Between December 22 and December 28, Southwest Airlines canceled more than 16,000 flights — many of which were initially assumed to be a result of the snowstorm that hit the Northeast. Now, it’s slowly becoming clear that the challenges Southwest Airlines faced mainly resulted from a technology infrastructure failing.

Having failed to upgrade its outdated scheduling systems, as competitors did, the airline was not able to resume business as quickly as it needed to after last month’s winter storm. The nearly two-decade-old system could not scale fast enough to tackle the multiple waves of cancellations and delays caused by the weather. Unfortunately, this left its employees no choice but to manually attempt to match flight crews with available planes, leaving many people stranded and without their luggage.

What a nightmare!

It’s been known for some time now that the company desperately needs to modernize its scheduling systems. Southwest pilots have reportedly begged company executives to update the “antiquated” systems since at least 2015.

So why didn’t they?

Unfortunately, like many business owners, Southwest’s CEOs have prioritized curbing immediate tech expenses, short-term fixes, and bandage solutions instead of investing in the airline’s future. This attitude of failing to adequately plan and update its systems will undoubtedly result in high monetary future investments as the airline tries to catch up to its competitors.

This problem — relying on older or deficient software and IT infrastructure that needs updating — is known as incurring technical debt. Technical debt is real debt, and unfortunately, someone will eventually pay for it.

Will Foret at Forbes Magazine compares technical debt to credit card debt: “Your initial investment in equipment and IT services acts as your original balance. When you cut corners or underspend to maintain equipment, you only make the minimum payment on that debt. Sure, you’re saving now, but what will happen to that debt over time? It will continue to balloon, making it harder and harder to get out of.”

What Can SMBs Learn from the Southwest Airlines Meltdown?

Not addressing technical debt results in a build-up of problems that will eventually stall the growth of any business. When technical debt is left to accumulate, systems become increasingly slow, and errors become more frequent and complex, costing your business money and time, reducing customer satisfaction, and complicating the process of expanding or scaling up.

To protect your business from these stressors, identify and address technical debt immediately:

  • Don’t neglect to invest in modern software and technologies: Updating your systems may seem costly, especially in an economic downturn, but in the long run, it has the potential to save you from expensive disruption and customer dissatisfaction.
  • Keep up with IT security practices: Keeping your systems secure and up to date is vital to maintaining healthy operations. Doing so will reduce the risk of system breakdowns due to external threats or attacks.
  • Take an active role in monitoring systems: Monitor your systems regularly to identify any problems and take immediate action to prevent them from spiraling out of control.
  • Regularly review and ensure that your digital infrastructure aligns with the changes in your business objectives. As your business grows and becomes more complex, the systems and processes it depends on must be updated and streamlined to meet the demands of the new organization.

Keeping your systems up-to-date and secure takes effort and can increase costs in the short term. Still, it’ll prevent what may initially be a minor issue from becoming an insurmountable obstacle as technical debt continues to pile up. And, as the Southwest Airlines example has shown, in the long run, it’s worth it.

At Meeting Tree Computer, we suggest you work with your IT support partner to help move your technology forward; they can help you find the right solutions for your business and assist with implementation, budgeting, and planning.

Don’t have anyone on speed dial at the moment? Contact us to schedule some time to talk.