The ideal time for resolving to chuck out the old and ring in the new. You vow to ditch the bad habits – the over-eating and under-exercising, the cigs and the booze – and to clear your life of its complacency and clutter. You promise yourself you will replace everything negative and knackered with newer and better.
But……….(Be truthful, now.)
How long will the New Thing last? Will it become the Same-Old Thing? Or, is there the strong probability that in spite of all those Internal Memos To Self, it never even became a thing at all?
If resolution didn’t become reality, don’t beat yourself up. It’s pretty unrealistic to expect all our desires for change to become true justl because it’s time to buy a new diary. We are creatures of habit. From the moment we are born we learn to be soothed by the familiar and to follow routine. By the time we are adults, the patterns of our lives are as tame and firmly stuck as the hall wallpaper. Ancient Anaglypta is safer than committing to a new pattern we might end up hating.
If you’re running a business, however, you need to get a grip of such human foibles and rise, like Superman from the top of the telephone box, to lead your people to salvation. You need to be the caped hero of New Year Office Resolutions – and not let your people see your inner Anaglypta.
Set up smarter working practises this month and motivate and encourage your managers and staff to support them. It’s easier to get other people to Do New than it is to do it yourself. (Just don’t ever admit this).
Prove that your company is forward-thinking and competitive by investing in new tech.
It’s a no-brainer. Equipment which will make work tasks easier, faster and less stressful and it also makes people feel valued and invested-in. Win-win.
The team at SoluTech, the Hull-based specialists in photo-copying and printing machines, print management, maintenance and support solutions, is tipping the latest range of new-era equipment from Sharp and Lexmark for companies who want to grow in 2019. These are multi-tasking machines – several on special offer this month are capable of producing up to 32 copies per minute.
But after 18 years in business – SoluTech has been supporting companies across the UK since 2001 – its teams have seen numerous companies deliberately lag behind with out-dated devices.
Why? Well, they don’t do so because of finances. SoluTech’s January offer device cost from as little as £7.49 a month plus VAT. The latest machines use less energy, not to mention less ink.
Actually, it’s fear of the unknown that keeps them rooted in the past. Says a SoluTech insider: “Some customers get very attached to their copiers and don’t want to change. They know how to work them with their eyes shut and are of the ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ school of thought. “The real reason, though, is they are convinced they are technophobes who would be unable to master new equipment. “It’s simply not the case. The very latest machines can perform multiple really useful functions for your office – and it’s a myth that they are complicated to use. At any rate, that’s exactly what we are here for.
“We use our expertise to train people to get to know their machines and feel fully confident”.
“It can be daunting to make the switch, but everyone we have worked with has been happy when they do move to newer technology. They end up loving the touchscreen technology, the bigger screens, faster print and scan speeds plus better quality images and realise they should have done it sooner.” Added the SoluTech specialist: “I guess the parallel is cars – people get attached to their 15 year-old Volvo. Yet once they have bitten the bullet, got over the fear of letting go and have bought a new model they realise they are free of the annual cost and hassle of getting through MOTs and breakdown costs and have luxuries like heated seats, built-in sat-nav and Bluetooth. And they wonder why they didn’t do it earlier.”
The training is so important. Our SoluTech insider recalls being amazed to hear of a company who had no idea that their photocopier was also… a scanner and printer.
He reveals: “They had never learned how to operate it properly, so didn’t know what it was capable of. To our amazement, they had actually bought a scanner to stand next to their copier. This had been going on for five years.”
Those that do switch to new all-singing, all-dancing, 21st Century machines can get incredibly attached – for all the right reasons.
Our ‘mole’ tells me a certain home-care provider in Hessle, near Hull, has actually Christened their two copiers Fred and George. “I can safely say it’s the first time I’ve come across copiers having names… Or at least ones that can be repeated in front of children,” he says.
To arrange your FREE office machine audit, to pinpoint your needs and suggest an end to end solution for you. Contact SoluTech today 01482 846 746 or email sales@wearesolutech.co.uk or complete your details here https://wearesolutech.co.uk/get-a-quote/