Radically boost your bottom line
We have been in the biggest economic downturn since the
Depression. Many businesses will cross their fingers and hope that
they can ride it out - however why not tackle it head on and make a
real and massive benefit to your bottom line right now?
In the last 10 years IT has been widely accepted as a mandatory
(albeit often begrudgingly) business support function. Why do we
need it? Well, because it manages whatever information your
business uses (typically on a day-to-day basis) in the most
efficient and accessible way possible....which is really just about
enabling your business to do whatever it does to generate
revenue.
Hence why businesses buy PC's, laptops, blackberries, servers
and dozens of other devices that all talk together.
However, now let's take a look at the typical small to medium
business environment. These businesses, on simple terms, have the
following functions to fulfill:
- You have the revenue generating function - the core thing your
business does.
- You have the management function that needs information to make
decisions
- You have the administrative function to support both of the
above
- Now let's get back to IT. You've equipped your staff with
computers, laptops, phones, PDA's, etc so that they can do their
jobs better. You may have even gone to the extra step of setting up
infrastructure to enable people to work remotely and from
home.
But hang on a moment….are you finding your business - although
improved - is still bogged down on the administration of everything
around servicing your clients? And if you've got defined Q/A
standards to meet (such as ISO9001, etc) then it probably is a huge
issue for you.
You've also probably got spreadsheet after spreadsheet with
information scattered all over the place and email after email
cluttering your Inbox with requests for updates and other
information.
And all the IT equipment you've invested in won't solve these
kind of issues, will it?
That's because you are missing the final, and most crucial piece
of the IT puzzle.
The software that runs on your equipment is what you are using.
The physical computer, PDA, phone etc is there purely to run the
software. Without the software, the equipment is junk. What your
business does is unique, however the bog-standard software you're
using is not. You are using the same tools that someone in a
completely different industry uses - no wonder it doesn't solve
your issues!
The solution is tailored software...
Firstly, you centralise all your scattered information into a
database that is just the right fit for your business. This will
stop unnecessary duplication across multiple spreadsheets, etc and
can also enable you to put rules in place to ensure accurate and
complete information is entered by your staff. It is also a
fantastic reporting platform to give management all the information
they need to make solid decisions.
Secondly, you open up a secure customer portal into this
database. With a properly configured portal, your customers have
instant information as it relates to them, and you always control
what information they receive - your customers are provided with as
little or as much information as you like, and it can accurate
anywhere from up to the second, to last night's EOD status, to last
month's results, etc. It's completely up to you.
So instead of being bombarded with emails and other requests
that chew up so much of your and your staff's day, your customers
get the information - exactly in the manner you want to present to
them - whenever they need it.
Immediately the time that was spent fulfilling these requests is
allocated to much more productive, revenue generating tasks. Your
customers will also love how easy it is to get information, instead
of waiting until you can respond to their emails and phone calls. A
real win-win.
These are the steps that businesses must take to adapt to the
current economic environment, as it quickly and dramatically
improves your bottom line. Much better than crossing your fingers
and hoping that you'll ride out the storm!
In addition, the misconception that tailored software is hugely
expensive is just that - a misconception. (You can even finance
software development and the bottom line results can more than pay
for the repayments).
And when we come out the other side of the economic downturn and
things pick up again, you'll have something in place to enable you
to make much more profit that you could previously, because more of
your resources are now focussed on generating actual revenue….and
not just supporting it with zero return.
Kiandra are specialists in all aspects of custom software
development, including databases and portals. We've also recently
won Microsoft Worldwide Partner of the year 2009 for our custom
software development.
So even if you are not sure whether a tailored software solution
is for you, please contact us for an obligation free
discussion.