Business Software » Software Programs

Business Intelligence – The Science

admin — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 17:23:02 +0000

So, if Business Intelligence can increase profits, pinpoint marketing efforts, streamline processes and monitor employee performance – how does it work?

How your information is stored

There are nearly as many different types of business software as there are businesses, but each one behaves in a similar way, taking in the information entered and storing it on a database. A database is a collection of tables which hold related information and are linked together by common strains of data, or keys. A customer table may look something like the one below, the second table is an example of how customer contacts may be held. So if a customer has two people who are your contacts, it will display the information like this: Most databases comprise of a minimum of twenty or thirty tables and many can be more than a hundred, but the theory stays the same.

Joe’s Garage uses ‘Service-Station-Op’, which, although it was produced by an obscure and now defunct software house, is a reliable database, and holds details of customers, completed jobs. It is more than capable of storing all of the data Joe needs to operate and expand his profitable enterprise.

A special programming language exists specifically for extracting this information and summarising it in different ways. This language is called SQL (Structured Query Language) and is the core of all Business Intelligence reporting.

Report writing software

SQL can be written long hand to produce lists of data, but doing this can be tedious and the results make complex viewing! Thankfully, software programs exist which provide a high level of control and fast development times. The market for reporting software is dominated by Crystal Reports. Over the years it has deservedly become the de facto standard, and is regularly updated with new revisions that provide ever more sophisticated tools whilst retaining the straightforward user interface which makes it so attractive to users of all levels. This is the development tool of choice for the majority of BI consultants (myself included) and produces robust, accurate reports within extremely quick development timeframes. Naturally, the more popular a software package is, the greater the availability of specialist consultants. However, the ever increasing popularity of Business Intelligence means that the best BI consultants are highly in demand.

Joe has recently enjoyed considerable success after he stumbled across the concept of BI and hired a consultant, Patrick, to explore some potential marketing ideas. Patrick recommended Crystal Reports because he believes that it will be a worthwhile investment for Joe it is user-friendly enough for Joe to learn the basics over time, and has the capacity for Patrick to develop it to deliver on every one of Joe’s demands.

Crystal Reports is not always the right choice and other options are available, such as Actuate and Sequel Server Reporter. Crystal Reports is, in my opinion, far superior in report production but the other options do have advantages when it comes to distributing reports.

Distribution Software

Once a report is developed and filled with data it must be communicated to the people who need to use it. For many small businesses this is not an issue as only one or two people need to the view the results and this can be done by simply using the software used to create the report. For example, on the left is Crystal Reports in “design mode” and on the right, displaying the report with data.

A free report viewer is available for Crystal Reports, but reports still need to be manually emailed to the recipient and stored on a network they can view. This is usually an ideal and cost effective solution for small to medium businesses. But distributing reports across a large company requires a different solution, particularly if the recipients need to see various variations of data on an ad hoc basis. The owners of Crystal Reports (SAP) provide several solutions for distributing reports, the most useful being Crystal Server which allows reports to be viewed online, and also to be automatically scheduled and sent to whoever is licensed to receive them.

This can become quite an expensive approach when distributing across a large company, but other independently developed alternatives are available with a much smaller price tag. The other reporting software options also come with their own distribution software, both pricing and functionality vary. Most Distribution Software is licensed by how many users receive reports, but shopping around can save a lot of expense.

Joe is the only person who needs access to the reports, and only at one location, his office. Because Joe’s initial Business Intelligence requirement was for a one off solution, Patrick recommended using the free demo of the latest Crystal Reports. By the time the 30 day demo has expired Joe has realised the value of BI and is happy to pay the reasonable amount for the licence (which he claims back as a business expense on his tax returns). As his business expands, all the data for his other garages are also held on the one system, but Joe likes to have to freedom to view information while at the other garages and so installs the free viewer and carries a copy of his reports on a memory stick.

My personal experience is that Business Intelligence is usually implemented first for one department, and once the benefits are realised, an extended reports library is eventually adopted across the entire company.

