1984, the year the cell phone became mainstream.
1991, the year the world wide web went live.
1996, the year the two merged on the Nokia 9000.
Considering how recent these dates are, it’s hard to believe how much our worlds – both personal and professional – have become dependent on the two technologies. And to think, this isn’t even a fraction of the technology we use on a daily basis. That is why, throughout this piece, I am going to explore and evaluate how technology has evolved over the past 30 years to become a staple in today’s workplace and how it will continue evolving moving forward.
Technology today
Walking down the street, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who could argue that technology hasn’t made their lives easier – both personally and professionally. In the workplace especially, technology has been key to helping people and businesses flourish. Technology has helped employees boost their efficiency, get inspired and be collaborative no matter their location. On a business front, technology has helped businesses streamline processes, increase uniformity, consistency and much much more.
Technologies such as business software, websites and mobile phones are at the heart of the majority of businesses today. In fact, many businesses wouldn’t be able to function or be nearly as successful as they are without it. This is something that we can attest to. Beyond the paramount contributions of our people, much of our business here at Financeit is reliant on technology. I would argue that much of our success is a result of having embraced this technology throughout our entire business-building process, a path we continue to follow today.
We are a flexible and mobile-friendly organization – meaning we make the lives of consumers, contractors and merchants all easier when trying to achieve their goals. Through flexible point-of-sale financing options, we leverage technology to overcome payment barriers that restrict consumers from making life-changing purchases. We simplify the entire payment process and bring consumers tailored financing options that work for them. None of this would be possible without the consistent use of technology.
Throughout this global pandemic, it has become even more apparent that technology is at the heart of a successful business. Its presence has been one of the reasons some companies have thrived, and its absence, the reason some will fail.
Technology not only helps increase brand awareness and trust but it grants businesses and people flexibility in what they are trying to achieve. For some, this might mean having the ability to work from home. For others, ourselves included, it goes beyond remote work. It means having the software in place to help our contractors provide a quote at the tip of their fingertips or the ability to help our contractors leverage tech tools to push forward on work that otherwise may be stalled.
Whatever the case may be, there are a lot of lessons and efficiencies that we can take from this pandemic and apply to how we work in the future.
Technology tomorrow
Many of us have been trying to decipher what business is going to look like once we are through this pandemic. Some might argue that it will go back to how it was, but I believe that business is forever changed. Moving forward, technology will underpin our lives even more than it already has both professionally and personally. E-commerce will reign supreme, while people will continue to lean on technology to create the work-life balance they have become accustomed to.
The digital workforce is going to continue to expand and individuals and businesses are going to have to adapt. To best prepare ourselves for this, it is important that we embrace the technology we have and invest in its future. This will help all of us prepare for future workplace realities.
Looking back, it is crazy to see how much technology has evolved and how pertinent it has become, especially in our workplaces. With this reality in mind, I can’t wait to see what the next 30 years hold!
Michael Garrity is the CEO and Founder of Financeit.