I'm struck by the stunning changes technology has brought to our lives, our jobs, and our society.When the early development of computers started, there were estimates the world would need five computers. Yes, that’s correct— five. There were similar statements that proved incorrect about the fax machine, instant messaging, social networking (Facebook), the mini computer (Dell, Lenovo, or Sony), or the cellular phone (remember the brick?).

One of my minor subjects in college was computer science.We learned to wire “unit record equipment” and “keypunch cards” and define every character of a print line in order to print documents. I learned how to program in a number of “languages.” It was a lot to learn. But today each and every one of you has robust solutions available for all your operating needs at surprisingly affordable costs.

The “business management systems” that are available now cover all aspects of our businesses: parts and service, sales, and accounting. There is no reason for any business to be without the extensive use of technology to improve performance. It’s affordable and applications have been around for more than 50 years.

For example, look at parts inventory management. You can process the sales orders for parts and allow the business system to calculate replenishment cycles and manage asset levels to deliver the goods available out of the inventory. It was not that long ago that inventory control was all done manually. No more.

“Technology is any device, tool, or process that can be said to enhance either the customer’s experience or the employee’s productivity.”

So let’s take a look at some small examples where technology can help you in your business. First, let’s define what we mean by technology. It isn’t just computers. Technology is any device, tool, or process that can be said to enhance either the customer’s experience or the employee’s productivity. Let’s look at some generic aspects of the use of technology for your business.

Dashboards
When Jack Welsh was chairman of General Electric, he used dashboards extensively throughout the company. A dashboard is a visualization of the key performance indicators (KPIs) for individuals in your business who are using a particular computer terminal or workstation.

Each time the employee signs on to the system, the KPIs of that individual are shown—the actual performance as well as the goals.

Some dashboards use images like a traffic light or a tachometer as symbols. When everything is fine with a KPI, the traffic light is green. But if things are in bad shape, the light is red. There is also a range that is a cautionary yellow. Pretty simple and very effective, the employee gets a performance review every time they sign on to the computer.What could be wrong with that? It’s objective, it’s timely, and the employee can take corrective action immediately. That is using technology effectively.

VoIP
“Voice over Internet Protocol” is what this is. You might have heard about this in regard to your telephone and cable connection for your television. Well, your computer can run your telephone system and transfer and date voices and images over your communications network. This means you eliminate long-distance telephone calls. In many cases, this means that the whole system ends up being free. Check it out, it’s truly an amazing tool.

That isn’t the complete story though. What I’m after is the customer service aspect of this tool. Imagine the telephone ringing on your desk and your computer screen lighting up with all the pertinent information about who is on the telephone. You will know who is on the line before you answer, but that isn’t very special as you have caller ID on your cell phone and home phone.What is special is that the computer will look up the record and deliver the purchase history, the payment history, personal information like birthdays and anniversaries, and significant events in your relationship.Would that help the employee serve the customer? I don’t think there’s any doubt.

Bar Coding and Scanning
America has the largest unpaid workforce in the world. You pump your own gas and pay for it, you perform your own banking by making deposits and withdrawals from the comfort of your cars, and you scan and pay for your own groceries. Yet many of you are not taking advantage of this rather common technology. Think about labor collection, physical inventories, or history of products in the field—think of doing it with water wells and pumping systems.

Give each individual a credit card type of card that can be used for individual identification. Print UPCs (Universal Product Codes) on work orders and parts orders. Then as labor is performed, the individual ID card is scanned in a reader and the work order is scanned or the parts order is scanned.When you perform a physical count of assets, you’ll use a portable scanner and scan the asset code and the quantities. Pretty simple, isn’t it? I like to characterize this type of tool as one that allows the person who initiates the work to complete the work. Nothing needs to be done twice or with two people.

Diagnostic Tools, Global Positioning, and Electronic Control Units
In medicine, automotive products, and other parts of our lives, we have computers that are tracking the condition of mechanical and electronic devices. Couple those computer diagnostics with global positioning systems (GPS), and through the use of electronic control units we can be instantly alerted to a malfunction. Imagine this for detecting pollution in water systems or a failure in a mechanical pumping device. We protect people and reduce owning and operating costs through aggressive use of technology.

This is the only item in our list today that requires someone other than ourselves and current technology. Your suppliers need to be on board for this one. Talk to them. See if they are using this technology or if it’s in their plans. Don’t forget your customers expect you to be leading, not following.

Voice Recognition
One last tool to expose you to if you aren’t already aware of it is voice recognition. I talk to the computer and it types. Between 1987 and 2002, there were 521,000 secretarial positions eliminated. But it wasn’t because of voice recognition, it was the advent of the computer and the “boss” doing his or her own typing.

As a result of that change—bosses doing their own typing—IBM and others started looking at voice recognition as a viable business. It’s a serious work saver for me. It might be for you too.

So these are five simple and costeffective tools for you to explore and use. They will save you money by saving time for your employees—and that’s productivity. They will also enhance the customer experience, and thereby solidify your relationships with your valued customers.

In business, as in our lives, I’m interested in being effective, having fun, and making money. How about you?