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How to keep key information at your fingertips

What report was it that you needed? When is this due? Do you need anything for the meeting tomorrow?

In today's fast paced office environments, we cannot afford to waste time searching for the data we need.  We all have multi-task functions as part of our daily/weekly/monthly routines and we need our tasks to be as streamlined as possible. Decision makers need to be kept updated whenever a specified business condition is reached and specific reports need to be made available to them regularly in a form that they view and manipulate easily.

Microsoft Dynamics GP System Manager provides customizable role-based home pages, which provides employees with dashboards tailored to their daily tasks.  There include To-Do lists, reminders, task lists, links to specific reports and the list goes on. 

Build online to-do lists and routine checklists for multi-step tasks.  Never worry about missing a step in month-end reconciliations again.
Schedule task reminders & assign them to specific users for follow-up. You can set up reminders for overdue invoices, payables due, recurring batches GL, Receivable, Payable batches that require posting, items due for stock count, lots due to expire. The list goes on and on.

Use business alerts to automatically warn a pre-defined list of decision makers with a customized e-mail message when a specified business condition has been met. The most common example would be when a checking account balance reaches a certain limit.

Run customized reports (smart lists) with a click of a mouse.  Who wants to wade through 100 pages of a receivable report to do the dreaded payment reminder call?  Receivable/Collections is only interested in clients that are overdue and we all have some of those.  Set up a smart list report that provides you with the required information and set it up as a reminder.  Click the report, run, export to Excel and forward to your collections person for processing.  Task completed in under five minutes. No more fooling around with go into Reports, go to …. Go to …., make adjustments for what you want to see (i.e. Overdue 30+ days, view report, print).

How is this all done you ask? It is done on your customized home page. Every time you turn on your computer your home page greets you with your To Do list.  As you complete each task you mark it off as complete and it vanishes from your home page until the next time it is scheduled to appear. You can set up your reminders once and tell it how often it needs to appear. You can even set up your reminder to appear in advance of your task due date so that you can have it done on time. You can revert to your home page from anywhere in GP and your To Do is ready and waiting for you.  Email alerts can even be configured to notify you if a task has been assigned to you in your To Do list.

There is no more forgetting to run a report and missing steps in a multi-step task. Tasks are completed effortlessly and punctually.
Manny Tracy is the Office Manager & Consultant with WebSan Solutions Inc., a professional services consulting firm specializing in helping companies get the most out of their ERP systems and Supply Chains. You can contact Manny at Manny.Tracy@WebSan.com or at 905-713-1235 ext. 200.

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Mobilize Your ERP: Part One

Cellular phones have become commonplace in business today.  However, only ten short years ago the vast majority of us didn’t even own a cell phone.  Now, even grade school children are carrying cell phones, PDAs, iPhones & BlackBerry’s.  Everyone is connected.  Everyone is available.

Companies have come to expect employees to be available when needed.  Look in any airport & you will find people writing emails, reviewing presentations & making calls.  At the same time, companies have resigned themselves to the fact that information is only available when connected to the home office.  In the past few years, many in-roads have been made to allow mobile access to one’s ERP system.  Systems like those offered by SAP or Microsoft are now readily available on Palm Pilots, iPhones & BlackBerry’s.  Employees have secure access to the information they need, when they need it.

Imagine having the ability to close a sale on the trade show floor & instantly have that order uploaded to the office network.  Your fulfillment & distribution team could begin getting that order ready to the customer right away. You have instantly reduced administrative costs & by delivering the goods faster you have subsequently improved your cash-to-cash cycle.

Salespeople by nature are always away from the office.  As such, most CRM applications are also now available on mobile devices.  When combined with the ability to view data straight from one’s ERP, salespeople are enabled to make the best offer to the customer in order to win their business.  Salespeople can view real-time data on extended pricing, sales history & quantities on hand help make their pitch.  The ability to view unpaid invoices, credit limits & payment information can help resolve disputes.  And by viewing inventory data on size, weight or other user-defined information, one can help solve the customer’s complex purchasing needs.  This results in more time spent actually selling product.

Read Part Two next month to discover some industry specific uses of mobilizing your ERP.

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Secrets of Successful Online Businesses

Written by OverflowCafe.com

It’s a well-known fact that most businesses fail within their first 10 years of operation. With that in mind, will you be part of the group that succeeds? Having an effective website and well rounded website promotion strategy will take your business to the next level.

If you’d like to drastically improve your website traffic and sales here are some tips that may turn your small business into a future success story.

Turn more of your visitors into actual customers:

1.) The average user spends 10 seconds on a home page, you have that amount of time to gain their attention. Keep this in mind.

2.) Always show your company name on each page.
3.) If you have a logo, place it on each page as well. Your logo doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy but it helps build your brand recognition over time.

4.) Include a tag line on your home page that explicitly summarizes what your company does. Be brief and specific, for example “We write great resumes.” Or “Your personal travel guide for New York City.” Don’t be vague, this is one of the best ways to gain a users attention and they will remember your company down the road if you use an accurate and detailed tag line.

5.) Always have an easy way to find your ‘About Us’ page. People like to know who they are doing business with and will be more likely to buy from you.

6.) Always have an easy way to find your ‘Contact Us’ page. If possible include multiple methods of contact such as your address, phone number, fax and email. In the online world these things have become even more important.

7.) Make your business hours known. It will help your potential client to know when you will get back to their inquiries and they won’t be frustrated when they don’t hear back from you when you are closed or on holiday. Of course, make sure you get back to your clients in a timely manner. If it will take you 3 business days to respond to an email, write that on your website’s contact-us page as well so that your clients know this.

8.) Keep your website uncluttered. Chances are your visitors are not looking to be entertained, they want the facts about you and your products and services and they usually want it fast. Make them happy and they will buy from you and recommend you to others.

9.) Ask your visitors to review your website for you. They will tell you what they like and don’t like, and you can improve your website on an ongoing basis. Remember, business is an ongoing process.

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