As we get ready to ring in a new year, you’ll be setting new goals, making new plans, and establishing new normals as we move forward.
For some, that means they’ll copy/paste their IT plans from years past, with a few tweaks to reflect some of the changes made this year.
But as we know, there was nothing “normal” about 2020. With all that happened during the past twelve months, not recognizing how it will impact your 2021 and beyond can put you even more at risk.
Take your help desk, for example. Having access to a help desk is designed to keep your technology operating smoothly. Now that you have people working from many different locations using all kinds of devices, many of your old rules might not apply anymore. Have you taken that into account with your 2021 plan?
Define your help desk goals
Defining your help desk goals may seem obvious, and yet a lot of people simply carry forward their technology goals from year to year without thinking about the changes that have occurred. How much have you changed this year? It’s time to look at your requirements from the ground up. Define your new normal. What does your team need now? Be sure you create a plan that covers how your employees work now, while being conscious of how you might grow and change in the coming months as things open back up. Be flexible, and be willing to change. Make sure you cover growth.
Focus on people, not IT
Your goal should always be to minimize downtime. When employees are scattered around your community, possibly around the world, it’s more challenging to focus on individual needs. That can leave employees without the ability to work, unsure of the proper protocol to move forward. Touch base with your employees regularly. Find out what they need - ask. The only way to make your process more efficient is if you monitor it continually.
Stop using the industry as your benchmark
This is no longer about how well you do according to industry standards, or even how well you measure up to competition. The new normal will have you doing what’s best for you, your employees, and for customer expectations. What will help your employees be more efficient? What will keep your customers happy? If you focus on those two things, you’ll have a stronger business base in 2021.
Don’t use 2020 as your starting point
Human nature likes making things easy. As people set up goals and update their yearly strategies, it’s only natural to use the previous year’s plans as a starting point. But so much has changed, there may be little of it that still applies anymore. This may be the perfect time to dream big. Use those dreams to build a new approach to how you do business. That might mean new technology, new programs, new platforms, new work environments. How can you support your team to get the job done?
Reassess your 2020 metrics
It’s always a good idea to build your future plans around the strengths and weaknesses of the last year’s metrics. If you aren’t sure where to start, or how to analyze your data, find someone to help. Your team may be working in a new environment. While they may love working from home, they don’t have co-workers to rely on to ask basic questions. They’re figuring out more on their own. Are they doing it the right way? Do they have the support they need to make decisions and get things done to benefit your bottom line?
The new normal is here. How are you building your help desk goals for 2021 and beyond?
For IT Strategy, Cloud Conversion, or Help Desk Services reach out to us at Silver Linings Technology 360-450-4759.
