The Missing Link in Business

A decade ago, business headquarters was the place to be. Sales meetings, production meetings along with the dreaded all staff meetings were all done in one place. Everyone came to the headquarters and they mingled all to sit around a table, staring off into space until it was their turn to speak. Today, everything and everyone is connected to notebook computers and smartphones.

Using New Technology

Customer Relationship Management Software (CRM), collaboration software, and cloud access have opened a new world for business. The technology that a business has access to today can make every aspect virtually accessible to everyone that needs to see what is going on while others can only see what is going on in their department. An example is an enterprise that has different sister companies. The same software can be used across all companies but regulated by user access to see only one company. For example, a non profit accounting organization would not be able to see other company profiles in the enterprise.

Collaboration Is Key

CRM software has come a long way since the days of having to plan out your day, week, or month at the beginning of each. It was hard keeping track of where you have been and who you spoke to. There is only one job a good CRM does, it takes the time that used to be spent writing things down to be lost in a vehicle somewhere and puts it in a place that it cannot be lost. All data is safe in a datacenter and the team that has access to your schedule can see what you are doing. I have used this software for a few years now and I love that I can open my app, look at my schedule and go on about my business. At the end of the day, I can take note of what and who I spoke with at a potential client’s office, schedule a follow-up call or meeting and add products or services that were offered.

Working Together Smoothly

Collaboration software is it can be linked to the CRM software above and share files, notes, and other file types to a team that is assigned to a group of people. Let’s say the production team is working on a project for a customer and one of the teams is behind. Now a new delivery time will need to be created and the customer notified about the delay. The production manager contacts customer service about the delay and a customer service agent can contact them by using the CRM software. The collaboration software links to the CRM software and the agent can see the information that needs to be relayed to the client from one screen on a computer. Time and manpower are saved by the company, and in return, the customer is saving time and money as well.

Everyone has heard of cloud computing, but what exactly is it? It means you can work from home, an office, or a coffee shop. Working remotely has become an easy way for the sales team to work on the road, see and edit the sales calendar, and collaborate with the team. All the software above is a location in the data center and each person given access to the applications can open their software from anywhere. With the time management and cost savings from not having to call the office for answers, a company can save large amounts of time and money by moving their operations from on site to the cloud for productivity.

We are in a time where those that can use technology to address business processes and better meet the needs of customers will be a step ahead of a competitor that does not have the technology. The win is still about getting the product or service to a consumer and getting consumers to recognize your brand.