You want to use information systems to improve the way you run your small business. Now you’re established, you want things to be smoother. Things need to be slicker. No more firefighting and missed opportunities. And you don’t want any more sleepless nights!
As a leader, you believe your small business will be so much better with effective information systems. Customers will love your quality and speed of service. A better run business will attract the best talent. You’ll be making better decisions and have more control. Most of all, you’ll have what it takes to grow.
Unfortunately, many small business leaders find introducing information systems stressful. They’re unsure where to start and can get stuck with what they’ve got. They live with problems and risk losing customers as well at their talented people. Without addressing the issues, the business can’t have sustained growth.
So, why do leaders choose information systems to improve their small business?
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Daily transactions
Even small businesses need systems to handle all their daily information. Having the right information at your fingertips improves speed and quality of service. If you’re selling something physical, then you’ll need to track purchases and inventory. Then there’s tracking quotes and sales. You’ll also have delivery, customer, and accounts information. Having better systems to manage this information makes life easier and it runs faster.
Teamwork
Of course, these are often related and can help the team work together more effectively. As a small business grows and involves more people, systems allow easier sharing of information. If you’re responsible for purchasing, you’ll need to know inventory and sales forecast. In production or delivery, you’ll need information from the sales order. If you’re in accounts, you might need to know how much cash is in stock or predict cash flow based on purchases and orders.
Management & Control
What we’ve covered so far is how information systems can help the day to day running of a small business. But what about management and control? You can create reports and dashboards with all that day-to-day information. This gives you overviews and insights to manage the business and inform your decisions.
Where do you start?
Information systems are a solution to a problem in your small business. Business leaders can jump to the solution without understanding the problem. That can result in choosing the wrong solution. The business need should drive the choice of information systems. Use these steps to plan:
- Assess the whole business and identify areas for improvement
- Prioritize based on business need
- Dig deeper to understand your requirements and constraints
Finally
We understand it can feel overwhelming. You need both an overview and the ability to break the challenge down into smaller manageable chunks. Using information systems for your small business helps you achieve more. The business system is what enables leaders to scale and improve performance.
Your Business Deserves an Effective System
Improve Your Business System Performance with KR5 Consulting
If you’d like to discuss this topic, contact me on rhounsell@kr5consulting.com or DM on LinkedIn.