In the near future, we are going to see most people walking around with WiFi enabled phones. Despite the fact that we can’t get iPhone service in Montana, the iPhone’s success is pushing cell providers to allow WiFi on their phones. So this will happen, even here in Billings.

The next step will be to have WiFi networks readily available. While Billings is working on a WiFi network, and we all know where hotspots are. But it’s going to be a long time before public networks (here or anywhere else) are the rule.

I think an opportunity will exist for progressive SMBs to turn the WiFi trend into a competitive advantage through creative uses of their own hotspots. So I’m going to start a recurring post on this site containing possible WiFi applications for consumer oriented SMBs.

I’ll start off with a real simple one:

Collect instant customer feedback via a 1-click satisfaction rating. SMBs and consumers will subscribe to an as-yet-unbuilt-service with a short catchy name. The SMB will get a short code and some window decals to place by their door. Customers will do a few quick clicks on their way out to provide feedback on their experience. For this effort, they will be provided with a coupon for that or some complementary store. The SMB will receive the feedback instantly and will get the customer information for their marketing database.

If you haven’t heard, Bresnan Communications is setting up a WiFi network in downtown Billings (Gazette article, InfoWeek article). I think this is an interesting experiment, especially in our normally behind the times town. The targeted area includes the medical corridor, downtown office buildings, and the revitalized art/business district on Montana Ave.

I know of at least 3 free hotspots in the area, but I’m still happy to have the option. Of course, I’m a Bresnan customer. Those living in the area who aren’t may be less enthusiastic when Bresnan someday announces how much the service will cost for non- subscribers.

Personally, I would have liked to have seen the project publicly funded. There’s a big push in Billings to improve the appeal of downtown, draw companies to locate down here, and increase the non-work activities available. A county/city sponsored service with sponsorship by the businesses in the Downtown Billings Association would have better served the people of Billings.

Considering my recent post on technology failure preparation, it was quite ironic that one of my clients was a victim of a system failure today. This incident shows that even the best laid plans go awry if someone’s not watching carefully.

It all started with a call first thing this morning. One of those “I can’t believe I just did this…can you help us” calls. This organization uses a Sharepoint intranet and there are a couple very proficient super users who have full control access to the site. But mistakes happen, and they accidentally deleted one of the departmental sites.

Windows Sharepoint Services 3.0 (WSS) has a very useful new feature appropriately called the Recycle Bin. Just like the Recycle Bin on your desktop, it exists to save your hide when you delete something prematurely. Documents, list items, images. Most everything you delete from WSS goes into the Recycle Bin. Most everything, of course, except sites.

So we couldn’t just undo the mistake. But no problem, their Managed Service Provider (MSP) had scheduled daily backups of all their servers. Get the tape, grab the SQL database files and do the restore. We’d only lose a few hours of information assuming the backup ran successfully last night.

Oh man. The database files haven’t been backing up because the backup software couldn’t get exclusive rights to the database. Not a single backup over the past 4 months.

We explored restoring from transaction logs but that wasn’t going to work either. Eventually we just realized that the site was going to have to be rebuilt.

So what went wrong? Well, the first thing was the action to delete the site. WSS gives you a confirmation page to make sure you really want to delete the site. But if you’re busy and not reading closely sometimes even that’s not enough. I don’t think you can easily turn off the ability to delete sites. If you can build them, you can delete them.

Next, as the primary WSS support for the client, I should have been more active in the ensuring the backup process was working. I assumed the tape backup would be sufficient. I should have been much more involved in ensuring that the applications I support are fully covered. I’ve got a Sharepoint backup scheduled now.

Finally, the MSP reports monthly on overall network performance. They’ve been reporting that a full backup has not been successful since June. There are just a few files that have not been backing up so it was never a major concern. Now they know that some of those files are very important. I’m sure they won’t be glossing past the errors any longer.

No less than 4 of the 16 tips I posted earlier this week were relevant and implemented in this situation. I only wish those preparations could have prevented this unfortunate incident.

For anyone trying to run a business in the 21^st century, an employee who “doesn’t know” how to use computers is more common than we’d like to admit. They “know” how to use their computer; they just can’t understand how to use it productively. If I tried to tell my boss that I can’t be productive because I can’t figure out how to use my phone, I’m sure I’d be fired on the spot. So why do we tolerate it when people say that about their PC or their software?

Seth Godin talks about the difference between “not knowing” and “not wanting to know”. He’s talking about the difference as it relates to marketing, but it’s just as applicable to technology. I spend a lot of time with relatively few users trying to get them to understand how their systems work. Perhaps I could better spend my time maximizing the productivity of those users who do get it?

A survey by CDW recently found three key lessons about the use of technology in high growth rate SMBs.

1) High growth rate firms integrate technology in the company’s strategic plan
2) Owners/leaders of high growth rate firms understand technology
3) High growth rate firms leverage their technology to the fullest

To me, the first concept is a no-brainer. Any company starting out today that doesn’t view technology as a strategic differentiator (or at the very least as a requirement to remain competitive) is going to struggle with growth. Give your employees the bare minimum resources they need to keep up with their jobs, and they’ll get the bare minimum done. Simple as that.

It’s also easily understandable that technophile business owners will use technology more and therefore grow faster than their technophobe competitors. I do see examples of technologically challenged SMB owners still doing well. But the owner who “gets it” is always on the lookout for new ways to apply technology to drive their growth. It’s just part of their DNA.

But, in my experience, the last point is key. I see so many businesses that purchase technology and then fail to take full advantage of its capabilities. Software modules go unused because they don’t handle a process exactly as the company wants to do it. Old manual efforts continue to exist even though the same process is now managed in the software. Spreadsheets continue to get manually compiled instead of automated with data from the new system.

If you’re going spend the money on the technology, you might as well maximize your return. Don’t just rely on your vendors to help you. Their primary purpose is to sell. If they sell Point of Sale systems, they’re not going to look for ways to streamline your back-office operations.

Use the staffing model I described over the past couple days. Find yourself a Project Manager who can help you over the long term. Identify inefficiencies. Drive them out of your organization. Repeat.