On a recent social outing I noticed a friend of mine deleting emails from his Blackberry - ‘Mail box Full’ emails actually and over 50 of them clogging up the small screen. For the purpose of this post however, I’m ignoring the irony of mass emails to alert you to a full mail box, a mere nod should suffice. The process was click, scroll, delete, yes...click, scroll, delete, yes.... click, scroll, delete, yes... ad infinitum, not easy to ignore, especially as he could do this without looking. I had to ask why ……
“Shift, click, scroll, click, delete does the same thing” I said.
The original thumb breaking process had now been reduced from 300 clicks to 5 clicks and we could enjoy the evening. Now I know that some readers might call me a “Smart Ass” but sometimes we all need the assistance of a Smart Ass. In fact, for centuries people have been requiring the services of Smart Asses. Just the other day I had a Smart Ass come to my house to repair my fridge! Some new parts and some professional services (Smart Assed Services) and my fridge is once again fridging!
I’ve always liked the caption above. Day to day business can feel like a battle and in fighting these battles we often overlook available resources that can have a dramatic effect on the outcome. If you find a task arduous and time consuming, like my blackberry friend, there is a good chance that others have too. There is also a good chance that some Smart Ass has a solution. No-one would consider creating a spreadsheet without using Excel or trawling through hundreds of websites when you can just “Google it”.
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems provide many business solutions. The good ones are developed around real businesses that have faced real business problems. The best ones can be tailored to meet exact requirements. The doyen of this elite, Intact Software, has provided thousands of solutions to real business problems. Many of them having been solved with an out of the box Intact solution
and some that have required a ‘perfect fit’ tailored Intact solution.
There are many ERP solutions available to choose from but it is important to ensure that they are backed up with more than adequate Professional and Customer Services. Many faceless companies can offer a system without providing you with a solution. Experienced ERP providers will avoid offering services to a potential client if their system is not a perfect fit. Unsuitable systems are often ‘found-out’ during implementation…. if you’re lucky.
Intact Sales Director Mark McArdle has often stated “Give me one hour of your time and if you are not impressed with this solution, you can invoice me for your time!” A statement not to be made lightly; and certainly not made if the solution is not a perfect fit. Its not rocket surgery when you know that implementing systems like Intact can assist you in ensuring you are not over or under stocked, you are receiving correct payment for the supply of goods and services, your customers are being looked after and you are buying product at the best prices. All of which result in a more successful business and healthy margin.
So the next time you are carrying out a tedious task, consider that somebody somewhere has also had this problem. Pretty soon you may have your very own smart-ass with a smart-ass system, resulting in clearly defined processes & greater productivity.
