Are You Overwhelmed By App Choices?
"An abundance of choices often leads to the scarcity of decisions." - Anonymous
Some of my friends are surprised that we have such an ordinary golf cart, given how much we love zooming around our neighbourhood on it and that our dog Tippet (my husband’s dog, actually...) is obsessed with it. It’s such a fun little thing for us that we rented one this winter when we were in Florida for the season. So why such a plain cart? Because we have tried to upgrade and every single time we walk out of shops completely overwhelmed by the choices. And the insanity of the prices!
It went like this:
Walk into the shop excited to grab ourselves a nice little upgraded cart
See some basic ones, a little more slicked out than ours, fairly expensive, so why not look at a four-seater
Check others with even more fun things like off-road tires and seatbelts; still outrageously expensive - for a golf cart - but we are loving these
Wander over to the really tricked-out ones, and it escalates from there until we are ogling $50,000 golf carts*
Leave sad that we can’t justify that kind of money for a golf cart and decide ours is just fine
Yes, you read that correctly - $50,000! For! A! Golf! Cart! 🤯
It’s not dissimilar to trying to add new tech and automation to our app stack. We want something a little more fun, with a few more features that will solve some issues, but the next thing we know, we are looking at too many options, become overwhelmed, and go back to what we have. This is fine for a golf cart that makes your dog happy, and your cooler fits on just fine. But probably not if you need to upgrade your firm’s systems. Especially if your tech stack looks like our landscaping equipment.
Tamping down app choice overwhelm.
Make a list of your main applications
List what they do for your firm
Chart how they integrate with each other
List the main woes in your firm’s technology
List the wins you are experiencing with your technology
Vet the list to see where you have holes and what technology verticals would help solve the issues
Make a short list of three apps in each vertical that you need to add a new app to
Within the shortlist you have vetted, make a list of the key features and options
Demo and/or trial the apps, ask in community groups and chats how folks feel about your choices
Make sure you check for fit & finish, UX/UI, and the like so you know you will be comfortable in the tech to increase adoption and implementation
Run the ROI on cost vs benefit
Be wary - your firm has unique needs.
One person's favourite or least favourite may not line up for you, but it’s still good to get a few user opinions. Just keep in mind it’s not about whether your friends and colleagues are excited about something; it’s about whether the tech:
Improves a process you have
Solves a problem you have
Won’t distract you more than it will provide benefits
Will move you forward
Will be fun - you know, like a Streamdeck
Ensure you are covering key technology verticals.
To communicate
Internally and with clients
To create and manage recurring, project and out-of-scope work
To gather and vet information
Internally and with clients
To get work done - service delivery, like, say, actual accounting ;-}
To share
Internally and with clients
To schedule time and work
Of course, there is waaaaay more that goes into solidifying a tech stack that rocks your firm, but being intentional about what you need and want is a great start.
And a final little thought: Are you overwhelming your clients with choices? Take a peek at your offerings and how you present them - as if you were buying a golf cart.
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Seven Simple Systems For Security Strength
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
1:00 PM 2:00 PM
Data and device safeguarding measures you can implement - right now.
As more and more processes and documentation become cloud-based and collaborative, security systems among stakeholders are a must-have. It is essential for your business and your clients’ businesses.
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*I’ll tell you the other thing that I can’t get over - the cost of pontoon and ski boats, even used ones. It’s insane! It makes $50,000 golf carts look like a steal. All of these are way more than the depreciated value of my very nice car!
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