How do you like your software?
Do you like it complex, bespoke and all-encompassing, or suitable to most processes whilst being easy and intuitive to use?
One can argue that in the current climate, giving your business software that delivers many quick wins at a very affordable price is a great approach.
In the current cash- and resource-constrained business environment, good cost control and information transparency are certainly top priorities for any busy manager. This issue can be relevant to any company:
- If your organisation is a relative newcomer but has been rapidly expanding in the past, you might have some complex and time-consuming back office processes that are causing administrative headaches as well as prevent you from understanding the cost drivers early enough
- Even established companies with prior investment in automation and IT can miss out on opportunities if current software stops meeting the needs of an organisation in a changing climate.
On many occasions, PointBeyond have seen the same question come up on businesses’ agenda – how to improve cost control, understand gross profit margins as early as possible, or achieve better visibility of where the employees’ time really goes – all in one place, at a click of a button and without requiring employees to use multiple systems to enter data.
The feedback also suggested that customers who have already rolled out SharePoint wanted to integrate their existing SharePoint intranet site with compatible software that helps bring in back office processes – such as input of timesheets and expenses – under one roof, creating a one-stop-shop.
Another concern that many have is that software tracking time and cost can be too complex, try to do too much and require extensive training. Many people prefer instead to see intuitive easy-to-use out-of-the-box solutions that achieve their main aims easily and inexpensively.
This was the feedback we referred to when developing the Straightforward range of products – Timesheets and Expenses. The goal for the software is to
- Achieve transparency: to help a busy management team get a simple, real-time view of what is going on
- Manage the bottom line effectively: to see where costs are incurred and their impact on margins
- Be user-friendly and cost effective
We continuously look for feedback and new ideas for the next steps with Straightforward range of products, so please tell us what you think!
