When you think of the old software in your business, you might be thinking of the ones that are 8, 10, or even 15 years old. But are you thinking about the ones that are 2 or 3 years old?
On the surface, a 2-year-old software seems fine. There are a variety of areas in your business that need your attention, you think to yourself, but a 2-year-old software isn’t one of them.
How did you end up with software that hasn’t changed in 8 years, though? Because six years before it seemed fine and each year the software only got a little less effective.
Software ages, but not like fine wine. Instead, software that doesn’t change leads to all sorts of hidden expenses.
One example are the manual workarounds employees put in place to get their work done with the software that couldn’t keep up with the changes in your business.
Having employees that adapt to help your business succeed is great! Unfortunately, when it comes time to train someone new, manual workarounds can be overlooked during the training process.
Employees get so used to doing stuff outside of the software that it becomes something they don’t even think of. Now, that old software is leading to longer training times for new employees and potential quality issues stemming from missing manual steps.
Another example is finding someone that can maintain your old software.
If your old software has a shrinking group of programmers that are familiar with its programming language and hardware, those programmers can command a higher price to work on your software. Instead of making investments in software improvements an ongoing practice, you now have to spend far more to get it up to date.
Lastly, instead of thinking about increased costs, think about lost revenue.
You have a new idea for a new market. All your market research and planning tells you that it would be beneficial to move forward with the idea. Then you assess your existing software and realize that it needs to be adjusted to serve this new market. The older your software is, the more costly it will be to adapt it for your idea.
Don’t let these hidden expenses overwhelm you. Join us in a free planning session where we work with you to develop options that are uniquely tailored to your business. The end result is your software aligned perfectly with changes in your business.
