4 obsolete things your business should ditch now

As we start 2012 -- a year that sounded like science fiction to me when I was a kid, wondering when jetpacks and flying cats would arrive -- it's a good idea to reflect on whether we're making the best use of available technology or if our offices are mired in obsolete gadgets that slow us down. After taking a survey of this office, here's a list of no-brainer tools and tech that linger on for no good reason. Eliminating these could save time and money, as well as improve productivity:

The landline. This office still has a landline phone despite the presence of much better alternatives. Small and home businesses can easily ditch a landline for mobile phones only, while larger business can consider switching over to far more cost effective Voice Over IP communications.

Filing cabinets. This office used to have about a dozen filing cabinets; now we're down to just two. Cliches aside, businesses really are going paperless, and these days there's no need for paper storage at all. Everything of consequence can be stored online digitally, and there are even cloud storage systems available to automate and back up your virtual paperwork.

Business cards. Do you still print and distribute business cards? If so, you might be identifying yourself as someone mired in antiquity. Thanks to QR codes, LinkedIn, Web sites, and virtual business cards, there's no reason to clog anyone's pocket with paper anymore.

Fax machines. They're simply... done. And have been for a decade. If the unthinkable happens and you actually need to send or receive a fax, don't worry; there are online fax services ready to get the job done.

How does my list compare to yours? Sound off in the comments -- do you agree with my list, or are any of these items still essential for your business? What did I forget that can easily be sent to the cornfield once and for all?

[gmbrannan]

Please do NOT give up landlines. Or at the very, very least go to a VOIP. Whatever you do, do NOT go mobile only. There have been some other good reasons why, but I'd like to add that mobile phones are more prone to outages than landlines or VOIP. Do you think your carrier is going to credit you for lost business? The answer is no, which is fine because you don't have any right to ask for a credit because you lost business because you weren't responsible enough to have a backup in case of a cellular outage. At the very, very, VERY least, get a prepaid phone from a carrier other than your primary, but even that won't help if there is a major extended power outage like in Chicago last summer. Do you think your cell phone is going to work when the tower cannot get power? Your landline, however, has a much better chance of still working even through a power outage so keep the landline.

This article should have been titled, "4 gadgets that I think should become obsolete, but probably never will." I guess that's not as catchy, though.

[bobthemanofsteele]

These are not always true for the healthcare industry. Many Doctors, hospitals and other healthcare entities don't always know about how much better things would be without paper. Surely more education is warranted to get these up to speed. This is one of the few things in the future I look forward to.

[2012Jack]

Our company processes commercial vehicle documentation in every state and our services include title storage. We utilize cloud computer and proprietary software to serve our customers. However, we definitely still use file cabinets, fax machines (based on customer preference) and land lines. Regardless of the hype about electronic title storage, titles are assets and lenders STILL want paper titles (assets) stored in secure locations. When we attend business meetings with our Fortune 50 clients, they still ask for paper business cards, too.

[wkb4447]

"High Tech vs. High Touch", predicted in the book Future Shock Alvin Toffler in 1970, which was later followed up by Third Wave, etc. Tangiblilty and human contact is important to maintaining our "human" character. Certainly technology will replace certain functions, services and products, but there will be specific areas of life in which high tech simply will not serve.

[munroconsulting]

There is a wide variation in accepted practice in different industries. I work with people from time to time who will not call a mobile number as it is more expensive. Personally seeing a mobile number as the primary contact for a business immediately conjures images of someone in a bedroom somewhere pretending to be something they are not.

I agree fax is almost dead, although some places do not have email addresses so fax is the only alternative to phone.

The custom of exchanging business cards is still strong, and funnily enough I found the best place to put a QR code was on the back of a business card.... Business is still done by people who actually like to meet occasionally.

I am afraid the business world outside technology is still very traditional. Believe it or not there are still many jobs which cannot be done on an iPhone and iPad alone...

[Wyald]

I'm looking forward to getting an iPad so I can lose my address book/planner...and even my laptop on many occasions.

[frankmcbride@whiteboard-soluti]

Dear Mr. Johnson-
I sincerely hope that your recommendations were crafted simply to generate a response.

If not, than you had better not try and obtain assistance from a growing number of my clients who will not accept calls from cell phones. I have two clients (one on either coast) whose assistants will not put your call through if they suspect you are on a cell phone. I actually do the same now...and have found that not only are the calls shorter, but since there's no time lag a conversation is actually conducted.

Until 3 years ago, I completely agreed with the fax machine. Now I have more and more clients in Asia & China requesting that I fax a letter to substantiate that I am in the U.S.

I suggest you get out a bit and mingle with people who aren't your age...or perhaps you can go to Tokyo and have a meeting with some senior level people and see how well your digital business card exchange goes over.

[darxandra]

Well put Frank, and you are so correct on the business card issue in Japan. I work for a Japanese company and the business card exchange is a very important part of the cultural introductions greeting in business.

[PhilBrasso]

Fax machine, OK. The rest, still needed, previous posts cover why.

Tech to ditch, how about internal emails and external hard drives / pen drives / flash drives (whatever)? How about desktop word processing?

[EliyahuBenYisroel]

I recently retired from a dinosaur law office that used all of these things in great abundance. Paper files? Kept everything forever "just in case". Sending a letter? Mail it, send a fax copy and email one "just in case". Sending a fax? Phone them right afterward to make sure they got it and then mail a hard copy "just in case". Land lines? Had four of them with just one attorney (not me!) so that no one would ever get a busy signal. Instead, they just got to sit on hold forever while he took other calls. And spiral-bound message books? We had those going back for over 20 years "just in case" he wanted to find someone's phone number. There's nothing like spending the entire day -- at the boss's insistence -- poring through old message books in search of a number that could be found on the Internet in two minutes. Unfortunately, this isn't an isolated example. Technophobia permeates the legal industry, and it's not likely to change until the last of the old-school attorneys retire.

[realtvcritics]

Made a note on how to eliminate every one of the writer's suggestions. To be completely straight this was one of the best new world order New Year cost cutting articles ever. Not agreeing with everything but certainly in this economy he just saved most small business or single business owners some coin.

Landline- when you only have one can't you just forward to your cell? Filing cabs you can cut back on as well. Just have one. Business cards, forget it. Not getting rid of them ever. Yeah we can do things on LinkedIn and go a bit virtual in this area but how are you going to impress and connect with women in a bar for future contact if you don't have a business card? But you can order less which is what we all do. Bottom line and seriously there are still networking sessions where you need business cards. Fax machine, gone, yes you can go online and who uses fax machines. $10 a month and you can get fax service online, eliminating another phone line.

There are ways and his suggestions are great.