“Cheap” BI solutions

Programs like MS Excel, Access, or similar, can be used for BI purposes and may seem like a cost effective solution if they are already installed for other uses, (although if being purchased specifically for BI they are around the same price as report writing software). But, to tailor this type of generalist software to your specific BI needs will eat up significantly more precious development time, and is likely to work out more expensive than buying specialist software. An added disadvantage to this cheap approach is that you become reliant on the person who developed your reports, as the system becomes ever more convoluted. Whether you become dependant upon a permanent member of staff who may become too busy with their other duties, or a consultant who may increase their prices, further development may be a problem.

Exporting data into a spreadsheet directly from a database is a popular solution, even in big companies with specialist BI departments. The time it takes to export the data and format / summarise it in a spreadsheet takes at least as long as it does to create a report using the correct software. And if the same data is needed next month the whole process begins again, whereas a report just needs the date to be changed or can even be programmed to run automatically. This brief journey through the technical side of Business Intelligence should have enlightened you sufficiently to ensure any future discussion with your BI professional is tightly focused on achieving your goals!

By: Jason Dove

Vacation Tracking Software for Businesses

admin — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 16:50:50 +0000

Any business that uses employees knows that there is the hassle of trying to schedule holiday time for each of the employees. Not only do you have to schedule vacation time but you have to manage how much time each person is allotted. Trying to keep track of everyone in your company and their needs can be extremely tedious. The use of vacation tracking software can save your company a great deal of time and reduce errors that are made for calculating holidays.

The good aspect of vacation tracking software is that you can configure it to keep track of time that employees earn through your policies that you have in your business. The software can automatically calculate the time for you without having to manually do this. For example, if an employee can earn one hour of vacation time per 40 hours worked. The software can calculate this and keep track of it for you automatically. This will save a great deal of time for the human resources department in your business allowing them to spend time doing other tasks that need to be attended to.

Many companies allow employees to carry over their allotted holidays from year to year. This can be extremely tedious and cumbersome to keep track of manually. If you use vacation tracking software it will automatically update each year for you so that there are no errors in calculating how much time employees have for holiday each year. If an employee uses time during the year, this is automatically deducted and the accurate amount allowed is displayed for the employee record.

Scheduling vacations can be a true hassle. Many of the vacation tracking software programs allow you to enter times for employees on a schedule. This can be modified as needed. If you have many employees it can be a massive headache trying to figure out if one employee is scheduled off prior to giving a vacation slot to another employee. With the vacation tracking software programs, you can enter the date that an employee requests for holiday. If the slot has already been taken you will know instantly. You will not inadvertently give two employees off the same slot and leave yourself short handed for staffing requirements.

Another great feature about the vacation tracking software programs is that they are very user friendly and easy for your employees. You can have it set up where employees can log in and request specific times. They will instantly know if a particular slot is open or not. You can set it up so that during specific time periods that you need full staff that the slot is not open for employees to have vacation. This information can be updated as often as necessary. This will keep your business from ever having a point that you are accidentally understaffed because someone made a scheduling error. The use of vacation tracking software can make tracking and handling vacations much simpler for your business and free up your human resource department to handle other business tasks that need completing.

By: Dean Forster

Internet Niche Marketing Software

admin — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 22:05:36 +0000

Jumpstart Your Business

When it comes to marketing online you need to have the right tools and the right software programs to help your business grow.

Throughout cyberspace you will tons of online business tools and internet marketing niche software but which ones do you choose? There is thousands of software programs you can choose from but only a few will be worth your time.

In this article I will outline exactly which internet niche marketing software programs are the best to use.

Here are the top four niche software programs that will really help jumpstart your business.

1. Camtasia: If your running any type of online business camtasia might be a useful niche software program. Camtasia will allow you to capture and record the screen of your computer so you can give video support or showcase product demonstrations.

2. Automated Sales Machine: This is actually an online service that will allow you to accept credit cards, create auto responders, and start your own affiliate program. This is really a must have for any online business as it will completely automate your business without you having to lift a finger.

3. Dreamweaver: This software program recently got bought out buy Adobe so you can be sure it’s a great program. This is a wysiwyg editor that will allow you to create your own webpages.

4. Seo Elite: This program is a niche marketing software program that will help you get higher search engine rankings. I use this program almost every other day.

