CHAPTER 4Buy In
Most new technology is met with caution by business owners, principals, and managers. There are specific business questions that need to be addressed and understood before an investment should be made. Drones are no exception. The intent of this chapter is to provide information on how to best pitch the costs, benefits, and return on investment to implement drones into a firm or practice.
Return on Investment (ROI)
When discussing technology, computers, hardware, software, and apps with a business owner, it's sometimes accompanied by a sigh of resignation. For management, those responsible for the firm's budget and finance, investing into a technology like drones, in particular when it's being requested by staff, comes with loads of questions.
Most managers and owners want the answers to the questions listed below. These represent the typical rate of investment versus rate of return.
- How much does the hardware/software cost?
- How long will it take to make it profitable? How much can we charge for the service?
- Which staff should learn to use the technology?
- How much is training to get up and running?
- What resources and expertise are available in and out of the office to aid in implementation?
- Does it fit within our current technology culture and methods/workflows?
Below are systematic answers to the above questions. Starting with a general but accurate cost estimate, each section below further elaborates on the items found in the cost sheet.
Start-Up Cost ...
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