Data Cleansing: Spring Clean Your Data!

by malliehart | Aug 7, 2024 | Corporate Blog Posts

Data Cleansing: Spring Clean Your Data!

Your business collects data to help you make better decisions. But when your data is full of duplicate records or missing key information, it’s hard to make those better decisions. That’s why data cleansing is something every business needs to schedule regularly. It’s April, the time of year when many of us tackle spring cleaning projects. So? Maybe you should add spring cleaning your data to that project list!

Why Is Data Cleansing Necessary?

If data is finding its way into systems and software via numerous entry points or via numerous individuals, there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to get either duplicates or mislabled/missing entries.

While that might not seem like a big deal, we beg to differ. Missing and mislabled data makes for misinformation. Information (data) drives business decisions and dollars spent. When misinformed managers and executives make big decisions based on that misinformation, sales and productivity can plummet. And that’s NOT good business.

Ditch The Duplicates

Your sales team is celebrating a huge milestone! ONE HUNDRED new client accounts in the fourth quarter. Time for a party and maybe some bonuses for top sellers, especially Stuart, the sales superhero of the quarter.

But, wait a minute. A careful audit of new accounts reveals an issue. Stuart has duplicate accounts for all of his fourth quarter sales. What looked like 22 new accounts, is actually eleven, and the new account milestone wasn’t actually met.

This is just one way duplicate records can cause issues which cost your company.

Fill In The Blanks

Sometimes partial records are pulled or input into systems. That’s not a big deal. You can go back and add the data later, right? Sure. But good intentions are often forgotten amidst our busy workdays. Making the call or sending the email to get that last bit of information often gets postponed and then forgotten. But one little bit of missing information can’t cause a real problem, can it?

It ABSOLUTELY can and often does. Maybe that missing piece of information is the number that marks a purchase order. Without the purchase order, there’s no work order sent to the employee charged with completing the work for a specific client. That client calls a week later to get an update on progress. But no progress has been made because Paul didn’t know he was supposed to be doing any work for that client. Now you have an unhappy customer.

That’s a pretty extreme case. One that could lose a sale or a repeat customer. But missing information, even on a smaller scale, can create issues productivity. Productive employees are important to daily business operations. The cost of lost productivity won’t be felt as immediately as the loss of a customer, but it will eventually be noticed and will impact the bottom line.

Normalize Naming & Other Conventions

Naming conventions? Sounds complicated. But it’s really not. For example, let’s talk about people’s names. Generally we have a first and a last name (and some of us have middle names, but that’s not important here). For legal documents and purposes, it’s important to have the legal name, which is generally the first and last name. For less regulated purposes, like email marketing, only the first name might be used. Thus it’s important that when a name is added, you get all parts of the name that are important for various use cases.

And don’t forget those suffixes. There’s a big difference between First Last Sr. and First Last Jr. Senior is the owner and CEO. Junior is eighteen, about to start college, and working in the mail room to earn some spending money. It’s important that data and documents meant for Senior aren’t mistakenly sent to Junior.

Naming doesn’t only apply to people. What about items you need to keep in stock? Perhaps you use parts numbers, but what if your supply managers order by name. And somehow your inventory system has three slightly different names for the same item or part. Your company might be losing valuable dollars buying more items than inventory actually demands.

Data Cleansing Makes For Clean Numbers

And numbers are used to make most business decisions. Decisions to purchase. Decisions to sell. Decisions to award contracts. Decisions to award raises. So it only makes sense to keep the data clean so the numbers tell the real and correct story. Otherwise decisions that seem solid might actually be based on nothing.

So make data cleansing part of your regular data management process. And reap the benefits and peace of mind clean data can deliver.

People First, Not Customer First

by malliehart | Aug 7, 2024 | Corporate Blog Posts

People First, Not Customer First

The concept of a company prioritizing “people first,” rather than “customer first,” shouldn’t be that shocking. But, even in 2022, we’re bombarded with messages that customers remain the “focus first and foremost.” 

Customers Are Important, But …

Yes. Customers are extremely important to the success of any business. But the more encompassing idea of “people first,” doesn’t preclude customer service and stellar customer experience. Quite the opposite, actually.

People work with other people. Converse with other people. Interact online with other people. Yet, we often see content marketing promote the idea that people who are customers interact with the company. I disagree. Those customer people interact with a company’s employee people. And this is where the concept of employees first is crucial.

If your company hasn’t provided your employees with the tools, systems and templates necessary to provide stellar customer experience, you are not a people first proponent. If your employees can’t easily get their hands on the documents and data necessary to assist your customers, same! 