Now the next thing to do is to bookmark this page in your browser so you don’t loose these valuable resources.

By: Joshua Writer

Employee Attendance Tracking Software For Your Growing Business

admin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 01:28:20 +0000

The days of the punch clock are over. Trying to keep up with a time card for everyone is a pain, and over time, can actually be harder to keep up with. The good news is that there a lot of different employee attendance tracking software programs out there that you can use. These are programs that go above and beyond what other time clocks do. Today we are going to talk about a few of the things that this new software can do and why you are going to want that in your business. By the end, you are going to see that the attendance of your employees is very important. Keeping up with it can be even be more demanding, but it does not have to be.

First of all, the great thing about employee attendance tracking software, is that it can actually improve the accuracy of your attendance reports. Most of these software programs can provide you with very easy to read graphs and charts that can tell you everything that you could possibly need to know about an employee’s attendance record. By simply typing in someone’s name, you can automatically calculate their attendance for that one individual. On top of that, you can calculate the attendance of a group of people with just a few simple clicks as well. This is great when trying to find out the attendance of a certain shift of people. Like finding out when your night shift arrives and leaves.

Another great thing about these new employee attendance tracking software programs is that they can help you come up with different customized reports with all kinds of information about the employee on it. This is a very unique way to keep track of an employee that you feel may be riding your time clock or not showing up on time. You can easily set up the date range to look at and can even customize the display options of your reports to make them easier to read. On most of this software, you can even choose what kind of information you want on the reports. For example, you can choose to have the clock-in times, but not the clock-out times. Maybe you want the dates that they were late, and you do not need the dates that they were on time. These are options that are fully customizable.

The overall best thing about these new programs is that they can also be linked up to your payroll systems, thus, you can see how much money this person has cost you if they are staying on your time clocks to long. This just adds another level of control that you will have over the attendance records of your employees. Pretty much the thing to remember is that old time clocks are out. Nowadays we need the ability to be able to keep track of more information. We also need to be able to pull it up at a seconds notice, and that is something these new programs can do. That is why most companies are switching to these new and improve systems.

By: Kelly Hunter

What Equipment Or Software Would I Need for My VA Business?

admin — Thu, 27 May 2010 18:07:07 +0000

Anyone thinking of starting a VA business will need to have the necessary equipment in their home office before they start providing services to clients. Each VA’s home office should have the following:

Computer/Internet Connection – A reliable computer with a high speed internet connection will be the most important equipment a VA should have. Dial up internet is not recommended for use in the VA business.

Printer/Fax/Copier – Each one of these is important to have, however, you can equip your home office with the all in one printer that also come with a copier, scanner and fax, so it would be less expensive for you.

Phone – A separate phone line for your home office is another important piece of equipment to have. You could use your regular home phone, but it’s not recommended as your business should be separate from your home life.

Email program – You should have an email account for your business to send and receive business emails. The program should allow you to send larger documents as needed and should only be used for business purposes and not personal. The business emails will hold a large amount of privacy for your clients.

Website – Your business should have a professional website to market your services on. This is how potential clients can find you and see what kind of services you can perform for them.

Office Software Programs – Microsoft Office has an excellent suite of programs that most VA’s use on a daily basis for the tasks they perform for the clients. These include the word processing; excel spreadsheets and some bookkeeping programs.

Virus/spyware/adware – It’s important to keep not only your computer clean of bugs, but also your client’s computers as well; since these bugs can transfer easily. There are some free programs to help you keep your computer bug-free.

There are other pieces of equipment a VA should hold that are more specific to the services they are planning to offer. Here are some of them:

Website building software

Accounting/Bookkeeping

Imaging Software programs for editing

It doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavor to start your own VA business. Check out some used equipment and free programs to start with and buy higher quality items later on when it’s in your business’ budget.

By: Nell Taliercio

CRM Software – Ensuring Customer Success

admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 02:21:30 +0000

Customer Service Management Software

CRM software is becoming more the norm than the extreme in multiple industries. What does CRM software do? For one CRM software helps ensure customer success by automating much of the customer service management process.

