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5 Things to Remember in the New Year
Written by Tim Ancona on December 27, 2011, 6:10 pm
2011 has been a year of transition and continued growth in the technology industry, but then, so is every year these days. The question then is not just “what has changed” but, even more important, “how do these changes relate to my business” and “how should I respond?”
Some of the hottest topics of 2011 include reporting, business intelligence, social media, and, probably the hottest, moving to the cloud. We’ve also seen many developments in the IT service management and customer relationship management fronts, especially ways in which these operations can be moved to the cloud via web-based applications, also known as Software as a Service (SaaS).
Being that Ticomix has services and products in virtually each of these categories, there is much I could blog about in relation to each one. Instead, I’d like to suggest a few key habits to remember (or begin) as we move into 2012 and things continue to change around us.
- Create meaningful relationships. One thing evolving technology can never replace is the need for personal, meaningful relationships with our teams and our clients. E-mails, web pages, social media and the like are all good for getting the word out, but meaningful relationships happen at the personal level. I’ve committed in 2012 to getting and staying in front of more clients to find out where their greatest needs lie and what things my company can do to help make their business run smoother and more profitably.
- Pick up the phone. This is part of creating meaningful relationships, but often gets overlooked among today’s multiple means of digital communication. People’s inboxes get crowded and in-person meetings can be tough to schedule. But a simple, personal phone call can be just what the doctor ordered to keep a relationship strong and discover areas in need of improvement.
- Make technology the servant, not the master. It’s a constant challenge to put technology to use, rather than letting it use us. Just one example is turning off things like e-mail and social media alerts (on phones as well as computers), as they can be the biggest distraction to focused work or an important conversation. Instead, make appointments to check in when it works for you.
- Automate wherever possible. As a continuation of the last point, keep in mind that automation is the single most important reason for technology (at least it supposed to be). While all technologies don’t necessarily make sense for all companies, you can still take an inventory of your workflow and processes and, wherever you find frequently repeated tasks, farm them out to technology. If you’re not sure how, I suggest connecting with your technology partner to help you identify tasks eligible for automation (sorry, I couldn’t resist the plug).
- Take measured risks. Let’s face it: growth involves risk.Ticomix has certainly had its fair share of measured risk-taking in 2011 as we completed three key acquisitions and recalibrated several areas of our business. In fact, I would largely attribute our continued years of success to our willingness to explore new opportunities. As the pace of change accelerates I believe the best preparation is flexibility and adaptability, both of which involve risk.
Here’s to the new year that’s upon us and the many new opportunities that lie ahead!
About Tim Ancona
Tim Ancona is the President/CEO of Ticomix. He founded the company in 2000, and has since established both Ticomix and himself as a leader in personalized, attentive customer service, with a global profile in the technology industry. Through various industry leadership positions, Tim has had the unique opportunity to not only grow his own enterprise, but also to help literally thousands of other businesses and organizations grow their bottom line through effective use of technology and software solutions.
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