Technology: Making connections and providing insights in every industry

Have you ever been involved in a scenario similar to the following?

• After an appointment at a local hospital, a patient’s MRI scan is sent confidentially, electronically, and instantaneously to the health clinic you manage. The patient is now scheduling an appointment for follow-up care, and it will occur the same afternoon. You have just added a patient to your practice through a simplified, secure process.
• Your closest manufacturing competitor has just dropped its highest-volume product line. Why would they drop a profitable product? Have you been assuming it has been profitable for them all along? Is this good news for you, or do they know something you don’t?
• A customer walks in the door at your bank to deposit a check. The teller opens their client account dashboard, and the system informs the teller of a next-best offering because of the high balance in the customer’s non-interest bearing account. A new lead is created, and a personal banker is notified to contact the customer regarding the opportunity.

All of these situations are possible when software and systems are in place so your business can take immediate action. Your bank teller has a readily available database at her fingertips, populated with personal and account information about your customers; your manufacturing competitor invested in enterprise resource planning software that revealed they had an unprofitable production line; your health care clinic was fed crucial patient information from the local hospital via a secure networking application process.

Countless stories such as these exist in your business environment today, and many more will surface in the near future. If you have neglected to pay attention to disruptive technology trends in your industry, there’s good news: Today is not too late to start. You may prefer to be the first one “on board” to adopt a cutting-edge application, or you may want to wait for proven results before implementing a new process.  The fact remains that technology can be a game changer for you. The key is to stay educated and informed.  

I encourage everyone to read trade journals, follow technological breakthroughs in your field, and subscribe to related technology publications. Open a dialogue with a trusted technology advisor.  Many solutions have low startup costs and will quickly make a strong positive impact on your business. Staying current allows you to stay competitive. Discover how technology can enable your organization to reach its goals and prepare your business for the future.