CRM is often considered an integrated approach that organizations can use to identify potential customers, acquire new customers and retain existing customers. CRM software programs allow organizations to coordinate various customer interactions from multiple perspectives, through varying departments and across different locations. Organizations can maximize their performance and the value inherent in each customer interaction when taking advantage of CRM software.

CRM And Efficient Business Processes

Today’s organizations face increasingly difficult challenges when dealing with customers. Many have customer bases that reside among multiple different geographies. Organizations must also manage interactions that occur via various communications networks. Some examples include communications through call centers, the Web and networks. Fortunately RM software makes it easy for customers to conduct business with an organization in any way they want regardless of the communication channel they operate through. RM also facilitates communication with customers across varying lines of business.

When an organization adopts CRM software, customers often reporting feeling more satisfied with their business relationships and feeling that an organization has a unified approach to customer service management. This helps strengthen customer relationships and improve customer retention rates in the short and long term. A business taking advantage of CRM software is more likely to attract and retain high quality customers at a more rapid and efficient rate than organizations using outdated modes of customer service management.

By: Frank Owen

Automate Your Salon Business With Tanning Salon Software

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 21:59:14 +0000

Some parts of running a tanning salon business can be parts that the owners or managers don’t enjoy, Often when salon owners start out, they think about their primary interests in tanning products or beauty services in general. They don’t think about the fact that as in any business, there are tedious demands such as paperwork, employee W-2’s, client information, records of payments, and all kids of day-to-day requirements that face owners.

One way to take away some of the hassle of doing these types of things is purchasing a good software package for assistance in these aspects of running your tanning salon. This can be wonderful, as it will make a huge difference for the salon owner and take these unpleasant chores out of your hands and leave you with the aspects of your business you enjoy. The ability to get rid of the responsibilities that these software programs can substitute for can really be a blessing for many operators.

Many of these software programs are very user friendly and have attractive features that make them pleasant for even the non-computer minded. One of the most important features of this software will be the ability to have good databases and generate good reports based on that data, so look carefully for that.

Analyzing client data is essential to a business. You will want to be aware of their pattern of making appointments, the type of products they buy. This software can make it so the computer keeps tracks of these things and sends automatic reminders and advertisements to clients.

Data should be managed securely, so that no one but certain staff would have access to sensitive information, The data should also be easily usable and compatible with other programs, including other databases such as Excel. And of course any function that is used while the client is there should be simple and fast, as not to waste their valuable time.

A good software problem can’t make a business if the business doesn’t have the essentials, but it can add many features that will improve and automate many of the most annoying features of being a business owner or manager, and leave your time for other aspects of your business.

By: Raymond Watte

A Review of Popular Help Desk Software Programs

admin — Wed, 12 May 2010 01:20:02 +0000

Variations between help desk software programs include pricing, the numbers users accepted and ticket management options. As a result, determining the needs of your company is critical.

One popular program is Support Wizard. In consumer reviews, this product received ten out of ten stars. Support Wizard offers everything your business needs to provide world-class customer and technical support. Customer self-service, live help and outstanding ticket management tools can streamline your business’ management and help you to maintain a loyal customer base.

Another help desk software program, Parature, offers many of the same benefits. Consumer reviews are outstanding for this program and many business owners recommend it to their associates. Parature is a comprehensive program that is fully customizable and user-friendly. Live assistance and award winning ticket management are a couple of the most praised features of this system.

FootPrints is also an award winning help desk software program. FootPrints is 100% web-based, meaning that your technical and customer support teams can access the database from anywhere on Earth. It is completely customizable and the company offers outstanding support. FootPrints offers an excellent ticket management tool and is one of the more affordable options in help desk software programs.

Researching and deciding on a help desk software program can be a daunting task. You should first decide what specific issues your company needs help with and then consider what will best support your customers accordingly. If you own a small business, a free help desk software package might be a good option. Make sure you understand the limitations on users and on the number of trouble tickets available with free programs. If you have a large or expanding business, take a look at the many online help desk software reviews that are available. Reading consumer reviews of the various products can give you a better idea of whether the particular program will be a good fit with your company’s and your customers’ needs.

