Latest Articles
- How to Get the Most Out of a Business Health Review with Your Accountant
While working with my clients and as Program Manager of the Entrepreneurial Assistance Program I have a common theme presents itself. How do I figure out how my business is doing? As a business owner I need to know the answer to this myself. So when I meet with my accountant, I want to give him the most up to date and accurate information. Thus providing the data he needs to help me make sound financial decisions. Your accountant can do this for you but they will need “information”.
- Planning For Success
So why is planning important? Without it you will waist a considerable amount of money, time, and resources. You can’t get where you want to go if you don’t know where you want to end up. Working with clients I usually find businesses that have grown ad hoc and call me when their inefficient back office operations are hampering growth. By developing a business plan you can prepare for growth and potential risk or problems. Therefore you are responding to your environment not reacting. Also, having a solid plan gives you a tool for making decisions.
- 10 Key Factors in Choosing Customer Relationship Management Software (CRM)
One of my favorite topics we teach in class is how to compile information that can be used to make smart business decisions. What usually comes up during class is many start-ups and existing companies know they need a tool to help them with collecting and using information but do not know where to start. This article’s focus is the ten key factors to help you choose the right Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software for your company.
- 10 Tips for Creating a Data Goldmine
I have been working with many clients who have their information in a database but are unable to get the information they want or know where to find it. Usually the culprit is a series of issues that come together to create the perfect storm of inefficiency. The tips below will help you to prevent this storm and maximize the information in your database to increase productivity and profits.
- How to Make More Money in 2012 with Data Driven Decisions
I have mentioned in many of my articles about metrics. Things we use to measure success and how far you are from reaching your goals. Data is much more than that – it is a valuable tool to make solid business decisions. It also helps you to save as well as make money. Below are some of the metrics you can use to help grow your bottom line in 2012.
Digital Information Management
This is by far becoming one of the biggest challenges for today’s organizations. As we transition a large part of our industry in the United States from manufacturing to services, information is becoming our valuable inventory and raw materials for our products. There are so many products on the market that deciphering what is the best tools for an office can be challenging to say the least. There is software for: accounting, sales force automation, customer relationship management and supply chain management to name a few.
Examining your flow and administrative processes gives you an opportunity to reevaluate your current software and tools. Ideally you only change the technology after you address all the low or no cost alternatives. In other words, take care of the low hanging fruit and flow issues before evening considering changes in technology.
Where technology can became a significant problem is incapability across systems. For instance, if one software program can not talk to another in the organization this creates rework, mistakes, overproduction, etc. of the information that the two systems need to share. The ability to share information across platforms and systems should always be an important consideration when purchasing software.
We assist our clients examine streamlining their workflow and how the current digital tools are performing. This can be as simple as some customization of a current program as well as discussing options such as creating a bridge across systems. We consult with our clients developing the criteria needed for maximum flow so the client can make educated decisions about upgrades or changes to software systems. Croll Productive Synergy is not an IT specialist; therefore we have colleagues who are IT professionals who can be brought in for additional analysis on a project if the services are not available in house.
As business grows and matures in the information age, your organization’s customer and internal information is extremely valuable. It should be treasured and utilized like the precious resource it is.
Try our Turn Data Into Dollars Program and Discover the Untapped Opportunities in Your Database! Schedule your session today!
We also offer this service for not-for-profit organizations. The Data into Donors and Dollars Program focuses on the not-for-profit’s unique needs and development goals. Schedule your session today.
For more information about choosing a CRM tool read my article Evaluating Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software
Excerpt from Hudson Valley Business Edge 2009
How to Evaluate Customer Relationship Manager (CRM)