Such technology was once pure gizmo, something to impress people with at dinner parties and on the golf course. Now it is geared towards practical use. The Psion Series 3 of handheld computers, for example, offers a number of new packages. The 'Banking Assistant' helps executive travelers keep track of expenses as they move from country to country and displays the results in a chosen currency. It also has a multi-exchange facility which allows five currencies to be used together. There are now also Timing, Sales, Data and Text Assistants.
To the self-employed such technology can be a major advantage. It allows them to do a huge number of tasks which they once had to be specialists to do, and they can effectively take their office wherever they choose. Laurence Lyons practices what he preaches and his home office makes the most of technology. 'A phone, fax and answering machine are essential and it is unlikely you can survive without a computer and a printer,' he says. The basics are backed up in Lyons' office by a modem, different printers, a laptop, access to CD-Rom, as well as the CompuServe network. 'You have to be careful not to become carried away. You have to think what value you add to your business by having a particular machine or service. Now, you can do a lot of impressive high-tech work with a minimal investment.'
Peter Chatterton, multimedia expert and author of Technology Tools for Your Home Office, thrives on the technological possibilities. He has an array of multimedia devices, including an Intel Desktop Video Telephony system which enables direct video links to clients via a camera on top of his PC, but points to the need to remember the basics. 'As a sole trader having an effective accounting software package is important - I use a very simple one, Money Manager from Connect, which I update every day. I can go to it and instantly find out what my bank balance is and when I need to pay credit card bills,' he says. Technology also means that I hardly ever write a letter - using e-mail is much cheaper than using a fax - and I also use Internet, CompuServe and Lotus cc mail gives me a direct line to the desktops of my clients.'
While specialists like Peter Chatterton are taking technology forward into entirely new areas others may blanche at the investment required. Keeping up to date clearly requires a great deal of money, and as a result there is now a booming second-hand market in computers and printers which, if you shop around, can produce bargains. The trouble is that bargains rarely come complete with guarantees and service agreements. What seems like a cash saver can soon turn into an expensive mistake. If there is no back-up, a single bug can bring the home office to a standstill.
Danny Miller runs his own Wokingham-based computer company. 'The key for anyone setting up their own office must be to use technology to gain control over their business. Technology is not about gizmos, but enables business people to control projects and finances and to communicate speedily and accurately. Forget these basics and you run the risk of buying equipment which you don't really need.'
Making information available to whoever needs it, wherever they are, sums up the way the market is developing. Technology has to make every facet of the solution practical. The trouble is that technology is moving forward so quickly that it is difficult to imagine any one person requiring or mastering the range of facilities available, even in a notebook computer. Typically, Apple's Newton can also log on to office electronic mail systems, send and receive faxes and talk to PCs. NEC's Versa E Series allows users to change their own hard disk, upgrade the memory, move from mono to color display and includes an ergonomically designed trackball'. If necessary, Siemens-Nixdorf s PCD-4L (the 'Green PC) can even switch itself off to save wasting electricity. There is much, much more. This is the tip of a technological iceberg - in the business parlance it is 'added functionality'. Faced with such an array of possibilities, it is tempting for the self-employed to shrug their shoulders and stick to what they know works.
Instead, they should look at each piece of equipment in a number of ways.
- How does it bring you closer to your customers? One consultant bought all his major clients video phones. These were highly expensive, but his reasoning was simple: They probably don't know anyone else with a video phone, so the only person they can talk to is me. This makes them feel that I am part of their organization.'
- How does it make your processes more effective?
- Technology must break down barriers; enable people to communicate easier and quicker.
- What if it goes wrong? You need full back-up and support. It is worth paying for.
- Who will use it and what skills will they need? There is no point having the latest technology if people can't use it effectively or to its full potential. This requires training. You can learn how to use a new computer system by thumbing painfully through the 500-page manual. But you would be better advised to go on a short course to get you quickly up to speed.
