From inventory management to accounting, from customer relationship management to sales platforms, the amount of software that anyone business can use is limitless. However, the more software you use, the easier it can be for work processes to get complicated and new employees to get confused. Here, we’re going to look at ways you can slow the growth and control that glut to make work processes efficient and easy.
Automate it
One of the problems of having your work processes split between different software suites and programs is that it makes it much harder for an employee to do a single task. However, there are tools that can help you with automation, whether that’s having software do the work they’re supposed to without intervention, or by automating the ways that different software interface with each other, so your team doesn’t have to do every step manually.
Consolidate it
Do you use different software for inventory management and customer relationship management? Is your sales platform different from your marketing platform? There’s a good chance you could bundle the functions of two or more software tools into one. With highly flexible platforms, there’s a chance for things like Netsuite customization that can help you create a digital tool combining the features of several different software into one interface. That way, it streamlines several work processes for your team, since they don’t have to bounce from window to window, but can take care of all their needs in one place.
Cut out redundancies
In some cases, you may have to rely on a multitude of software tools to complete a certain project. However, in many cases, more tools are being used for a certain task or process than needed. This is most especially common when it comes to collaboration and communication tools. For instance, a lot of project management software and team communication software does roughly the same thing. Having teams use both at the same time can only waste time. It’s better to find one that has the features you like and to stop paying for the rest.
Track it
If you want to know how the different tools you use are really affecting your workforce, then you need to take a closer look at how they spend their time when working. When using time-tracking software like Time Doctor, it’s important to make sure your team knows it isn’t to scrutinize them, but rather to take a look at the work processes and how you’re doing them in general. As such, you can better see how much time is spent on each tool and get an idea of where that time might be better used instead.
In all likelihood, to implement the tips above you are going to need the help of an IT service provider who can help adjust the software you’re using right now to your specific needs. It will come at a cost, but it’s likely to be worth it for all the time you save and errors you reduce.
