It is hard to believe that we are approaching November 2020 already.  A year ago, our team was in the thick of planning for the new business year. A year none of us will forget.  I am sure many of you were doing the same, completely blind to the upcoming pandemic about to spread across the world and our lives.

On our team, we were embarking on implementing the EOS®(Entrepreneurial Operating System) system.  Part of this system includes developing a scorecard to track the key metrics of our business.  And in 2019, we were anticipating a year of substantial growth, lead by the maturation of our primary software product, Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Interestingly enough, we were wrapping up the implementation of a Cloud ERP solution for a client that was experiencing significant growth.  Our project, which wrapped up in February 2020, was instrumental in improving the financial operations of our client.  As we concluded our project, and our client successfully transitioned to the Cloud, businesses were starting to shut down and stay at home orders sent their employees home.  Fortunately their timing couldn’t have been better, our client managed to continue operations with their entire call center closed.

Within a span of 30 days, organizations and businesses adapted with the help of technology.  Our team continued to use Microsoft Teams, but now began using the video option.  Meetings continued, getting used to pets and glimpses into our employees and clients homes.

My life became quite a challenge.  Three of our college kids returned home to stake out a study spot, along with our 2 high school teenagers.  And my wife and I set up our new home offices.  Yes, you read that correctly, 7 people working and studying from home, each with a laptop and a smartphone.  How could our bandwidth hold up?  Well, I have to give a shout out to Xfinity Comcast service, it withstood the demand better than I would have ever imagined.

With almost 7 months of working and living during a pandemic, it is has become very clear how important technology has become in our day to day lives.  The technology infrastructure has been the glue that has held companies and organizations together.  Fortunately, technology has evolved to a point that has made this pandemic tolerable, and in some cases, even more efficient and flexible.

Over the last year, our team has invested a good amount of time in the following areas that may be worth considering for your organization.

• A new website to connect and share with our clients and prospects http://ehtcdigital.com
• A referral management tool to keep our focus on the connections we have that refer us to new opportunities https://ehtcdigital.com/referral-management-solution/
• Project management software, helping our team collaborate as a team and with our clients
• The EOS® system for keeping our team focused and driven towards our goals
• Replaced our on premise, Dynamics SL billing system, with the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Cloud solution

As you begin to plan for 2021, it is worth taking a look back at this difficult year and truly assessing the role technology has played in keeping things together, or possibly hindering your ability to perform.

If you feel it is a good time to invest in technology platforms that can propel your organization forward and connect your team together, I’d be happy to connect with you and share our experiences.

Dan Holzgen