It often feels that, in business, we can become slaves to key performance indicators. We’re constantly striving to meet targets and boost our performance against KPIs. It makes sense though; the reason they’re called key performance indicators is because, well, they’re key indicators of a business’s performance!
We all spend our time trying to come up with ways to improve our business performance, but one area companies always seem loathed to make changes is in their software. There seems to be an attitude that software is just software and it’s there to facilitate the basic processes of a business. The thing is, those basic processes play a big role in the company’s larger KPIs.
Just because basic tasks are basic doesn’t mean there isn’t potential for huge inefficiencies, and if you’re running outdated software, it’s likely those inefficiencies are mounting up.
Automation
Whether you’re a property inspector writing an inspection report or a salesman writing up notes on a lead, the right software can make a huge difference to your KPIs. It’s likely there are many processes that could be automated with the right software. Any business is always going to need to offer a personal touch, but there are some processes that are just ripe for automation.
For example, if an inspector has to manually log appointments in their diary and they spend a minute on this every time they book an appointment, this time really adds up over the course of a year. Automation takes care of basic tasks so your employees can spend their time growing your business.
Industry-specific software will be able to identify areas of your business that can be automated and result in improved performance.
Integration
Many businesses use lots of different applications to take care of their daily business needs. When this is the case, employees have to log into lots of different programs and extract information from each one.
The right software will be able to integrate with all the applications you use, putting all the information in one easy to access place. Again, this can lead to big time savings. It might just be a few minutes a day, but when you add those savings up across your entire office over a year, it makes a big difference.
When you’re accessing information from lots of different sources, there’s much more likelihood of an error occurring than when you can find it all in one place. The right software will help you bring everything you need into one piece of software, minimizing mistakes and making your employees more efficient.
Mobile
Business doesn’t just happen in the office. It happens at client meetings, from your employee’s homes, from international conference rooms; it shouldn’t matter where you are, you should be able to operate as if you were in the office.
With cloud technology, the capacity for doing business on the move has improved exponentially, but you need updated software to be able to make the most of it. Your software needs to allow you to work effectively while you are away from the office because otherwise, it’s going to show in your KPIs.
Analytics
Our ability to collect data has changed massively over recent decades. We now have access to so much data that the difficult part is now simply making sense of it all. If you’re collecting data and not turning it into actionable insights, then it’s just a liability.
Keeping data safe is a big responsibility, so you might as well turn it into information you can use. With the right industry software, you will be able to turn that data into real-time analytics that you can use to perfect processes and improve efficiency.
Service
Having quick access to the right information is vital when you’re dealing with customers. When you’re working with lots of different applications and trying to work with an unintuitive platform, it can make finding the information you need impossible.
Good software will simplify the process of finding the information you need allowing you to offer a better service to your customer.
In the constant battle to meet KPI targets, the basic processes of business can get forgotten. However, there is plenty of performance to be found in these areas. When you’re working with outdated software, inefficiencies can build up throughout your business, reducing your profitability and causing you to miss out on KPIs.
Investing in new software might require an upfront investment, but it can quickly help you make savings in many different areas of your business.
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