By: Kent Pinkerton

Use Quality Management Software to Streamline the Business

admin — Fri, 07 May 2010 18:49:24 +0000

One of the most important components in any strategy to reach compliance with the post competition accountability provisions of OMB Circular A-76 is the use of quality management software. Compliance can seem like a difficult task at times, but if a company makes use of a good quality management system, it will greatly simplify the process for the agency and its employees.

Often, government agencies will look for a way around this, but there just isn’t a way to avoid all the tasks that must be done even after the bid/award process has finished. Many of the tasks that must be completed post-competition can take up a lot of time and effort to deal with. Many agencies are now starting to turn to quality management software to speed things up. These programs were designed to help out in every phase of the quality surveillance process, which includes identifying the requirements around the task to filing and protecting important documents.

There are now real-time, web-based quality management software programs that are gaining a lot of acceptance these days. These programs can easily streamline the processes around quality assurance, transparency in public-private transactions, and general accountability. This can increase a company’s overall productivity and give them the surveillance reports they need.

There is even another step that an agency can take to make their processes more efficient. They can implement some software that will automate many of their training processes and optimize employee performance. This can eliminate many repetitive tasks that most training programs include.

Some companies even bring in a quality assurance expert to help set up the quality management software and train the staff in its use. After the software has been installed it can even assist you in holding contractors accountable for their performance and mitigate all the risks involved with non-compliance with the A-76.

Agencies are taking an integrated approach to public-private accountability because it allows them, and various providers and regulators, to spend their time on activities that are more beneficial to their efforts. They can stop worrying about decisions that may not conform to the contract. Software solutions can make the management of all these aspects much easier.

Most quality management software solutions can do more than just aid in accountability and transparency. It will let you evaluate scheduled and non-scheduled surveillance activities and alleviate many of the burdens associated with the A-76 process. You will also be able to discover whether staff members are reaching the required standards.

Automated programs that can streamline training activities will have a beneficial effect on your quality assurance efforts. You will be able to maintain transparency and accountability without getting lost in a lot of procedural matters. These applications can be the ideal way to take your business to the next level.

By: Alberto Sanchez

How to Choose Business Card Design and Printing Software

admin — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:47:09 +0000

Choosing a business card that showcases your individual talent and profession can be essential in leaving the person with lasting memories of who you are. Business cards are a very inexpensive way of essentially advertising yourself, whether it is to friends, colleagues, or potential customers. You want to make sure you use your business card as a presentation of who you really are.

There are several different software programs available for you to be able to choose your design and print it from your computer, as opposed to spending hundreds of dollars on professional cards that you are unable to change to suit your present situation. For as little as $29.95 you can buy a complete software package that lets you customize your design and business card templates with just a click of the mouse. It takes the difficulty and confusion out of picking a business card template and lets you do your own business card printing. There are usually hundreds of business card templates for you to print out custom business cards for whatever situation arises. You may need different templates depending on if you are using them for trade shows, to show your booth number, or if you dabble in different professional and personal businesses. Some of the software out there is very high quality, giving you the professional look for a fraction of the cost.

A design wizard takes you through the process, even allowing you to upload your own personal sketch if there is something you may want to show that is unavailable on the software. The business card templates include different fonts, full color pictures, outlining, bold text, text effects, scanned pictures, standard or vertical print, as well as numerous other options. The software gives you tips on what style would suit your business. Learning effective business card tips can make a difference in whether the person calls you back. It also gives you tips on business card etiquette, and what should and should not be on your business card.

Business card printing can be easy if you have the right type of paper stock. This can be very important to the look of the business card, as well as the professional quality it shows. There are so many varieties to choose from, so you need to take serious consideration when deciding on which one to use. Business card paper can be glossy, matte, textured, or regular, and then you have to look at the weight of the card. The heavier the paper stock the more professional it will look. You should also know what your printer is capable of, whether it prints black and white, or color business cards. For business card printing with a plain text, and no pictures, then a monochrome laser printer is what you need, but if you are using color designs and pictures then you need a color laser or inkjet printer. Business card templates and printing software can change the way people look at you in the business world.

By: Natalie Aranda