Sunday, April 17, 2016
going electronic with my business
I was leaving class last week and had this thought of ways I can get rid of using paper and make things more electronic. I thought about when I use paper the most and I was thinking for taking notes and written responses with my students in the classroom. Then, it hit me I was thinking only of me and my classroom for my coffee stands I go through a ton of paper. Every night at each stand my employees write their inventory on a piece of paper and send it to me. I hate this method.. .but it works. When it is time for me to do inventory I have to go through all my previous text to see what each employee recorded because the AM girl might have written something the PM girl didn't or maybe the PM girl found an item that the AM girl recorded so I am going through 6 text of inventory a day and comparing what they need then writing it down on my own final list. I wanted a way where the inventory could be interactive at any time they can delete something or add something immediately and it would be live to me and the other employees so we can all see what the other barista needs. How could I do this? Is there an app for it? Then it hit me GOOGLE DOCS!! I was beyond excited I went home and created an inventory document and send a mass message out to my baristas to download the app. Some of them were very excited others were like I don't use technology I won't be able to figure it out without even downloading the app one was frustrated to create a google account. About 60% of them have been doing an amazing job with it. One girl her phone is too old so it won't let her download the app because she needs a newer software so I am having her use it through the email link but it takes her phone awhile to upload it. Not sure there is anything I can do about that. I want to try it for another week and if it is going well I am going to force all the girls to use this. I am wondering if they are expected to do this online if I need to provide like an iPad for the stand? I don't think I can require the girls to use their phones for business? It takes me a bit longer to type inventory on a phone instead of writing it on paper but it is so much faster for us to look at the inventory list I feel like I have saved about 20 minutes a day so far and I am greatly enjoying it and so is my manager! So glad I could bring this tech class to my business to make our lives easier and save trees! #techbusiness #googledocs
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I love that you're considering ways to enhance your life in and out of the classroom using what we're learning! Reading your post it struck me how many people can be resistant to technology just because they're resistant to change. You mentioned one barista saying that she can't use it because she doesn't really use technology and can't figure it out. This defeatist attitude keeps people from expanding their horizons and opening themselves to technology that could truly impact or improve their lives. I feel like this is the same resistance we see with teachers in schools. Once we get into a routine, teachers can develop a "this is how I've always done it" mentality. It's frustrating to work with a teacher that won't open their mind to technology even if it can be beneficial to their students. This is why I feel that we need to invest in professional development to train all teachers, not just those that choose to explore technology training. Once people feel comfortable with technology, they're much more willing to use it.
ReplyDeleteAnd as an aside, you may want to consider getting an iPad or laptop for the coffee stands as a way to ensure that all the baristas can access the inventory system without having to use their personal devices. This may keep you protected as the business owner while also removing many excuses that the girls have for not using the system. I think it was a great inventory idea!