Are you among the millions who have embraced the mindset that ‘technology cures all ailments? If yes, then walking a few miles in your writer’s shoes might send you in a different direction. The truth is, dear reader, that technology, when hastily or unnecessarily implemented, has the potential to severely constrain productivity. In extreme cases, the latest app or gadget could send your key productivity metrics back to, well, the Dark Ages.
A hardware stack originating in the mid-2010s
Your writer’s hardware inventory is rather low key. The tools of the trade include a laptop and smartphone, both running the Office 365 suite (yes, even on the Mac) that has kept many of his generation company since the early 2000s.
Other devices include a very dated multi-function printer and scanner; a large monitor to accommodate the myriad web browser and word ‘windows’ that are opened when researching content; a voice recorder for offsite meetings and presentations; and, for some unknown reason, a graphics tablet gathering dust in the corner. Honestly, this hardware set-up has hardly changed in 15 years; but the connectivity and software solutions these hardware devices have access to are unrecognisable.
The days of shrieking modem dial-up connections over copper telephone wires are long gone, replaced by unlimited data over 100 Mbps fibre lines. Today’s dime-a-dozen fibre providers offer internet connections at speeds suitable for streaming HD videos, online gaming, video conferencing, and browsing the internet over multiple devices connected simultaneously – and affordably. This combination of affordability and connectivity enabled the accelerated adoption of digital technology that was triggered by the 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic. Almost overnight, the world migrated face-to-face interactions from the real into the virtual world.
Much of the technology-linked affordability and productivity gains that businesses and households have benefited from over the last few years derive from something called ‘the cloud’. The cloud is a network of remote servers hosted on the internet which allow for the remote storage and processing of data. Our shift ‘into the cloud’ has opened the way for greater accessibility, collaboration, and scalability, allowing us to access applications and data from anywhere, at any time, and on any device.
Cloud, SaaS drive the technology trend
So, while your hardware has improved in leaps and bounds, the real trend changers exist in the realm of access powered by smartphone and web applications, and the myriad software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions that allow you to streamline operations and reduce costs.
Suddenly, a creative ‘type’ in the communications sector has access to a range of options like Canva for design; ChatGPT, for just about anything; and Otter.ai for transcriptions, to name a few. These web-based applications give ordinary users access to massive online data collections and virtually unlimited processing power for a small monthly fee, bringing the power of supercomputing to your desktop. Unfortunately, these applications can be quite glitchy; hence the title of today’s piece, ‘Technology does not always fix your productivity problems.’ Allow your writer to regale you with a couple of unexpected recent experiences.
Back when ChatGPT first appeared on the scene, yours truly thought it might be a great way to speed up the writing process, but it soon became apparent that the large language model (LLM) technology had some way to go before it would challenge human creativity. Even the latest public iterations, such as ChatGPT4o and ChatGPT4mini, leave much to be desired. Those who turn to this tech to speed up their research and writing processes will inevitably waste additional hours in fact-checking and rewrites, or risk producing absolute dreck. PS, the intention is not to dismiss this technology out of hand, but to raise awareness of its limitations.
SaaS has evolved to offer a range of operational assistance to small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) too. An obvious starting point is the all-important accounting package. Whether your business is small or large, whether you are a sole proprietor or Pty (Ltd), you need some or other computerised double-entry system to keep your financials in order. Until recently, your writer was using an Excel spreadsheet with automated formulas to update the trial balance, manually logging every double-entry from the bank statement. But the allure of ‘everything online and automated’ sent him on a deep dive into QuickBooks, and then Sage.
An exemplar of time wastage
The QuickBooks experiment was an exemplar of time wastage as yours truly went to the trouble of loading his opening balances and catching up on two months’ worth of invoicing before throwing in the towel over an issue with VAT reconciliations. It cost only R49,00 each month but soaked up at least 20 hours of precious time. Sage was much better, but to this day, the productivity gain of going the technology route remains an illusion. Overall, learning the new accounting system plus the back-and-forth with the accountants to get things done right has added time and, ironically, cost.
Website design and maintenance is another area where technology ‘wins’ are quickly eroded. Sites like Shopify and Wix.com make it possible to drag and drop an impressive and functioning e-commerce website in a matter of minutes, or do they? Hands up, dear reader, if you have poured hours into building a website using one of these platforms, only to step back from the mess and seek out a professional designer to fix things? Building Stokesmedia.co.za was an absolute nightmare, and in hindsight, the 40-50 hours of productive time that disappeared while fiddling with alignment, graphics, HTML and responsive design could have been better spent.
Alas, the Wix.com route had other pitfalls. The intersection of accounting systems, e-commerce platforms and value-added tax (VAT) are what nightmares are made of. Perhaps that famed author Stephen King could have a go at a tech-based thriller instead of giving X owner, Elon Musk, such a hard time. Jokes, of course; but the King vs Musk social media wars are legendary. Getting back on track, your writer’s next confession is that he paid scant attention to how his e-commerce solution would integrate with his payment gateway or accounting solution. Put another way, three newish technologies conspired to create a virtual whirlpool that sucked in hours of time and continues to do so.
The various bits of innovation are great, but figuring out how to integrate them presents challenges. In this case, moving from a WordPress website with a third-party e-commerce package to Wix.com also required migrating from Payfast.co.za to another payment provider, in this case YOCO. PS, according to the online forums, you can create a simple workaround to get Wix.com and Payfast.co.za to ‘play’ together, which your writer tried, unsuccessfully, burning through a few more hours and leaving a legacy of usernames and passwords at online providers he will never use again.
Not all that glitters is digital gold
The point of this rather long-winded rant is that your writer’s recent foray into innovation and technology as productivity ‘game changers’ has fallen flat. Instead of a cohesive tech-fired solution, he now sits with what the Afrikaners call a ‘spoeg en plak’ solution that is emotionally and mentally draining. This means that instead of celebrating a recent flurry of online orders, yours truly sits head in hand exclaiming: “Oh hell no, now I’ve got to coax this mess through my accounts, online store, payment gateway and courier app.”
In the end, while technology promises endless possibilities, it often brings unexpected complications and hidden costs that can diminish its expected / supposed benefits. Embracing technology with a healthy dose of scepticism and awareness can save you from the pitfalls that lie in waiting. Remember, sometimes the simplest solution is the best; not all that glitters is digital gold.
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Twitter: @stokesmedia
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