With economic conditions and the ever increasing demand for cost savings, many companies are trying to determine how to cut budgets, yet somehow increase productivity at the same time. While it’s tempting to put a halt on refreshing computer hardware systems, some organizations are realizing that support and maintenance costs increase significantly over time and that employee productivity suffers with older hardware that runs slowly or crashes frequently.  Seeking to equip employees with the tools to improve productivity and continuing to deliver award-winning customer service may cost a little more up front, but the results manifest themselves in increased revenue. 

In my 20+ years of experience, there are 2 challenges faced by internal IT groups in companies today:

• Customer Service – Professionals need high performance to run advanced applications so they can serve their customers most effectively.
• Productivity – For services firms particularly, maximizing employee productivity and billable hours provides a path to higher revenues.

To address these challenges, a simple philosophy can be followed:  Hire the best people and give them the best tools.  Technology cannot fail on the job. 

If we don’t have the technology to offer distinctive client service in an efficient and timely way, then clients end up taking their business elsewhere.  The more IT can empower the business to be on top of technology…the better.  That’s how IT delivers strategic value.

One solution that has been very effective in my book has been the implementation the following:

• Laptop and desktop leasing instead of purchasing
• Implementing better and faster technology (i.e. solid state drives, increased RAM, and quicker processors)
• Adding data encryption asset tracking software to the endpoint platform

Leasing systems and refreshing assets after two years is both a money-saver and a productivity enhancer.  Higher residual values at the end of the lease save cost over multi-year depreciation.  In addition, a company can realize all the advantages of the latest technologies, and IT doesn’t have to deal with the failures that occur with older systems.  Relying on old computer hardware can be counter-productive.  The better the technology is, the better the applications run, the happier people are with their jobs, the more productive they are, and the more likely they are to stick around.

Implementing newer, and faster hardware also drives productivity and customer satisfaction.  Although more is spent on the newer, faster technology up front, cost savings are realized on the back-end.  I found that we were able to save about $627 per user during our 2-year lease cycle due boosted laptop speed,  increased user productivity,  and reduction in drive and other component failure. 

For example, our imaging process was able to be reduced from 6 hours down to less than 90 minutes.  Outlook would open as much as six times faster.  Opening large databases quicker saved hours of billable time over the life of an engagement.

Response by internal customers to the implementation of new and better hardware has been tremendous.  In my case, satisfaction scores were boosted from a 6.2 to 8.1 on a 10-point scale.  During a pilot with performance-hungry professionals, one commented:  “I love this new laptop. It is so fast, and I can’t believe how much more I can get done. I don’t have to give it back at the end of our pilot, do I?” Another was even more emphatic: “You’ll have to pry this laptop out of my hands to get it back.”

Implementing security measures such as data encryption and asset tracking software is a huge cost saving measure as well as a data security policy that gives customers (both internal and external) peace of mind.  Security is a huge concern because client data on user laptops and desktops.  If a machine is lost or stolen, it is very comforting to know that the data is secure.  The cost to the company should client data be compromised could be astronomical.  In addition, through asset tracking, when it pops up on the grid it can be found and recovered.  It’s nice knowing that through the processes I oversee, that our data is safe, and that we manage over $6 million in leased assets and have a < 1% loss rate.

IT should not simply be into technology for technology’s sake, but if a company doesn’t have the technology to offer distinctive client service in an efficient and timely way, then clients end up taking their business elsewhere.  The more IT can empower the business to be on top of technology and to do what they need, the better.  That’s how IT delivers productivity and strategic value.