The Stark Divide Between Industry Technology and Field Applications

Regardless of if your business is big or small, efficiency can make or break the success of your operations. Technology innovation has made leaps and bounds to streamline administrative and field processes, which has reduced the time-consuming nature of manual tasks.

As your business operations evolve, synchronization is integral to maintain a seamless flow of output. We rely heavily on these systems but sometimes they fall short if they’re unable to react to the fluctuation of demand, scale, and scope.

Here’s a snapshot of the technical landscape today:

• Over 60% of businesses utilize spreadsheet software like Excel or GoogleSheets for data storage and transfer
• Approximately 50% of businesses perform manual data entry
• Nearly 45% of businesses rely on hard copy document storage

A majority of businesses rightly adopted this advantageous tech when released. Today, though, the latest innovations represent another exciting leap forward for operational productivity. The limitations of this legacy tech can add up to avoidable costs, somewhere in the ballpark of 20-30% of annual revenue.

Let’s take a look at some ways to improve on these processes or adapt them to make them work better for you.

Evolved Past Spreadsheets

There are several ways to tune up these processes, or replace them if need be. You’ll see drastic changes that can make work profitable and enhance usability to speed up turnaround times.

Whether you’re looking to optimize performance or speed up output, everyone from the C-suite to the boots on the ground can benefit from a little more efficiency in their operations.

Synchronization

Collaboration is a key component of an effective team. Everybody works better when they have the latest, most accurate information. If you’re struggling with tracking changes in shared documents, or outdated data getting transferred from one document to the next, data collection processes are an easy improvement to make to see quick results.

To optimize, find a system that works for a team, not just a user. A workflow software like Spearhead, Incyte’s customized solution, prioritizes multi-user collaboration.

1. Data entry in the field is immediately visible to all members of the team.
2. Signatures, media files, time codes, and more are accessible so everyone is on the same page.
3. Multiple users can update the same ticket, so no data gets overwritten or ignored.

Seek out a system to improve the alignment of your teams, whether interdepartmental or cross-departmental. You’ll see less rework and backtracking, and more hassle-free job completions.

Functionality

Replace manually generated reports, complete with messy data transfers that require validation, with automatic reports. Don’t sacrifice accuracy for speed – guarantee report generation with real-time data. That goes a long way towards maintaining consistent deliverables, leading to more reliable output and a better customer experience.

Spearhead can make the most of your existing business intelligence with quality tools to use your real-time data. If you don’t already have them, business intelligence tools are great for seeing what’s working within your operations and what may need some fine-tuning.

Spearhead can make the most of your business intelligence with quality tools to utilize your valuable data.

• Dashboards that are customizable to each client or job site, so relevant and customizable analysis is always at your fingertips.
• Data visualization tools complete with a charting library chock full of interactive capabilities. Easily communicate your analytics to leverage the power of your data.

Spearhead works with real-time data to help you discover actionable insights. Benefit from agile decision-making, quick pivots, and strategy backed by relevant data to boost productivity and get consistent results faster.

Scalability

Keep an eye on how scalable your processes are. Whether you need to shrink or grow based on demand, adaptability in your operations is a great way to get a handle on spending, overhead, and profits.

You may need to scale back due to decreased demand, or be able to scale up if there’s a surge in growth. Ensure your processes proportionately scale with your business, else costly delays and disruptions could be on the rise.

Limit the impact of disruptions by prioritizing a solution that can integrate with your reliable systems. Spearhead can integrate with the legacy systems your business relies on, keeping delays and disruption to a minimum.

Scale in proportion to these key factors:

• Employees
• Clients
• Job sites
• Systems

Anytime you can implement automation, you’re set to be quick and responsive to scalability changes. Replace manual processes where you can to streamline these operations with less grunt work. Spearhead can manage a dozen job sites or hundreds of employees, adapting processes to your scale.

Automation is key to reliably successful outcomes, also cutting down the risks of human error. The more it’s built into your systems, the more you can scale up or scale down depending on need with clarity and consistency.

Security

Data is your most valuable currency. Your digital infrastructure could have holes in data security, compromising its value or posing a security risk.

Without secure communication, your data may be at risk. File sharing represents increased vulnerability. Implement user authentication, access controls, or a secure data storage system instead of sheets to keep your valuable intel locked down. Rigorous measures like this establish access for only authorized personnel, reducing the likelihood of security breaches.

With a variety of security protocols to implement, Spearhead keeps the collaboration you like about spreadsheets, without the vulnerability.

Put Outdated Processes in the Rearview Mirror

Use optimized operations to set you apart from your competitors. Upgrade to processes that include automation, top-tier security measures, and dynamic tools so you’re firing on all cylinders.

Chances are, you’ll retain some legacy processes even with the upgrades. If that’s the case, keep the steps intuitive and streamlined with a software solution like Spearhead. Prioritizing adaptability and a seamless transition, integration with your core systems is key for your Spearhead implementation.

Use Spearhead to replace costly, time-consuming processes, or simply add it to the mix and update some of your legacy tech. Either way, you’re guaranteed easy field data collection, automated report generation, and analytics to keep things running like a well-oiled machine.