Business software systems are a goldmine of information about your business. When mined correctly, the data contain nuggets that can drive innovation and foster business growth.
However, often the massive quantities of data that are available to a business can be overwhelming. “Analysis paralysis” strikes even the most dedicated managers who wait too long to take advantage of the information gained from business intelligence findings.
There are several ways to help your teams act on their business intelligence data and use it as a springboard for new directions and growth.
- Data visualization: Data visualization is just a fancy way of saying “put the data into a graph.” Graphs, charts, pictures, and anything else visual can make numbers more accessible to your right-brained, creative colleagues and can help them use the data more effectively.
- Choose your entry point: Sometimes it helps to simply pick a starting point and go for it. It may not be the best one, but it breaks through the bewilderment and paralysis. Action tends to breed action—once an action is taken, it keeps things moving forward until you’re happily working through your business intelligence data.
- Prioritize: Just like picking an entry point to get moving, prioritizing needs also helps you move forward. Pick the most important question on the table at the moment and then find the data to help you answer it. As you move through the analysis, you’ll find that you’ve gained momentum and may continue to work efficiently through the business intelligence data available to you.
Put User-Friendly Dashboards and Reporting Put Success Within Reach
Another way to help your team use their business intelligence data successfully is to choose software systems that provide them with easy access, user-friendly dashboards and simplified reporting. That’s a tall order, but some products such as Sage 100 and Acumatica Cloud ERP fill the order well.
For example, Acumatica offers cloud-based solutions that are easily accessed from anywhere your team works. These solutions use dashboard features similar in design to several other products your employees may have encountered in the past, making them very user-friendly.
Lastly, reports generated from these systems can help you organize and synthesize the data more efficiently and effectively. If the data are easier to manipulate, it’s easier to get to what you need and easier to use the data. The easier something is to do, the more people will do it!
Support a Culture of Innovation
Using business intelligence data effectively can only occur in a business culture that supports innovation and growth. Findings gained from BI data may point to new, unexplored possibilities for your company. Giving employees the freedom to propose, test, and present their ideas will help them use their BI data to develop new products and explore uncharted markets.
Explore Sage 100 and Acumatica Business Intelligence Solutions
A business runs on accurate, timely information used by great people. A good business intelligence system can help your team gather the facts they need to create new products and market to new audiences.
Accounting Systems, Inc., (ASI) can help you choose the right system to drive innovation and growth in your business. If you are using Sage 100, then the Sage Intelligence and Reporting Module may be all you need to find some hidden gems in your system that will generate more revenue. If you are interested in a cloud-based solution, Acumatica Cloud ERP business intelligence tools put incredible analytical capabilities into the hands of everyday users. Contact us if you would like more information.