Five benefits of business integration

This post by guest blogger Sandra Eamor appears as part of our series Small Business 500.

Can you picture everyone in your business being happy and stress-free, with your operations and business functions working together seamlessly? Integrating your business systems, processes, and functions can make this your reality.

1. Improved Customer Service

The quicker and more efficiently you address your customers’ needs, the more likely they are to come back and rave about your excellent customer service. With an integrated business, you can easily address enquiries by having all the information you need on hand right when you need it.

2. Increase Sales

A properly integrated system can make it easier for customers to purchase your products or services. Whether it’s an in-store kiosk, online store or online booking calendar, anything that makes your current sales system operate more smoothly can have a huge impact on your overall sales.

3. Provide a Better Work Environment

Many people think that increasing the technology used in a business integration project means you need fewer workers. In my experience, it actually means that there is more time that can be spent on non-tech activities like face-to-face customer interaction. This makes it easier for staff to do their work and clears up time for more meaningful work.

4. Have More Time

Integrating enables you to run your operations more efficiently, saving time. What used to take two days to do could now be done in one or less! What do you do with all that extra time? Maybe you can take a vacation!

5. Make More Money

The trick with integrated systems is that everything needs to work together. That includes the financial system, Having an efficient accounting system that ties into your existing processes will help you track your pennies properly so you’ll know where to spend them later.

The best time to work on Business Integration is as you are building your business, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late. If your business is already established, you can to find a way to integrate as much as you can with the resources you have. Sometimes, just changing the order in which you do things can help you better integrate your systems.

Sandra Eamor is a Business Analyst and Project Manager that can help businesses of any size run more efficiently. She also loves to connect and have fun with her peers and new friends as the organizer of The York Region Small Business and Book Club.

http://www.seamorconsulting.ca/
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