“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That’s a model every business follows now and then. That’s fine if whatever’s unbroken can’t be improved by “fixing.” But if that’s your model when it comes to technology, then you’re missing the boat—and a lot more.

Following the break/fix rule in managing technology means missing opportunities to improve productivity, make informed business decisions and align IT purchases to support your long-term business strategy. Let’s look at what’s often going on in a business where technology has to be a problem to merit attention.

Chances are good you have dedicated employees who always do what they can to get their jobs done, even adapt to technology that slows their progress. Things have to get bad—even broken—before they ask for help. With the break/fix model, who’s really listening? Who’s responsible for finding better, faster ways to help them get their jobs done? Streamlining processes and improving productivity aren’t typical of this model. Lost opportunity? Your ability to know your business is running at optimal efficiency.

Break/fix is a gamble when it comes to incorporating technology expenses into your annual budget. Sure, you can use last year to make your best guess about ad hoc and emergency spending on the horizon, but that’s not managing or controlling expenses. Lost opportunity? Your ability to plan IT purchases—choosing to make the technology investments that advance your business strategy.

By now it’s no surprise that gathering and analyzing data is left out of the break/fix model. The business practice of knowing if, when or how to create a real-time dashboard—a snapshot of your organization’s key performance indicators—is just a dream. Lost opportunity? Your ability to quickly connect the dots and make informed decisions.

You can read about the most transformative technology on the market but how do you know if it has anything to offer your particular set of issues? Since the break/fix model doesn’t support seeing the big picture—and the emergency responder isn’t looking beyond the fix—recognizing the best technology for your company is difficult to impossible. Lost opportunity? Your ability to know which technology can improve performance and enhance profitability for your business.

All of these lost opportunities translate into higher operating costs and lost revenue. There’s no time like today to find out which opportunities you’re missing. How? Start a conversation with a technology consultant whose focus is cost-effective solutions based on industry best practices. Asking direct questions and getting straight answers about technology is your first step toward breaking this ineffective model and making your company more competitive.