App Overload: Consolidate Your Office Systems
There really is an app for everything these days. Most people view that as a great thing, but in the business world, app overload could be damaging to your business. Too many applications, systems, and processes can create major business management inefficiencies and an unnecessary gap between the front office and the back office. App overload is caused when you’re deploying a multitude of apps without a centralized technology strategy.
This usually happens because employees in different departments use different data to measure their KPIs (key performance indicators). Employees come from all different backgrounds, including the technology they have used and are comfortable with. A department of 10 users could mean that each one is using their own choice of software and apps to accomplish their job. Even if your department head implements one uniform and necessary tool to perform their unique business functions, they are likely not considering the implications to the rest of the organization. These tools may be on different technology platforms and offered by a multitude of vendors, each generating its own set of data with its own administrative access and control.
What might be challenging as a business is to understand when you may be suffering from app overload. If your departments aren’t collaborating and working effectively together, the biggest reason is that you are not sharing information across departments. If you are suffering from low visibility and poor insight into your business, this also may be a sign. Slow response times to business items such as collecting accounts receivables or managing company cash flow, items that could be detrimental to your bottom line.
Organizations certainly don’t mean to let apps take over their business, nor do they usually see it coming until they start to see the symptoms on their business. Companies that grow at a rapid pace are usually good candidates for this happening to them because they typically don’t consider whether or not their infrastructure is set up to allow them to grow appropriately. C-level employees usually are so focused on revenue streams that they don’t consider the systems and tools that will be needed to support them. It is a common mistake, especially in companies that don’t have an in-house IT support staff. One easy way to judge if this may be a factor in your organization is to ask yourself this: As we add more employees, is the environment I am trying to gain visibility into getting foggier instead of clearer? If the answer is yes, then you are suffering from app overload.
The solution is simple. Consolidate and connect your customer, accounting, payroll, and financial data on one cloud environment. ERP systems are a great tool for businesses to use that can consolidate all their systems and is available in the cloud. Some benefits include:
- A single view of the business that provides access to key performance data in one place— with no data synching or manual work
- Comprehensive view of the customer, from sales to delivery including quotes, expenses, accounts receivables, and profitability.
- Ability to segment and track data from multiple points of view
- Real-time access to company data, anywhere, anytime
- Customized reports and dashboards
Imagine pulling multiple sources of information together into one resource. It really can be that simple. If you are interested in getting a free evaluation on your IT environment to see if you are suffering from app overload, or if you are interested in learning more about Cloud ERP systems, contact us today. 2W Tech is a certified Epicor ERP partner.
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