Whatever stage your business may be at, and whatever product or service you may be offering, the way in which you operate and the technology you use to support you are critical aspects of your success. By ‘Operations’ we mean the processes and systems that you use to run your business, including:
- Accounting;
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM);
- e-commerce;
- demand forecasting and inventory management;
- warehousing and order processing;
- customer service.
We also cover management information and reporting from these various systems, so that you have the correct information to manage your business, and review and improve your processes.
We can help businesses in different ways at various stages of their evolution.
Startups
- Spend wisely - it’s tempting to fit yourself out with the latest thing, but it may make more sense to ensure that the business is stable before making large capital outlays.
- Remain flexible – many businesses will change significantly during the early stages of their existence. If you have invested in a system that restricts your flexibility, you could have a problem.
Established businesses
- Consider your needs – it’s vital to have a proper requirement analysis before making a software purchase or investment.
- Don’t be ruled by your software – although you need processes to be enforced and adhered to, you need the flexibility to be able to define those processes to suit you.
- Prepare for growth – consider operations and technology before you launch new products, or a fresh marketing initiative. We sometimes see businesses that run out of stock, or cannot meet delivery deadlines, because they failed to consider the resources required to handle an upsurge in trade.
How we can help
- Business analysis – supporting you in determining the requirements that you have;
- Process improvement – helping you to cut costs and waste, increase profits and serve your customers better;
- Business intelligence – we build dashboards, data warehouses, and reporting systems to give you visibility of what is happening ‘under the bonnet’ of your business;
- Software and supplier sourcing – we help you find the right business partners, and ask the right questions before signing up;
- Practical, hands-on support – we don’t just tell you what you need to do, but we help you to do it and leave you with a sustainable solution.
Contact us to have a free consultation on how we can support you.
More Information on Operations and Technology
How SMEs can use Cloud Computing to punch above their weight in business
What Data Should You Measure For Improved Business Performance?
