Boost Business Efficiency with Data Visibility
What do you really know about your business' operations?
In today's hyper-competitive, global marketplace, business owners and managers must make instant decisions that can affect sales, customer service and the bottom line. Can we handle a rush order without affecting other contracts? What marketing program will generate the most cost-effective leads? How can we reduce inventory costs? How should we deploy our sales team to achieve quota? While the pressure to make good decisions seems to grow constantly, the information on which to make those decisions is often incomplete or out-of-date.
Data visibility
The answer to this dilemma may seem obvious: to make well-informed, timely decisions, you need easy access to accurate information. Business decisions can't just be based on gut feelings or guesstimates – you need real-time information that can tell you what the actual situation is ... right now. This is often called "data visibility."
Data visibility encompasses more than the ability to access data; it refers to seeing data from all departments and locations of your company. Visibility into companywide data – even in a small business – provides insight into relationships and trends that may not otherwise be apparent.
Choosing the right solution
Integrated business management software can make an enormous difference in how smoothly and profitably your company runs. These applications, such as SAP
Business One, consolidate information about accounting, customers, manufacturing, e-commerce and inventory for consistent, accurate information. They let you identify both opportunities and problems early enough to take advantage of – or resolve – them most efficiently.
Small businesses that have implemented integrated business management software report other advantages as well:
- Cost reductions through elimination of multiple systems and improved purchasing and inventory management
- More efficient planning and forecasting through better reporting
- Error reduction through elimination of redundant activities
- Improved customer satisfaction through access to consolidated customer records
How data visibility helps small businesses
Points North Contracting Ltd. (PNC) in Fort St. John, Canada, a fast-growing pipeline construction and facilities management firm, wanted to improve the way it managed its field projects and staff. It needed real-time information and a consolidated database so that it could gain greater insight into the progress of more than 150 individual projects annually and how they affected resources across the company.
"As the company grew and the ability to manage became more difficult, senior managers needed a tool that could supply them with the real-time information," says Scott Gordon, PNC's business manager. "They needed to manage the company based on more than just a gut feeling." So PNC replaced its legacy accounting software with the SAP Business One application. Using the integrated software enabled PNC "to manage our field staff and projects with confidence and track employees, vendors and clients all on one database," Gordon said.
For the most effective results in achieving data visibility through the deployment of a software application, consider working with a technology consultant – often called a value-added reseller (VAR), or a channel partner. Find one with experience serving your industry. With the right consultant and business management application, your small business can become even more agile.
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