For many organisations, IT is an afterthought.
Why? Because they don’t see the value in it. Most not for profits are trying to reduce costs in line with funding and don’t see the value in paying for quality IT systems and a qualified IT service provider.
What many don’t realise is that IT now plays a significant role in every organisation. IT is responsible for operations, reporting, communication and management.
But what if you could improve your staff's productivity by 20%?
I know productivity is important to your organisation - increased productivity means you can help more clients, give better service and more quickly achieve your mission.
So with that in mind, I wanted to share four ways you can improve productivity through better use of IT.
- Upgrade outgrown IT systems
- Proactive IT with managed services
- Mobility through cloud computing
- Leverage new software products
1. Upgrade the IT systems you have outgrown
Have you be band-aiding your IT systems for the last three years? Has your IT team been simply fixing the IT problems with quick solutions yet neglecting the underlying issues?
We have often seen small not for profits grow rapidly, particularly if they win a big contract or get an injection of funding. But requirements for these up and coming NFPs can quickly change, overwhelming the existing IT infrastructure.
Adding the occasional new computer or fixing small problems with band-aids is an okay temporary fix, but this often creates a melting pot of slow systems, software that doesn't talk to each other, and too many big Excel sheets.
This would be frustrating for you and your team because it affects productivity. To improve productivity and eliminate these recurring problems, I recommend you look strategically at ‘refreshing’ your IT platform. Ask your IT firm to take a step back and to design an IT environment that caters to your new requirements.
This will get rid of all the band-aid solutions that are holding you back and set you up for increased productivity in the future.
Related: Why are my IT systems so slow?
2. Take a proactive approach to IT with managed services
Managed services are a form of IT services that offer you a flat monthly fee to handle all your IT needs. The benefit of moving to managed services is that you pass on the IT responsibility to an IT provider who now has a vested interest in minimising your downtime and IT problems.
Why? Because this IT provider is not incentivised by billing you hours; instead they need to focus on making sure that your system runs efficiently with minimal problems. The fewer problems you have, the fewer resources are required to fix it.
And the more money they make, the more focused they are on reducing your support needs. See how it works? Their motive for efficiency benefits your organisation in the form minimised downtime and improved productivity for your team.
Oftentimes smaller not for profits are generally very reactive; if there is a problem, they call someoneand it gets fixed. The cost for this is often high, and it is often done at a surface level because the more problems you have, the more money your IT provider makes.
With managed services, you get an IT professional who reviews your organisation in a very systematic way. They will implement systems that are more proactive, driving down IT problems that inevitably drive up productivity.
3. Make use of mobility through cloud computing
Cloud computing has created an environment where your workforce can access your systems and information from anywhere. This leads to significant gains in productivity. Picture your team being able to access important information while on-site with a client. Now picture them filling out case notes in the car before returning to the office.
Mobility improves productivity for organisations who have multiple offices. Now everyone can get access to the important systems and information in one central location. Gone are the days of being restricted by location; you can leverage new cloud technologies to give your team the ability to work smarter and more efficiently.
4. Leverage new software products
There are software products that are specifically designed to improve productivity within your organisation. Products such as Microsoft Lync enables better communication through the use of a MSN-style messenger. This means no more lost group emails and a more efficient way of communication between your team.
Microsoft SharePoint is a solution that brings information together into one collaborative area so people can easily access and update the latest information. One feature of this product lets you utilise the cloud to store, edit and share documents.
Have you ever needed a colleague to edit a document? Now they can edit it with SharePoint all from the one existing copy - it even saves copies of previous versions so you can see what has changed.
Those are just two examples of software products that enable improved productivity for staff. Talk to your IT provider about other solutions that might be a good fit for your organisation.
Related: 3 collaboration tools that can improve productivity
Increase productivity of your not for profit organisation
IT is an enabler of productivity. With more and more of your organisation depending on IT to run efficiently, I recommend you ensure that your systems are running smoothly and leveraging new technology.
Take note of the tips and advice in this blog post to improve productivity within your organisation.
If you can save your staff five hours each week, how valuable would that be?
They could be spending those five hours helping your clients and delivering great service to the community.
Cloud computing is one way NFPs are improving productivity. Learn how you can too --- download our free Introductory Guide on Cloud Computing for Not for Profits.