Technology is designed to make things better. It should streamline operations, improve efficiency, and boost revenue. However, in many industries, technology often hits a snag. Systems are underutilized, digital solutions break with no easy fix, and tools promising great returns can disappoint.
Surprisingly, technology failures often are not due to bad tech. They stem from poor adoption, lack of real-time insights, and small issues growing into major inefficiencies. The good news is these problems can be fixed. Today, we’ll uncover a practical approach for leaders to ensure technology runs smoothly using just their workforce, a phone, email, and weekly meetings.
The Cost of Ignoring Small Technology Issues
Imagine a reporting system that no one fully understands. Or a mobile app that crashes frequently, but employees work around it instead of addressing the problem. A content management system might go unupdated, leading to outdated information reaching customers.
While these seem like minor inconveniences, they can silently diminish profitability, efficiency, and customer satisfaction when ignored for long. Here’s what typically happens:
- Small inefficiencies build up over time, creating expensive problems.
- Workarounds become routine, masking deeper issues.
- Leadership often notices too late, making fixes exponentially harder.
Successful leaders identify and address these problems early before they demand urgent attention.
Identifying and Fixing Technology Problems Before They Escalate
Organizations often use reports, analytics, and high-level meetings to assess performance, but issues may simmer unnoticed for weeks or months. Proactive leaders take a more direct approach by engaging with their teams to gather real insights.
Start with Direct, Open Questions to Your Workforce
Teams are often the first to notice technology failures. Do they have a straightforward way to report these issues efficiently? Instead of relying solely on reports, asking one simple question can be enlightening:
“What’s one daily tech issue that slows you down?”
This question can be posed through:
- Informal walks around different departments.
- Casual one-on-one calls with department leads.
- Setting aside a few minutes in weekly managers’ meetings.
Most workers already know what’s broken, outdated, or causing delays. They just need to be heard.
Real-World Impact:
In a past project, a self-service kiosk system had become unreliable. Employees had workarounds, so they didn’t formally report it. When customer complaints surged, management finally addressed it with a simple refresh script that automated a daily reset. This could have been resolved months earlier through one conversation.
Use the One-Call-Per-Day Method
You don’t need a complex system to stay on top of tech performance. The One-Call-Per-Day Rule empowers leaders to gather valuable insights by:
- Making a daily call to a department manager and asking, “What’s one recurring tech or process issue we should address?”
Why does this work?
- It empowers staff and makes room for their insights.
- Frontline input is prioritized, where inefficiencies are often most visible.
- It allows leadership to spot patterns early and act before issues escalate.
If the same problem comes up multiple times, it signals a bigger underlying issue.
Real-World Impact:
In another project, regular one-call check-ins revealed a content management system issue. Frontline teams reported being unable to update prices due to permissions issues. With leadership unaware, this willingly continued. A permissions fix and better workflow resolved it swiftly, saving weeks of unnoticed lost revenue.
Implement the “Stoplight Fix” for Faster Problem Resolution
Many tech problems persist because employees assume someone else is handling them. Workers need clarity on reporting issues promptly. The Stoplight Fix Method can simplify this:
- GREEN: Small issues the team can fix themselves. For example, if a screen isn’t updating, employees have a basic reset guide.
- YELLOW: Issues needing leadership attention like CMS permission barriers preventing updates.
- RED: Urgent issues requiring immediate IT or vendor support. Example: A complete payment processing failure.
With a clear process for classifying and escalating issues, they’re likely solved faster instead of being ignored.
Example from Real Life:
In a project involving real-time digital content displays, frequent system crashes puzzled the team. Initially thought to be hardware issues, it was due to the content management system generating oversized files. After optimizing file sizes, there was:
- 99.9% uptime stability.
- Fewer tech support calls.
- An 80% faster update process.
The takeaway? Tech problems might seem complex but often only need simple fixes if identified early.
What You Can Do This Week
If you’re leading operations and tech teams, these actions can keep technology efficient:
- Ask: “What’s one small recurring tech issue slowing us down?”
- Make one call per day: A quick check-in can reveal hidden inefficiencies.
- Clarify reporting: Ensure everyone knows how to escalate issues before they become disruptions.
Great operational challenges often aren’t solved through expensive upgrades. Listening to the right people and making small adjustments can compound into significant improvements.
Conclusion
The best organizations don’t just rely on technology. They focus on maintaining, optimizing, and troubleshooting continuously. Ignoring small issues can grow them into crises, but proactively finding and fixing them early is what sets efficient operations apart.
What’s a small operational issue you fixed that made a big difference?