Your company may be going places. Can the same be said for your software and data? Suppose you are like most businesses with employees and multiple internet touchpoints. In that case, at least part of your business data should be in the cloud and fully accessible via mobile devices like phones and tablets.
Every company is at its own stage of technology evolution. So, it’s not uncommon that remote work could require manual, human involvement, even working the old-fashioned analog way via paper. But that data must be captured digitally eventually. You expose yourself to the dual risk of data entry errors and inaccuracies when it does.
But it doesn’t stop there, unfortunately. Because working in the field could lead to the wrong decisions if you don’t have access to the most updated data.
The good news? If any of these problems sound familiar, there are options, solutions, and reasonable ones at that.
Here’s how to know for sure: is the robust software your company depends on ONLY used via desktop or laptop but not via mobile devices like phones and tablets?
What Your Current Software Configuration is Missing
The early 2000s called, and they want their UI back. Seriously, the software you depend on can likely gain performance benefits from updating the user interface. Doing so goes much deeper than having something more visually favorable on the screen. A more functional UI boosts the performance of those who use it.
Another critical element the software you depend on most is missing is the ability to work remotely and effectively with full access to the suite of software available.
Can you imagine your entire team’s effectiveness when the cloud provides a way to work anywhere, anytime, via a web browser or an app?
When that happens, everyone works more productively, accurately, and confidently, knowing the most recent data to drive decisions is accessible with just a few keystrokes.
How does this work in action? Here are two examples of how Barnes Business Solutions can provide the missing piece …
Use Case #1: A Charity Goes Upstream to the Cloud
Situation: A charitable organization relied on a Microsoft Access-based software solution to maintain client data. This approach worked well via laptop since the President was the only user.
And yet, as the company began to scale, the workload was too much for just one person to manage effectively. The President worked from a home office, so the most logical hire was a remote assistant who happened to reside in another state.
However, there was a problem: how to not only allow the remote assistant data access but also keep the owner’s access intact to run queries on up-to-date data at any time.
Solution: Enter Barnes Business Solutions. BBS moved the data from a Microsoft Access back end to a SQL Azure back end in the cloud. BBS didn’t write the software originally, but had performed minor updates while providing ongoing support for several years.
Results: Speed and multi-user access were on full display. There’s also the ability to move the data to the cloud and identify application areas that need modifications to support cloud-based data in SQL.
Another benefit is that the remote assistant and the organization’s president can safely access the data stored and backed up in the cloud. If the president’s computer drive fails, a new copy of the application front end can be easily downloaded to access and modify critical client data.
Use Case #2: Mobility Checks In at a Boutique Hotel
Situation: the front desk maintains a laptop-based database of the current status of each room, including guest check-in, rooms that need cleaning or maintenance, which rooms are available for occupancy, etc.
Housekeeping starts daily with a list of rooms on specific floors anticipated where checkout and cleaning are needed.
When reports are run at 8 am, the available data shows only some of the guests that have checked out, and the housekeepers start there. Once they have completed their room cleaning, they either return to the front desk for an updated report, knock on doors, or check for do not disturb signs to know what room to clean next.
Housekeeping checks off each room on a report as they clean them. Anything requiring maintenance gets a notation. When housekeeping’s day is finished, reports are shared with the front desk. These reports are scanned, and database edits are performed to change the status of the rooms accordingly while making additional notes about any maintenance requirements.
This hotel’s system works well in a low occupancy environment. However, the system breaks down at higher occupancy levels or when guests request early check-in. The front desk calls the housekeepers’ cell phones for verbal updates several times daily. This manual back and forth negatively impacts the hotel’s ability to efficiently and effectively maintain room readiness.
Solution and Results: Barnes Business Solutions moved the data to the cloud and developed a mobile interface. Now housekeepers could see which rooms needed cleaning on their specific assigned floors immediately and in real-time.
Even better, the housekeepers could change the room status when finished cleaning to either ready for occupancy or need maintenance and digitally enter those notes.
This simple modification also boosted the hotel’s ability to solve maintenance issues much faster. That was a significant shift from the previous inefficient work method, where housekeepers wrote down maintenance issues by hand. That old way of working was prone to errors since management often couldn’t read the handwriting on the maintenance requests or was mistyping involved.
With a more robust software solution, the boutique hotel could now up-level their performance regarding guests’ late checkout or early check-in needs.
How to Make Your Data Accessible Anytime, Anywhere
It all starts with a needs assessment consultation with Barnes Business Solutions. The goal: prioritize precisely what best suits your company’s needs now and in the future.
To achieve the proper recommendations from BBS, an in-depth exploration of the operations process by which management and workers access data and by what device type helps formulate the best solution.
Bottom line: expanding the reach and access of your data is easier than you think.
Are You Ready to Make the Move to the Cloud?
The obvious and hidden costs of not having full remote access to your data should be all too apparent now. Barnes Business Solutions can help your data travel well thanks to proven technology solutions customized for what your business needs and what your budget can afford.
And if your company is anything like the two use cases shared earlier, investing in technology today will pay dividends and ROI that are currently unattainable to you. Want to learn more? To get started, download the Barnes Business Solutions Action Guide Now. Or contact us at 630-715-4452.
