Part 2: The Hidden Costs of “Good Enough” Technology – Why 2026 Demands Better Systems
Throughout 2025, one theme kept resurfacing at LVS and beyond: many practices are relying on technology that is… fine.
Not broken. Not disastrous. Just good enough to get by.
But “good enough” comes at a cost – one that’s often invisible until you step back and look at the operational cracks it creates.
As we move into 2026, these cracks will become harder to ignore. Client expectations are rising, workloads are increasing, and teams are leaning on systems more than ever before. If the technology beneath those workflows isn’t stable, integrated, and genuinely supportive, the impact lands directly on the people.
This week, we’re digging into the hidden costs that hold practices back – and how to spot when “good enough” isn’t actually good enough.
1. The Hidden Cost of Slow Systems: Lost Time You Don’t Notice Until You Add It Up
A PMS that takes an extra 5–10 seconds per action feels minor. Until you multiply it by:
- every appointment
- every lab request
- every medication note
- every follow-up
- every team member
- every day
Suddenly that “slightly slow” system steals hours from your day – hours that become stress, delays, and bottlenecks.
Time is a cost you pay quietly.
2. The Hidden Cost of Workarounds: Training, Errors, and Mental Load
When teams don’t trust a system, they patch the gaps themselves:
- writing notes elsewhere
- duplicating entries
- keeping separate spreadsheets
- messaging colleagues instead of relying on the system
- waiting for “someone who knows the trick”
Workarounds are a symptom of discomfort – and they cost:
- time
- accuracy
- confidence
- emotional bandwidth
The more workarounds a system creates, the more your team carries the burden that technology should be carrying.
3. The Hidden Cost of Poor Integration: Double Entry and Delayed Care
If your systems don’t talk to each other, your team has to translate between them, manually.
This leads to:
- delays in diagnostics
- mismatched client records
- lost information
- increased admin pressure
- slower clinical decision-making
And again, it’s the team – not the tech – absorbing the strain.
4. The Hidden Cost of Unreliable Infrastructure: Interruptions That Break Focus
Every time a system:
- freezes
- drops connection
- fails to sync
- causes a printer error
- locks a user out
…it interrupts clinical flow.
Interruptions don’t just waste minutes – they increase cognitive load. Restarting a task mentally is harder than starting it. Multiply that across a day and you get quiet burnout.
5. The Hidden Cost of “Passive” Software: Systems That Record Instead of Support
Too much veterinary software still functions as a digital filing cabinet – a place to store information, not use it.
“Good enough” systems:
- show information but don’t prioritise it
- require staff to remember tasks rather than surface them
- hold data but don’t help make decisions
- add admin but don’t remove it
2026 demands systems that take action, not just store data.
6. The Hidden Cost of Team Frustration: Culture Erodes Quietly
When tech slows people down, it impacts:
- morale
- communication
- confidence
- perceived competence
- retention
No one leaves a job because of a printer (we hope).
They leave because tiny frustrations build into a feeling that the environment is unsupportive.
This is why technology is a culture conversation, not an IT conversation.
How to Spot When ‘Good Enough’ Is Holding You Back
Ask your team:
- What do you avoid doing because the system makes it difficult?
- Where do you find yourself re-checking, re-typing, or repeating steps?
- Which tasks feel heavier than they should?
- If you could fix one thing tomorrow, what would it be?
- Which systems feel like they exist despite your workflow instead of supporting it?
If the answers form a list longer than one or two items – your tech isn’t good enough anymore.
Moving Into 2026 With Intention
Your goal isn’t to overhaul everything or chase every new trend.
It’s to ask:
“Does our technology protect our team’s time, accuracy, and wellbeing – or does it chip away at it?”
Great care relies on great systems.
Not flashy systems. Not complex systems.
Just systems that reliably support the people who support the animals.
Next week, for the final part of our series, we’ll look at how to future-proof your practice for 2026 with realistic, scalable, team-centred planning.
