How to grow an SME with the support of an operational management solution

As any successful organisation understands, effective operational management is an essential component to the growth of a business. However, for a small business, the process of assessing, implementing and activating a seamless solution can be a costly and complicated one.

Growing organisations also face numerous challenges, having to accommodate expanding workforces, they require internal communication processes that can evolve with them. Some organisations may choose a mix of software. However, using multiple solutions can often prevent an holistic view of an organisation’s operations, where a single, integrated solution would be more beneficial.

To ensure small businesses have the right operational management procedures in place, it is important to understand the key components that are required for success and where enterprise systems can give tangible benefits.

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Understanding your needs

Real time reports allow organisations to immediately identify where time is being spent, how projects are progressing and where any issues are arising. This data can range from time spent on a project, to the amount invoiced in a month. An operational management system provides detailed breakdowns of information set out in simple, clear, predefined reports to provide an understanding of where small businesses need to invest more, or where they have a surplus.

Many small organisations can struggle to identify where time is being spent by their employees. An operational management system not only provides the means to track and record time, but can also integrate with project management software to provide a detailed breakdown of set client tasks against their working efficiency.

Making the most of your company data

Having data is one thing, using it is another. When an organisation has real-time information and unparalleled reporting, it is important to take this onboard and learn from it. Having an overview of all facets of a business is vital, digging into this information helps a small business to make informed decisions that can mean the difference between success or stagnancy. An enterprise system takes the hassle out of collecting this information, not only tracking it, but also analysing it month-by-month.

Customer relations

Developing and fostering relationships is crucial for every business, but for smaller organisations that do not have huge numbers of customers, these relationships take on even more significance. Monitoring and managing each point of contact, from the sales team, to the CEO, keeps everyone on the same page and avoids awkward issues. An operational management system can improve this process through generated satisfaction reports that provide a clear understanding of customer service performance and response times and allow organisations to respond and adjust accordingly.

Flexible working

To attract talent to a smaller organisation, flexible working can often provide an attractive benefit. Being able to access documents remotely is crucial to supporting this set-up and creating folders for projects helps to keep projects separate and benefits working teams on the move.

An operational management system not only allows access to documents on the move but also keeps projects separate and folders organised. Easy time management software additionally benefits an organisation with the knowledge of who is working on what, wherever they are. Updates can be shared across the company, like a virtual bulletin board, allowing employees to action items directly from the update.

If your organisation receives good support across all of these areas from an operational management solution it may be considering, it’ll be in a great place to move forward and expand.

Chris May, CEO of Orbit