Integrations
At some point in every business, it is very likely that you find yourself repeating work. For example, it is common to keep records in your CRM that must also be keyed into your bookkeeping system. Or customer information must be sorted manually and saved into email lists. Chances are, many daily tasks could be handled more efficiently if some of your systems or applications were connected. There are business solutions to help these problems.
Time lost due to duplicate and recurring tasks is enormous. Recent estimates suggest U.S. workers spend nearly 5 hours per week on these types of tasks. This impacts every area of your business. In addition to real costs, like labor and equipment time, there are opportunity costs that may be even more damaging.
Many business owners accept seemingly minor inconveniences in order to focus on running their companies. But those inconveniences add up to a lot of time that could be better spent on things that make the business stronger and more profitable. The goal is to identify activities that erode time away from what’s truly important – growing your business. Even a small integration project can eliminate task duplication and repetitive data management, or even automate some of those tasks to reduce the workload even further.
Business Processes
Businesses, especially those that have been operating for a while, are prone to accepting process friction without realizing it. A common example is the spreadsheet. Spreadsheets make it easy to process and visualize information. They are especially useful for creating a snapshot view of a business condition that needs addressing.
However, spreadsheets are notoriously challenging to update and maintain. Any business process that requires frequent updating and perhaps multiple copies of spreadsheets should be evaluated. The good news is spreadsheets often make great blueprints for custom software that will reduce the overhead of spreadsheet maintenance forever.
Many times processes have become habit, even though they may result in a less efficient workflow and increased overhead costs. The best path is not always immediately obvious, but we will help you pinpoint bottlenecks and offer solutions based on years of experience.
Visibility
One of the biggest challenges in business is keeping track of countless tasks and deliverables. Whether it is a bustling repair department, busy design group, frantic product fulfillment or any other business, we all have to keep track of a dizzying amount of information.
What the spreadsheet is to data, the whiteboard is to tasks. Also very common is a wall, desk, or computer monitor plastered with a sea of Post-it notes. The challenge is businesses run on a lot more information than may be contained using either of these methods. These solutions are also very passive, so accessing information requires staff to go to where the information is.
As with spreadsheets, the business process might be perfect, but the technology is less than ideal. We can provide solutions that are not only easy to update, but quicker and easier to access across many different users.
Custom Software
Most business owners and managers work with what they know. As experienced problem solvers, solutions are typically well-defined and fast to implement due to an intimate knowledge of the business needs. We can add our software development experience to capitalize on that knowledge and create the ideal custom solution. With the right plan, the cost savings and increased profit can quickly offset the investment in custom software.
The first step is to reach out to us with your challenges. We understand the pain points many business owners face and have been providing custom solutions for others just like you. Tell us what you need so you can get back to growing your business, not just running it.
