Are Slow Computers Killing Your Business Productivity?
If your business is running computers older than 5 years you are way overdue for replacement. After 5 years computers slow down and cause your employees to become less productive. When your employees are less productive your business loses money. A 2016 survey found that U.S. businesses lose up to $1.8 billion each year in wasted productivity due to obsolete technology. As devices age, they run more slowly, freeze more often, and require more maintenance, resulting in additional downtime.
Slow Computers Are A Common Problem
Slow computers and slow technology have always been a problem for a business. A recent survey showed that 89 percent of employees are having their work slowed down by everyday problems with technology in the office.
The problem is so bad that in some companies, almost one-quarter of the employees waste between three and six hours each week because of issues with technology. That includes slow computers.
A second study showed that as many as 60 percent of people asked said their computers were stopping them from working correctly. Also, almost half (45 percent) said their home computer was better than their work computer.
So What Is The Cost?
Quantifying the commercial impact is a straight forward exercise.
- Assume user experiences slow down for 5 minutes each hour, and they work 7.5 hours per day.
- This translates to a loss of productivity for almost 40 minutes each day, or around 3 hours per week.
- In a year, that is approximately 145 hours per year of lost productivity. (220 days x 40 minutes).
- With a salary of $30,000 per year ($12 per hour), that is an estimated opportunity cost of $1,740 per user.
There are many variations of the above; the amount of time it takes to boot a PC in the morning, the time needed to call your IT support company or paying a third party to troubleshoot an issue. As the saying goes, good money after bad.
3 Ways Your Old PCs Cost Your Business and How to Fix the Problem
1. Reduced Productivity
Do you find yourself waiting for your PC to start, save documents, open documents, or complete simple processes that leave you tapping your fingers impatiently? If so, your old PC is costing your business money by limiting your productivity. If you have multiple employees using old PCs, the loss in productivity (and the corresponding loss of money) is compounded.
2. Rising Maintenance Costs
Remember when you first got your PC and everything ran perfectly? You could print, save, and do everything else you needed – with multiple applications running at the same time – without any problems. Today – not so much. Instead, your computer freezes and you find yourself calling for help more often than you’d like. Maintenance costs add up quickly when you’re using older PCs.
3. Security Vulnerabilities
Your company is at risk if your data, your customers’ data, and your files aren’t secure. Unfortunately, older PCs have more security vulnerabilities than newer PCs. Bottom-line, a new PC gives you confidence that your information and your work are secure, so you have freedom from worrying about it.
As a Business Owners Consider These Hidden Costs Most Overlook
Constant IT issues may also cause employees to quit their job because of everyday frustrations. Employee turnover and constantly training new employees are very costly. How about losing clients because your employees cannot complete tasks on time. Older computers also lack the power needed for new, efficient software programs that can help increase business productivity.
The Cost Breakdown Of An Normal Business Computer
Let’s say the average cost of a business computer is as follows. Computer Cost – $1200, Lets Divide That by 5 years = $240 Per Year. Lets Divide The $240 by 12 Months = $20 Per Month. $20 dollars a month is one of the least expensive costs involved in keeping an employee working efficiently when you consider salary, medical insurance, etc. So if you replace your computers every 3-5 years you are potentially increasing the productivity of your employees and increasing your bottom line as a business owner.
Summary
We are not saying to buy every new computer as they are released, but come up with a plan and budget to replace older technology on a schedule and this will help keep your business productive and lower maintenance costs. Generally, we recommend every 3-5 years for computers depending on your exact needs. The more demanding your needs the more frequent computers need to be replaced. Any questions or need a quote, call us at 570-283-8215
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