From Fortune 500 corporations to small, neighborhood mom and pop shops, almost every business today utilizes computer software in one form or another.  A few businesses purchase software and never bother to upgrade it. Business owners often think, “Well, it works just fine and all the employees know how to use it, I don’t see any reason to change”. The truth is, outdated software affects your employees.

Quite often, employees get frustrated with legacy software systems and here is a list of the top 10 ways outdated software affects your employees and ultimately, your business.

1. Employees Complain

If your software is old and outdated, your employees have probably mentioned it to you on multiple occasions. Multiple employees will approach you with different issues that need to be resolved, and great employees will talk about a better solution. If it gets to the point that workers are openly saying negative things about the legacy software your company is using, or you overhear them excitedly speaking to one another about how great and easy a different software is to use, your business has been in need of a software upgrade for a very long time.

2. Productivity is Going Down-Hill

Does it seem like it takes your employees longer to complete tasks with your legacy software than it did when it was brand new? If there are a lot of crashes preventing people from completing work in a timely manner, you have a problem. If employees dread utilizing your system and prefer to complete tasks manually, from their own computer, at home, or on a smartphone, it is impeding productivity levels.

3. It is Difficult to Share and Exchange Data

When people share and exchange information internally and externally, do they all double check to make sure it was sent and received? Do they constantly have to review work just to be sure it is all accurate and complete? If employees spend a lot of time on these things, it is also affecting their productivity levels.

4. Employees Don’t Grow

When employees don’t grow, I am referring to an inability to increase productivity levels, quality, and volume of work completed. In addition to this, employees will refuse or be reluctant to accept more work and responsibilities just to avoid the outdated software. They will have a hard time collaborating on projects and may prefer to find their own creative ways to complete them. Avoidance of the software you invested your money in for your business, is the symptom of a much larger problem.

5. Top Employees Are Leaving

Usually, great employees want to grow and take on more responsibility. When they leave your company to work somewhere else regardless of pay, they do it because they believe they will be happier and have more opportunities for growth. Often, employees interested in career growth usually believe experience using up-to-date software is considerably important.

6. Employees Get Used to the System Being Down

Do employees already have a routine in place for times when the system is down? Do they plan their workday schedule around the times when they know the software system will be up and running? If your software is predictably temperamental, it is stealing production hours from your employees and business.

7. Employees Have Difficulty Communicating With Each Other

If employees can’t communicate properly with each other, it can cause arguments, mistakes, and will stall the completion of projects. Software systems are supposed to make it easier for employees to work together and should foster a team environment. When employees don’t have access to useful forms of communication with each other, especially when the system is down often, it can quickly turn into an every-man-for-himself kind of an environment.

8. Company Morale is Declining

Do your employees seem unhappy? Have they all lost the enthusiasm they had when they were initially hired? When people are unhappy at work, they become negative and make sarcastic remarks to one another and even to themselves. If people avoid going to work, or even company events that are meant to be celebrations, that is an indicator that morale is low.

9. Employees Need Special Training and Skills to Use Software

If the people you hire have experience and lots of good technical skills but still don’t know how to use your software because they have never heard of it or they were in another age group when you purchased it, you will have to spend time training them to use it. The more time it takes to train an employee means the longer it will take for the employee to begin performing in his or her job role. When employees already have experience with software that is current, it greatly reduces the training period.

10. You Company Only Attracts Low-Quality Employees

If the only employees applying for positions at your company don’t have good computer skills or any tech skills, you will only attract entry-level employees or those who don’t have very much to offer. Job candidates who want to compete in today’s market make it a point to get training, degrees, and certificates to prove they have experience with the latest technology available in order to work for the best companies.

If you notice your business or company has employees that fit any of these descriptions, take some time to carefully consider the advantages of upgrading your software system. If you would like to speak to Dignitas Digital in Philadelphia, send an email to hello@digntas.digital.