We are 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, and tackled from two angles:
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.