Have You Tried Turning It Off and Back On Again?

Do you ever feel like your computers have minds of their own? Do you sometimes think the machines might outsmart you? Do you or your staff spend lots of effort entering bookkeeping transactions or re-writing nearly identical proposals? Would you have trouble finding the details about a transaction that took place last year, much less six or seven years back? Are the whereabouts or activities of your sales staff a mystery, or do you lack even a clue how to support them? Are you certain that your company’s data is backed-up somewhere? Good, but if you needed to retrieve it would you know where to start? Do you even have time left over to run your business?

If you’re struggling with similar questions, lucky for you that all is not lost – even though a vaccine isn’t yet widely available. My friend Dan Taylor offers solutions to many of these nagging questions that keep you awake at night. Dan understands that the biggest challenges facing most business owners are things like technology not supporting the needs of the business, lack of processes, and records not being in order. Oh yeah, Dan also lists cyber security as a business owner’s headache that can be solved without adding staff with national security clearances.

Dan describes what he and his team at Collaboration Lab do for clients as “helping them get more of what they want and need out of their technology.” Dan shared with me that his favorite result is seeing his client’s relationship with their technology and IT departments improve. Dan’s passionate about closely matching solutions to the needs and size of the client’s business. He enjoys relieving the pain points owners suffer when running their businesses, such as processes not working or even existing or staff lacking knowledge or training needed to use the systems they have. Clients describe Dan and his team as “focused” and “cost effective”, and they appreciate the unique support and training, which might include video tutorials and custom instruction, that Dan and his team provide.

Dan employs a strategic approach that brings clarity to the process and gives the client peace of mind. He starts with a free consultation to make sure there’s a good fit between his team and the client and that the team and the client are on the same page. Dan’s process includes an inventory of the client’s equipment, policies and procedures, training, and documentation. After analysis, Dan and his team offer a project outline that includes a description of the work and the goals the client expects Dan’s team to achieve with the project.

Even though most of Collaboration Lab’s work is on a project basis, Dan’s perspective is frequently on the client’s long game. By arranging three- to five-year strategies, including annual reviews, Dan helps clients plan for growth and change. Taking into account a client’s five-year goals, Dan can help the client navigate and optimize the IT solutions at critical stages.

Dan also asks lots of questions, like “Is what we’re looking at going to meet all the client’s needs?” “Have we considered that there might already be a purpose-built solution?” “How much will we spend training on a new system compared to the cost of the systems with which we’re already familiar?” Dan uses the answers to these and many other questions to maximize the client’s return on their technology investment.

When Dan was introduced to one client, they were paying for prospect leads and the salespeople would make presentations to the prospects, but if the prospect didn’t commit during the first meeting the company and the salespeople then let the prospects fall off their radar. By bringing in the right CRM system, Dan helped create a sales process that included scheduling, tracking, and follow-up. The company used the new system to close 30% more business. The sales staff appreciated the system’s ability to automatically create a follow-up process. By itself, the CRM system wouldn’t have changed things. The implementation and training Dan’s team provided was the measure of success.

Like most IT consultants, Collaboration Lab helps clients update technology. Dan shared, “At a certain stage most tech people become fixated on having servers on site, backups off site and replacing equipment every 5 years. Nothing changes if everything is working.” Dan looks for opportunities in these well-oiled machines, and often finds savings of time and money with just small equipment or vendor changes. In one case, Dan helped cut the client’s annual IT spend in half by switching to cloud-based servers and negotiating new licensing deals. Oh, and the client enjoyed the benefits of a better solution.

Dan’s successes are not centered on expense reduction. He recently helped a non-profit organization hold its biggest annual fundraiser virtually instead of at a fancy banquet hall. With Dan’s help, the non-profit both cut operating costs in half and, using online giving, set the fund-raising record for the event.

Dan suggests starting the IT consultant search by asking for referrals from people you trust. Check references and solicit feedback from people who have engaged the consultant. Ask the consultant to sit down and make sure you’re the right fit. Finally, look for a consultant who doesn’t markup hardware or software sales. This signals to Dan it’s someone he can trust.

Dan works exclusively through referrals. He confided that his favorite project involves a business problem that hasn’t yet been solved by the client’s technology, but can be. There’s a lot of space for dishonest people to leverage most people’s lack of knowledge of technology, allowing vendors to sell services the client doesn’t need or doesn’t know how to implement. “If you’re looking for commoditization in your IT services,” he says, “I’m not the person you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a relationship and someone you can trust and work with, that’s me.”

If you think building a relationship with Dan will help you and your business, please reach out to me. I’d be honored to connect you.