The following paragraphs outline ways in which innovative implementation of technology can benefit businesses. If you would like to discuss these or any other ideas please call us and we will be happy to give you the benefit of our experience.

 

 Eliminate time-consuming, repetitive tasks which your staff undertake on a regular basis. It is quite likely that a computer system can carry out such tasks in a matter of seconds, freeing you or your staff for more productive activities.

 

 Get staff to enter information on computer rather than on paper. If staff are not IT literate a simple touch-screen system can making the capture of information very easy. Touch screens cost only a little more than a traditional monitor.
Get your suppliers and customers to provide you with the information in electronic format rather than on paper. This will reduce administration in your organisation.
Communicate with remote staff by text message. A simple screen can issue text messages at 8 cent per message, saving telephone charges and staff time. More details...
EXAMPLE:
 

A membership based company was spending hours every month checking their bank statements against their membership list to determine whose standing orders had not been paid. They switched to originating direct debits on their customer's accounts so that unpaid items were listed on their bank statement. This saves hours of work each month. We developed a system to raise direct debits on customers accounts on dates to suit the customer. This maintained customer service while reducing the workload within the company.

Service companies using a database of clients can generate additional business by proactively identifying customers requiring follow-up calls and/or regular service, identifying the correct time to contact such clients.
Give your sales staff access to information which will help them better target their activities. IT systems can analyse large volumes of information and present key information which can then be used to increase sales.
Review information already within your accounting system to identify the potential for additional sales. "Dormant" customers who bought from you previously may simply have forgotten what you offer. Some customers may not be aware of your full product range. Analyse your customers purchasing patterns to identify what is not being bought by them.
EXAMPLE:
 

A company installing mechanical equipment which requires regular maintenance introduced a Customer Relations Management system which we developed for their specific needs. This allows the companies track who has taken out a maintenance contract, enabling them contact their customers with a standard letter to offer them a renewal of the contract. Customers without a contract are issued with a different standard letter. The system has generated additional revenue for the company and resulted in increased satisfaction among their customers.

Decide on the key areas of your business which you would like to have monitored on a continuous basis. Often these areas only get fully analysed when something goes wrong. By defining a set of reports you can identify problems earlier and reward good performance.
Use your computer system to analyse the data it contains to identify trends in the business. Sometimes good performance in one area can mask poor performance in another.
By having the system look for exceptions in the data being processed, you can avoid errors becoming visible to your customers (possibly at your expense).
Have "Key Process Indicators" sent to relevant people as soon as the information becomes available. This can mean that problems can be rectified quickly and their impact minimised. Such information can be issued as an e-mail or even a text message to appropriate key individuals.
EXAMPLE:
 

A manufacturing company previously had staff fill out "Shift Sheets" at the end of each production shift, detailing first quality output, product weights, wastage, etc. These sheets took up to 2 weeks before they were collated and the information made available to management for review.

We introduced a touch-screen based production recording system which collects the same information from the factory floor as stock is produced. The information is now available live throughout the day. A summary report of the previous 24 hour's production pops up on management's screens each morning when they power on their PC's. This enables the production manager to respond immediately if production is outside expected ranges and allows the situation be rectified there and then (rather than finding out two weeks after the event, as had been the case previously).