

Something we’ve realized, however, is that these impressions are simply warning signs that a business’ technology strategy and approach need some attention. Let’s identify three signs that might be all too familiar to you, and address what can be done to change course and help turn your IT into a contributing part of your overall productivity.

Every business owner understands the concept that time is money, but are you one of the few who know exactly how and where it is chipping away at your bottom line? One thing that is often cited is productivity, or often, the lack thereof. We believe that understanding these numbers is the first step to mastering them.

Nothing is more frustrating than when technology should work, but doesn’t for any number of reasons. Of course, it’s also expensive when your technology doesn’t work, which means you’re incurring costs during this downtime period. Today, we want to address the consequences of downtime and what you can do about it to minimize its impact on your business.

You see it everywhere, again and again: how much return an investment into proper business technology will bring, with little to no context behind these claims. We want to fix that.

Let’s examine why so much information about modern IT options can be less than helpful, and see if we can’t clarify what it means. Simplifying tech for the businesses we work with is one of our primary goals, after all.