Having doubts about your IT services’ benefits? Don’t make this mistake
First you have a need, then you calculate the business case and finally, you do the purchase. However, at some point the gained benefits from the purchase become something you take for granted. You start focusing on the expenses. What does this scenario have in common with a busy family trying to figure out if they need a second car? This question will be answered by Pavel Haimi, IT and digital services professional at Sofigate and a father of three.
Imagine a family with parents, three children, and only one car. At some point, the parents notice that one Volkswagen Golf is not enough. Jack has his hockey practice, Sarah goes to violin lessons and the youngest child, Casper, to his toddler classes. In addition to taking the children to their hobbies, the parents have their own activities.
One night, one of the parents suggests buying a second car. This leads to many weeks of comparing and calculating expenses, which could be considered a real-life business case. After this process, the parents decide on buying a second car. The result? A positive change in the family’s life as they don’t have to struggle with colliding schedules anymore.
But then what happens? After having owned the second car for a while, the parents start discussing the expenses. The insurance, maintenance, the monthly payments… owning two cars is so expensive! Suddenly, the second car and the more comfortable life they’re now leading are being taken for granted. The family has already forgotten about the benefits and the real-life business case, and they get fixated on the expenses.
After some consideration, the parents end up selling the second car. Just three weeks after the selling decision, they already regret it. Should they have considered other options before selling the car?
Benefits seem to disappear while the focus is solely on expenses
I often come across situations like these when companies discuss the benefits of IT and digital services.
As in the example of the family, often (not as often as it should be, however!) purchases or decisions for development are made through a carefully considered business case and calculations.
What happens if the solutions and services have already been in use for a while?
Just like with the family example, the discussion then mainly begins to revolve around expensis. The last time I had this conversation, it was with a CFO of a company.
Does this sound familiar?
Having doubts about the benefits of IT services? Here’s how to solve it
We are not trying to argue that you shouldn’t consider the expenses at all. Just don’t make rash decisions. My advice is this:
If you’re doubtful about the benefits, you should never take down the services completely. Instead, the smart move is to not use the service for a while and to wait and see what happens during that period. In the case of the family, they should have rented the car out before selling it. Or alternatively, they could’ve switched to a more affordable solution.
It is essential to keep the business case in mind during all times. The easiest way to measure the business benefits of IT and digital services is to compare them to the business case. You should also put someone in charge of ensuring that the desired benefits are being pursued.
About the author
Pavel Haimi is Business Executive at Sofigate. Pavel has over 16 years of experience in leading and developing IT and digital services in different companies around Northern Eu
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