When a customer has an issue with your product or service, you want that issue resolved, quickly. Your customer does, too, but even more than quick resolution, your customer wants to feel like they are cared about by your company. Can your automated chat bot make your customers feel understood and valued?

Automation Is Great, But …

You can tell me over and over again how well crafted your automated responses are and I’m still going to tell you that I want to talk to a heart beating, breathing human being. Why? Empathy. 

Scripts are a great starting point when engaging in customer service and care. But they’re not enough. Automation is not enough without putting living, breathing, human beings first. 

Yes, ensure your employees have everything they need to start the conversation with your customers. Automate and create systems that assist your employees with easy access to data and documents. Then let them be people. Let them go off script. Champion the use of their skills to empathize and address customer concerns.

Embrace empathy and put your employees first. You’ll be amazed at the positive impact on customer experience. This people first ideal means all your important people will feel valued.

Better Document Workflows Minimize Risk

by malliehart | Aug 7, 2024 | Corporate Blog Posts

Better Document Workflows Minimize Risk

Losing or misplacing important documents wreaks havoc when running a business. Preventing chaos requires a robust document management workflow that minimizes errors and ensures quick access to necessary information. The following strategies will help you safeguard your documents and maintain a seamless workflow.

Implement a Clear and Consistent Naming System

Establishing a standard naming convention will simplify document retrieval and make collaboration easier for your team. Ensure everyone understands and adheres to the naming system to eliminate confusion and save valuable time.

Streamlined Filing System

Organize your documents in a logical and intuitive manner. Categorize them into clearly labeled folders and subfolders, making it easier to locate and retrieve files when needed. Doing so will increase productivity and reduce errors caused by misplaced documents.

Leverage Cloud-Based Storage and Backup Solutions

Embrace the power of cloud technology to securely store your files and protect against data loss. Cloud-based storage platforms not only provide seamless accessibility. They also secure your data with automatic backups and minimize risks associated with technical glitches and hardware failure.

Access and Restore Documents Anytime, Anywhere

A reliable cloud-based backup solution allows you and your team members to access your documents from anywhere, at any time. This flexibility ensures uninterrupted workflow and eliminates delays, even when working remotely or on the go.

By implementing these strategies, you’ll establish an efficient document management workflow and minimize the risks of losing or misplacing important documents. You can stay ahead of the game, make collaboration easy, and safeguard your business from potential legal and financial liabilities.

Ready to implement a cloud-based document management system? We’d love to talk to you about our Laserfiche solutions.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month & You

by malliehart | Aug 7, 2024 | Corporate Blog Posts

Cybersecurity Awareness Month & You

It’s October. The leaves are changing color and beginning to fall. Pumpkin spice everything is available. Temperatures are dropping. And cyber attacks are still on the rise.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. What does that mean for you?

It means it’s time to dive into your current digital safety SOPs and practices, focused on data protection and authorized access, and make the necessary adjustments and upgrades.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month Is For Everyone

It’s 2023. Cybersecurity is not just an IT issue. It affects your entire team. It affects us all individually as daily users of tech.

If you’re unsure where to start, consider one simple but effective way to protect your data. Embrace the Three W Rule. Those three Ws are who, what, and where.

1. Who: Who has access to your personal and professional data? Who can compile it? Who can share it? Who can edit it? Put measures in place to restrict access unless absolutely necessary.
2. What: Do you know what is being stored? What is being accessed? What is being shared?  Always double-check what sensitive information you may inadvertently expose, especially when you’re attached to public Wi-Fi or downloading new apps.
3. Where: The final W is just as crucial as ‘who’ and ‘what’. Where your data is stored is incredibly important to data security. Whether it’s a cloud service or your device, ensure that it’s secure and protected against potential threats.

In order to proactively fight against cybercrime, all team members have to be alert and on board. Cybersecurity solutions aren’t one-stop. It’s an ongoing process. As you engage with the world digitally, you’ve got to be vigilant about your data privacy rights and responsibilities.

How safe is your sensitive data? What about the sensitive data you use to work with your customers? Is your document management system secure?

For the remainder of the month, our content focus is cybersecurity.  Let’s make it our mission to understand, learn, and implement better cybersecurity practices to protect the data that runs our businesses. Remember, we’re all in this together.

Stay safe, stay informed, and stay aware.

Business Process Automation: Think People First & Foremost

by malliehart | Aug 7, 2024 | Corporate Blog Posts

Business Process Automation: Think People First & Foremost

Business process automation is a staple for many businesses, powering up convenience, efficiency, standardization, and scalability. But as we enthusiastically embrace and implement our exciting ‘automated’ future, it’s crucial to remember one key element — people. Regardless of how streamlined, high-tech, or futuristic our processes become, people remain the backbone and real assets of our businesses.

