Riverbank It management

I met a business on Saturday where electricity is a chargeable extra. Truly.

I was in a local pub on Saturday and ordered lunch. While I was waiting I just needed to use my laptop for a few minutes. I asked one of the bar staff if I could plug it into the mains. Yes, she said, but we'll have to charge you for the electricity.

Now, I don't often stand around with my mouth hanging open but on this occasion I must have looked a bit slack-jawed. I simply couldn't believe what I had heard. I spent the next 15 minutes calculating and recalculating that the cost of running a laptop for a quarter of an hour really was just a fraction of a penny, and wondering exactly how the landlady would like me to pay. If I offered her a penny, could she give me the right change? Or would she just hit me? In the end I decided to do the very British thing and said nothing - I read a book instead.

The attitude of this particular business made me wonder about things that I might be doing in my business that could be off-putting to our customers, or leave them thinking "oh - they could do that better" (please let me know, by the way).

So how forward-looking is your business?  Are you thinking ahead to what your customers will need in 2010 and beyond? Are you providing the best opportunities to your staff in terms of flexible working and IT tools that could help them be more productive or deliver a better service to your customers? IT can be a great enabler for businesses that want to advance, but it is only a tool. Computers can't change attitudes.

If you would like some help to identify oportunities for IT to help your business grow in 2010 do ask. I'm happy to spend some time with you on this, at no extra charge of course.

And by the way, if you ever visit Watlington do drop into the Carriers pub for lunch. Their baguette and chips won't disappoint you. The ketchup is free, just don't ask for electricity with it.