Dependable outcomes prove a productive business. Whether productivity derives from acquiring new customers, streamlining business processes or maintaining an organisational workflow, a proper business plan provides a welcomed resource for progress in all areas concerned. Designing and adhering to a plan however can unearth difficulties that must be addressed. Optimising a business plan through a focus on technology will not only discover problems, but it will also allow management to comb finely through each business process and sort out incongruities that cause delay, waste and frustration. It will further provide support to expose any unsuspected or unknown risks that might deter future growth. By committing to act through a technological objective, businesses can expect to see real, tangible returns.
The Information Age came of maturity within the past decade. An abundance of information services sprouted over this time, and the world now adjusts itself to this new reality. These services provide consumers with streaming video and music, social interaction, books and other things. For businesses, the changes of this new era also provide some startling differences for business operation. New technologies allow businesses and organisations to automate tedious processes, free employee resources for more important tasks and discover new markets and trends that lead potentially to new growth. Working around and implementing these technologies within an already running organisational operation benefits from experienced consultation.
The Cloud and Big Data have developed quite a reputation recently, with reason. These approaches to data management and processing allow business and organisations to spend less and accomplish more. They allow businesses to maintain stock, manage logistics, and note what customers want against what is available. Establishing an organisational Cloud or finding a Big Data storage and processing service requires much effort and study to match them with the organisation's needs. Consultants help to do that. They release organisations from risk of adapting to changing technology by relying on experience and personnel dedicated to the issues.
Jeffrey Ton, of Forbes, summarizes this sentiment succinctly: 'Don't expect your IT department to know the landscape in its entirety. This is where market analysts and industry reports have value, as well as speaking with hired consultants and third-party sellers'.
Instead of relying upon in-house IT personnel who likely would need to work through trial-and-error or attend lengthy and costly seminars, consultants can guide the IT department and organise a business plan for adapting technology requirements. This will develop key employees into leadership roles to provide for new recommendations timely while understanding the risks to the rewards.
Data services are not the only areas where technology affects business operations. Many businesses have found ways to automate processes and open new communication channels for customer interaction. These benefits provide businesses with a way to invest more resources into growth projects. Some processes that are commonly automated include sales, customer relations and logistics. An example of this comes to mind as a typical e-commerce website fit with an online cart, payment processing, customer information collection and storage, e-mail and security features. All of these different solutions fit in together to allow customers to choose when they want to shop and buy. They also provide businesses new methods to reach out and remind customers with new products or offers. In effect, the sales and customer relations processes have become automated.
Consulting services will help to avoid any trouble getting these programs to operate together correctly. They will also help to give IT and other involved personnel the information they need to fix potential problems on-time and adjust the implementation to any changes of the business' direction. This eliminates waste that could affect the bottom line and squander any revenue available for growth investment.
Other businesses have found technology to be important in growing other ways. TODAY published online about one company and when one of its lorries 'is driven through the EU, a small box sends diagnostic data — speed, fuel use, engine performance, even driving technique — to the company's headquarters'. The publication further describes how 'the information adds to a vast international database that helps owners manage the servicing of their fleet' and that the company can 'improve the manufacturing of the next generation of vehicles'.
While this incorporates Big Data into practice, it also shows how research and development processes can be automated themselves. In general, nearly any business process can be automated through the appropriate technological implementation. Consultancy firms find that, for businesses, automating their processes are vital for providing a quality plan for leading growth. Employee resources can instead put their work into determining new challenges or opportunities, designing ways to exploit them and developing further a plan to continue growing the business.
Consulting firms work with businesses to prepare their employees and staff for adapting to changes in technology. The developed plan will take into consideration problems that may from time to time happen. One of these problems includes scheduled and unscheduled updates. Some software developers schedule updates periodically, but they may not consider how changes could totally affect compatibility from one version to the next. Working with a consultant allows businesses to develop a plan that prepares their employees to understand the normal procedure and how to handle abnormal occurrences. Other problems that could arise are hardware failures, service interruptions, data loss and security breaches. Each of these problems can be prepared for and mitigated with the help of a business plan that leads growth through technological prowess.
The changes seen through the introduction of new technologies demonstrate how necessary and prevalent they are for businesses to maintain a dependable pattern of growth. Applying technology to current business operations does require experience to avoid hindrance. Consulting firms work with businesses to develop plans that incorporate technology into vital roles such as automating sales or logistics processes. Consulting firms also take into consideration the needs of a business for recommending service providers, software and hardware vendors which show dependable results. Consultants cooperating with employees and staff can produce a business plan that implements technological solutions and prepares the organisation for any foreseen or unforeseen problems.
As a Professional Member of The Chartered Institute for IT and his nearly 20 years in business, Andrew is able to connect with and help executives and owners leverage the power of technology to deliver lasting results.