Founder & CEO, theONswitch & nunu ventures.
getty
I recently coined the term "app-promiscuity." It means the overuse (sometimes indiscriminately) of technology.
Agencies and clients are so smitten by seemingly automated ways to track project progress, communicate within teams and input content that they often lose sight of what we call "activity based costing," or ABC.
When I worked in financial services, our management took us through an ABC drill. We needed to perform a simple task, but we were given a set of very complex rules to learn each step of the way.
A basic assignment like putting a label on a folder took close to two hours because of the intricacy of the system and rules we were given. We then calculated the cost of the task (using our individual hourly rates), and it worked out to be about $1,000 for one folder.
I was reminded of that recently when I received freelance assignments from two different corporate entities, which required me to learn content management and reporting systems that I had never even heard of (and I'm pretty fluent in my app knowledge, having written about and worked at tech-centric companies for more than 30 years).
Frustrated, I asked my summer associates (who are also adept at technology) to decipher them. They were as confused as I was.
What's worse is when an agency or company insists that independent contractors must use a particular system, invests time and resources in onboarding (which sometimes includes watching multiple training videos) and then won't answer questions. One client even admitted to me that they didn't like or understand the system.
Given turnover rates for both employees and gig workers, companies may be spending hundreds of hours (which translates into thousands of dollars) on tools and training that end up being useless in many ways.
You might be thinking, "Is this woman just slow to learn? Lazy? Cranky? Some combo?"
I'm none of those. I'm flexible, a quick learner and very appreciative of the role of technology in streamlining a whole range of work processes. I use at least 10 apps in my own business.
But every time I sign a new client, I must resolve myself to the fact that I might have to learn a whole new "language." That will ultimately make me more valuable as a freelancer, but I'm not sure whether it really helps the agency or company in the long run.
Perhaps they feel like they have more control because they have all kinds of systems and dashboards for project management. But every minute that's spent reporting on progress in a dashboard is a minute that's not being spent thinking and creating.
Have we become an industry of Slackers and WordPressers rather than one of creators?
Some terrific platforms exist for project tracking and management. In high-volume companies with multiple clients, especially, having everything all in one place and accessible from anywhere, anytime and on any device is essential. But before your company or agency invests in another system or dashboard, ask yourself:
• Will this really result in time and cost savings?
• Are the app and dashboard intuitive or do I need to plan for complex training before someone can use it?
• Does everyone who works with and for my company need to be adept in the app or can I create a (less costly) role for someone as a tracker rather than a creator/manager?
Think about your ABC. If you didn't have the "tool," would the result be just as good? As businesses look for ways to trim costs in their organizations, they should evaluate the time and money spent on subscriptions, training and using apps versus the time they spend innovating.
Slack you later, readers!
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