Were you prepared or did you not have the correct enterprise systems in place?
Remote working was always on the horizon, the lockdown just accelerated the process. Many companies were caught panicking as they were not prepared for the future. However, they soon realised that the future was yesterday and the topic of digital transformation isn’t one they could simply put off to a later stage. For those leaders who want to remain future-proof and future-ready, here are two enterprise systems you will need to survive in this new normal.
In order to cater to a remote working environment, you need accurate, easy to access company data. Whether your sales team is working on-site or your CFO is working at home, access to company information from a centralized database is key. This affords companies the luxury of flexibility. A great ERP solution will also allow you to automate business processes and allow for collaboration.
Gone are the days when multiple business departments could exist as silos. You might want to allow your staff to complete time-sheets and have that information synchronized with your HR department. Imagine your sales executives selling a product because he is aware it is still available in your warehouse or at the manufacturing plant without the need to contact the office to check.
Having accurate real-time data allows the whole team to make more informed decisions and forecasts without having to be in the same location.
Reports no longer have to be tedious. Why wait for the bookkeeping team to find the files from 6 months ago which you may have been stored in a filing cabinet in the storeroom for your CFO to create spreadsheets that will ultimately be translated to the necessary reports. It’s a mouthful just reading it. Imagine the physical drain of it all.
You could simply pull data from your database and have an experienced Business analytics expert compile real-time reports in a fraction of the time. The reports are visualized in a way that is easy to digest. From cash flow to management packs, the sky is truly the limit. No more making decisions about tomorrow with data from months ago. It’s like trying to turn a corner while looking in the rear-view mirror. Business analytics will be that clear and wide windscreen that gives you that best view of the direction your business is moving towards.
Travelling with your engine light on is risky. You never know when your vehicle might give in. Similarly, you don’t want to find yourself being caught off-guard as you postpone your shift towards digital and more automated enterprise systems.
