Technology is an asset to any business. Advertising, accounting, payroll, scheduling, purchasing, you name it. Everything we do “back at the office” has been made easier thanks to personal computers, the Internet, software, GPS, smartphones, apps, etc.
But we tend to take technology for granted. We get lazy, take the easy way out, or don’t take time to read the fine print. And the results of our lackadaisical treatment of technology can be scary. We risk identity theft, the loss of crucial information, a ruined reputation, costly repairs, wasted time or the loss of customers to competitors who are more tech savvy.
Here are seven scary technology mistakes small business people frequently make, and how to avoid them. Some are mistakes in how technology is used; others are mistakes in how technology is maintained.
1. Ignoring what you’ve created
Somewhere along the line, inspired by an article you read, your website builder or your teenaged son, you started a blog for your business. Your goal was to use technology to educate the blog-reading public about your industry through stunning prose. You came out of the gate fast, posting new entries daily, then weekly, then monthly. Now, the most current post to your blog was added in 2009. Some business owners do the same thing with Facebook. They create a Facebook page for their business because someone told them it was the tech-savvy thing to do, but then they never complete it, or seldom post. The page just gives people who stumble upon it the message that this company doesn’t finish what it starts or doesn’t understand technology.
Setting up a blog or a Facebook page isn’t the end of social networking, but rather it’s the beginning. People won’t just want to be a fan because you put “like us on Facebook” on the bottom of every email and invoice. There has to be something there for them. If you are guilty of blog neglect or Facebook apathy, recommit to it. If you know in your heart you’ll never devote the time to keeping it current, delegate the task to someone else or shut it down.
2. Breaking the rules
So, your business has more than 1,000 “likes” on Facebook. What if all those fans suddenly disappeared? It’s possible if you are not following the rules. Facebook reserves the right to reject or remove pages violating its rules. And you may not get any warning. One of the biggest violations is setting up a business as a personal profile page instead of a business page. Facebook also has strict rules regarding contests and advertising on a business page. Tagging people in pictures without permission may also get you in trouble. There are a lot more rules – and they are frequently updated – which you can read about on Facebook.
3. Too much broadcasting
This isn’t so much a dangerous mistake as it is a turnoff. If all the content on your website and Facebook page contains sentences starting with the word “we,” and expounding about how wonderful your company is, you may be turning customers off. More and more, people expect websites and social networking sites to be interactive. You’ve got to make it just as much about the customer as it is about the company. Much of today’s technology is a two-way street.
4. Neglecting negative feedback
If your website or social networking page is as interactive as it should be, there is a risk of negative feedback. The Internet may be a customer’s first line of communication, and Internet users expect quick responses to their posts and queries, especially if they have a bone to pick. If you don’t respond in a timely manner (think minutes or hours, not days or weeks) you risk losing their favor and/or future business. It also looks bad to anyone who visits the site and sees the negative comment just hanging out there with no response. And it’s not just fan growth that will suffer from this approach — it may also hurt your relationship with existing customers. Dealing with a complaint head-on in a polite manner, however, can actually build good will.
5. Not taking security seriously
You’ve seen the horror stories of identity theft on TV; why do you think it can’t happen to your company? Start protecting your data by training employees not to click on suspicious antivirus or security pop-ups, which can lead to malware or phishing sites. It will also help to choose a single antivirus application to install on every computer in your office.
Set antivirus software to run a scan after any software updates and make sure the operating system’s firewall is enabled. A firewall prevents outsiders from accessing data on a private network.
Requiring employees to set strong passwords is another effective precaution. Strong passwords contain letters, numbers and symbols. Employees should also be required to change passwords every three months and only be given access to the specific data systems they need for their jobs. Don’t allow employees to install any software without permission.
If you have a Wi-Fi network for your workplace, make sure it is locked. And if employees work from home, insist their home systems are protected by a firewall.
Mobile devices loaded with confidential information or with access to the corporate network should also be password protected. And remember Internet-enabled devices like smartphones require security updates, too.
6. Not updating software
Ignoring your software can cause problems with its functionality and its security.Think of it like a car that needs occasional maintenance to run smoothly. Updating is easy with software like Windows because you can simply turn on automatic updates and then it downloads and installs patches and other updates whenever they are available. With other programs however, you have to periodically check for updates. Don’t just think about your own software and no one else’s, however. If you’ve got several desktop computers in your office being used by a variety of people, updating everybody’s software at the same time will ensure smooth transferring of information.
