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Smoothly Integrating Business Software Systems
In a rapidly growing digital world, it’s commonplace to have smartphones in just about every hand in the office. In fact, 64 percent of employees say their mobile devices make them more productive in the office. But smartphones alone aren't enough for a company to thrive and stay productive using smartphones alone. Instead, a company struggling to run efficiently and bridge communication gaps could be overlooking a common problem. Organizations often use many different software systems that simply don’t communicate with one another. That leads to breakdowns in business from business intelligence to working cohesively as a team.
There are ways to smoothly integrate business software systems and solutions to focus on to help. Here are four to help get you started.
Focus on Business Intelligence
You can enhance your ability to analyze your business data and turn it into actionable advice to make decisions with the right software. Look for resources that combine multiple tools in one package. Salesforce is ideal for sales professionals looking to manage everything from their client services to nurturing leads. But it can also integrate into multiple apps with the help of Zapier. For example, e-commerce store owners can use Zapier to automatically add new Shopify orders to Salesforce as leads.
Enhance Your Communication Channels
The tools you use to communicate with your team can mean the difference between a well-run department and one that is disjointed and negatively impacting your bottom line. An app like Slack is one way to stay in touch with teammates remotely whether on a project or by launching a video call. You can also get set-up and running with a virtual phone system to reduce the need for multiple communicate apps into one. 8x8 offers ideas on virtual phone systems that collaborate via web conference and video meetings, group client calls and internet faxing among others.
Improve Your Decision-Making
The Harvard Business Review reported on slow collaboration and communication between NASA and SpaceX that involved faxes, spreadsheets and weekly 50-person meetings. They ultimately switched to collaboration software to speed up the decision-making processes.
If this sounds familiar in your own business, you may need to focus on new collaboration tools that combine project management and communication in one place. Built by the team at Facebook, Asana can help streamline your project management, keep tabs on communication, and add team members to your project. Everyone can see the same information and communication within the project chain instead of managing multiple email threads and sitting through status update meetings.
Increase Employee Productivity
Inefficiency can negatively impact your business and causes wasted time. Employees can't do their job effectively without cohesive tools that work together. They'll ultimately spend less time on busy work and processes, and more time doing work that benefits your bottom line. Tools like Microsoft Enterprise features a suite of tools like data protection, business cloud services and communication tools like HD video web conferencing and Skype connectivity.
Measure Employee Productivity
Whether employees are wasting time on purpose at work by surfing online or focusing on easy tasks that aren't urgent or are just unclear on what to do next in their workflow, employers can monitor their progress with the right tools. Comprehensive employee productivity software like HubStaff offers real time reporting, employee screenshots, task tracking, and even URL tracking. Take an assessment of what employees are doing right and what they need work on to better shape their workflow.
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