Is your process automation focusing on people first?

Business process automation involves leveraging technology to execute repetitive, standardized tasks that, in the past, required human input and action. Automating these tasks has provided businesses with the valuable gift of time—freeing employees from mundane tasks and empowering them to focus on core business initiatives. While automation is valuable and beneficial, we must remember that humans, our employees, and our customers are the most crucial assets involved in ongoing business success.

Humanizing business process automation (BPA) is not about pushing back against, or eschewing, technological advancements. Rather, it’s about integrating these advancements in a way that allows those humans, employees, and customers to value the benefits and embrace the ability to focus on more important tasks and projects. When we portray automation as a tool designed to help humans perform better, not to replace them, it’s more likely to be adopted.

Why does a people-first policy matter?

Why should businesses approach automation as a people-first project? Humans do business with other humans. We trust real people more than machines, value empathy, and shared beliefs, and appreciate being listened to and understood. We take notice of a personal touch in the form of an understanding email, well-wishing messaging, or a custom solution to our specific problems.

When automating processes, businesses need to maintain the “human face’ of operations. Customer service requires the human element, as do many business roles. While automated replies can address simple inquiries, “real people” responses to complex or sensitive issues are crucial.

People drive innovation and business process automation!

Who drives innovation? People. They offer a unique blend of empathy, creativity, and strategic thinking, which machines, no matter how advanced, can’t imitate. People-centric businesses are not only nurturing a better customer experience but also cultivating a more creative and innovative environment for their employees.

Business process automation should always be “people-centric.’ It must focus on creating processes and systems that treat people as people, not as another cog in the machine. We’re not just building better businesses; we’re striving to build better connections between humans, assisted and enabled by technology.

Business Process Automation: A Beginner Guide

by malliehart | Aug 7, 2024 | Corporate Blog Posts

Business Process Automation: A Beginner Guide

There’s a lot of misinformation surrounding the idea and execution of business process automation. It doesn’t, in fact, meaning replacing people with autonomous robots. And it doesn’t mean mindless automation without structure, system and monitoring of value and ROI.

Consider tedious, repetitive tasks, where boredom and tuning out might result in erroneous set-up, distribution and management. Business process automation is designed to keep that from happening, while opening up your employees to spend their time on tasks and duties that celebrate and value their specific skillsets.

Business Process Automation: A Quick Definition

In brief, business process automation is the practice of applying technology to replace manual entries and repetitive efforts that are basically busywork. Repetitive efforts sometimes result in mistakes being made when the human repeating those steps gets interrupted or tunes out.

Automating these repetitive, manual processes creates more time for your employees to spend on more valuable processes and duties.

It’s About Redirection, Not Replacement!

Far from replacing the humans who make up your workforce, smart process automation allows your employees to focus on more important tasks, which require their very human nature to handle correctly.

While those repetitive tasks are certainly important, they don’t make the most of the special skills each of your employees certainly has. Busy work can dampen employee enthusiasm. Doing the same old same old, isn’t innovative and doesn’t inspire your employees to share ideas which might better your business.

Employees want to feel like their time spent working actually betters the business. They want to feel like they’re part of a team, valued for creativity and ideas. Busy work takes time. Time which might better spend collaborating or brainstorming.

With More Time Your Employees Can …

Your sales team should be spending time on sales, right? Not on entering new leads into your CRM. Your HR manager can implement new training programs, rather than slogging through vacation requests. Your engineers and developers can dive into projects, rather than wonder when work orders are going to be sent. And so much more.

Smart process automation means making better use of time. We only have so many hours in the workday and workweek. Spending those limited hours on busy work doesn’t make sounds business sense.

When your employees get to work on the tasks and duties which make them feel valuable, it’s a win-win. Employees who feel valued, who feel important, are more productive. They’re also more willing to share ideas and are more interested in collaborative efforts. All of which benefit the smart business owner.

Business process automation can create time by automating a long list of repetitive daily tasks. Including:

• Invoice processing
• Delivery and purchase of work orders
• HR requests
• Helpdesk support
• Data backups
• Time and task tracking
• and MUCH more

Business Process Automation Manages Your MOST IMPORTANT Business Asset!

What is that asset? Time! There are only twenty-four hours in a day. Eight hours in a given workday. Time can’t be manufactured, but it can be managed. Using time wisely and to its greatest benefit is what makes a business successful. Intelligent automation frees up some of that limited time.