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.
For more information about choosing a CRM tool read my article Evaluating Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software