Ten ways to make your business more efficient

Posted: May 26, 2010 |Comments: 0 |

Almost all businesses can benefit in some way from the introduction of technology. Big businesses are often saddled with legacy systems that can be expensive to modify or replace whilst small businesses struggle to see the justification for spending on what they regard as non core business tools.

But there are a plethora of software and technology applications that can help a business to improve its efficiency or effectiveness. Which particular permutations work best depends on the type of business but can include:

Customer Relationship Management (CRM). This reconciles all known information on customers and in some cases, suppliers into one application. Contact details and diary management facilities mean that it can become an effective sales and marketing management tool to improve customer contact, identifying trends and patterns and offering competitive advantage. If integrated into an accounting system it can allow for customer profitability reporting meaning that loss making customers can be effectively managed.

Help Desk software. An application that centres around a contact management system, allowing calls to be handled and reconciled with trends identified to enable better training or product development. Sophistication varies, with high end offerings providing telephony and wider CRM integration.


Software as a Service. There is a growing market in outsourcing software services to larger organisations that specialise in providing pay as you go solutions. This provides access to up to date systems and technology without the risk or costs of development. It also allows you to focus on making the business more profitable without having to be distracted by infrastructure issues. The internet and cloud computing are likely to accelerate adoption of this approach.

Sales Force Automation (SFA). A software system that can help improve sales force efficiency and deal closing rates, often part of a wider CRM solution.

Accounting Systems. If you have your accounting function in house then having a robust general ledger and accounting system can improve financial reporting, controls and integrity. Having a system that integrates into CRM and manufacturing systems mean that you can achieve product and customer profitability reporting at the touch of a button.

Web design. E commerce is increasingly important as a route to market and as a means of marketing your business to the wider community. Building even a rudimentary website can help achieve this before you engage a specialist company as budgets permit.

Perhaps the greatest development in recent years has been in the area of mobile communications and computing. Not only has the power and battery life improved but also the applications to take advantage of wireless and 3G networking. This means that distributed working can be achieved as well as real time sales or service force management. By giving staff access to real time account information they become more efficient at customer relationship management with an opportunity to optimise selling time.

Back in the office far more attention is now focused on environmental efficiency. It uses 10 times more energy to produce a sheet of paper than to copy an image. Save money in office printing by setting the print quality to draft and using duplex printing. Buying modern printers for the office could save up to 25% of the energy costs. Networking printers to reduce the total number can save even more.

Visit the Workbooks website for more information on web based CRM systems.

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    CRM systems become prominent in the 1990's and have home a very long way since. A major change in the development of CRM software is that newer systems allow a dialogue between your business and a customer as opposed to a system that is purely geared towards data management and internal communication.

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