Technology plays a crucial role in the productivity and efficiency of businesses, especially companies with teams that rely entirely on computers. The more a team relies on computers, the more important it is for them to have top-of-the-line devices. This applies to desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
Where performance is concerned, there’s a huge difference between cheap and high-quality computers, and supplying your team members with the latter is a necessity, not a luxury.
Here are some of the best reasons why your employees deserve to be issued higher-end devices.
A longer lifespan
It should go without saying that you get what you pay for, and that’s true for all devices. Unfortunately, cheap devices don’t last long and you’ll be replacing them on a rapid cycle. It’s more cost-effective to buy the higher-priced devices from the start.
To further extend the lifespan of your company-issued devices, consider supplying a quality protective case for everything, whether it’s the new iPhone 16, a tablet, or a laptop computer. A case is the only way to avoid damage from accidents, including drops, shocks, and spills.
You may also want to consider not allowing employees to take their devices home unless they are approved for remote work. This will prevent them from working off the clock and will reduce the risk of damage to company devices. It can also make it easier for you to monitor device usage since it will only be used in the office.
Fewer breakdowns
Nothing will slow down productivity like an employee who receives a random error that won’t go away and can’t be resolved. This happens more often than you might realize. For instance, sometimes employees go back and forth with tech support for days or weeks without any hope of resolution. In the meantime, they can’t complete an important task. When other people are depending on that task to be completed, it slows down the entire project.
Quality devices are not immune to errors, but they don’t break down as often for no apparent reason. For example, a reboot is often all it takes to get rid of a slow performance issue. Low-quality devices usually can’t be made to run faster because the slow speed is an inherent flaw.
Better tech specs
Continuing with the idea that you get what you pay for, higher-end devices come equipped with better tech specs, like more memory, faster processors, better graphics and sound cards, and more storage space. Sometimes these options are available as upgrades from a base model. Other devices come with better specs regardless of the model.
You also have to consider the hardware involved. Cheap devices use cheap components, and that can cause some devices to overheat. Where laptops are concerned, it’s advised to buy business laptops for your employees to ensure they get the necessary features and durable physical components.
Higher productivity
Anything that increases productivity is worth the investment, regardless of the cost. Unfortunately, most company-issued devices don’t meet even basic needs. According to survey data, around 58% of Americans describe their devices as “awful to work on,” two-thirds want to throw them out because they don’t perform well, and 62% of employees say the devices they’re issued kill their productivity.
Saving money isn’t worth making your employees constantly frustrated and having to battle to get their devices to work.
A better user experience
The user experience matters just as much as anything else; a poor user experience makes people not want to use their devices. For example, most cheap laptops come with keyboards that are frustrating to use and slow down even the fastest typers. This creates a feeling of resistance and decreases enthusiasm, which kills productivity. Nobody wants to go to work every day and type on a difficult keyboard.
On the other hand, when the user experience is smooth and easy, people won’t have to battle their devices just to achieve small tasks, like sending an email or creating a document.
A positive user experience has been proven to increase customer satisfaction, and it can do the same thing for your employees. What constitutes a good user experience in a laptop is subjective since some people prefer Windows while others prefer Mac, but that’s easy to solve by offering a choice between the two. As long as your two options are quality devices, your employees will be happy.
High-quality devices are an asset
Although computers lose monetary value over time, they are still assets to your company. High-quality devices reduce the friction that kills productivity, and when your teams are efficient, it positively impacts your entire organization.
