Three ways your business can save time and money in 2020

17 Sep 2019 16645 views 0 minutes to read Contributors

 

Business planning isn’t just for start-ups or organizations going through major transformations. Taking time to bring your team together to reflect on what’s gone well (or not so well) and how to improve in the coming year is an invaluable exercise for any company. But, before you get down to the details of departmental budgets, we believe there are three over-riding principles to consider, that will help you to save time and money in 2020.

Identify automation opportunities

Many of us are reaping the rewards of automation in our personal lives. Can you imagine writing and posting a cheque to Netflix every month for example? Yet, despite all the tools currently available to businesses, a great deal of time is still spent on manual tasks.

So, why are companies still missing so many opportunities for automation?

In our experience, awareness is the first step. Business leaders who recognize the need for efficiency are the ones who seek out processes that are ripe for automated solutions. Good examples are anything that involves manual data entry or transfer. Are you aware of how many hours your teams spend on these tedious tasks or the cost of human error, such as a simple typo, to your cyber security or customers’ privacy?

Repetitive tasks are not only inefficient, they are de-motivating for your team. No one wants to perform the same task over and over. Automation tools can transform a wide range of database tasks and save you time, money and headaches.

For example, SQLTreeo’s Desired State Configurator can save around 60% of your daily database maintenance tasks. These can include everything from checking security procedures to automating repeatable tasks, such as SQL implementations or deployment tasks. . You may simply want a regular check that your databases are still configured as you originally planned and that no intentional or accidental changes have been made by users.

Outsource intelligently

Most companies are heavily dependent on data, yet database management is not their core business or competency. Outsourcing to a specialist is a great way to clear your plate of everything you shouldn't be doing. In today’s fast moving technology environment, it’s also an effective way for business leaders to keep up with the latest developments.  

In the GDPR world, managing databases involves understanding the technology itself and appreciating how it empowers your business and constitutes a potential security risk. Having a specialist with up-to-date knowledge is crucial to avoiding expensive mistakes and spotting business opportunities. It can also be more efficient; database problems that may take an inexperienced person a whole day to fix can often be resolved in minutes by a database specialist, who has probably dealt with the same or similar issue many times before.

The services of a highly experienced Virtual Database Administrator (VDBA) for example, gives you all the expertise you need without having to worry about recruiting and training your own team. You’ll also have access to a professional who focuses on this specific discipline full-time, stays current with the latest skills and technologies – and loves to do the work. They are much more likely to spot and alert you to potential problems with your database environment.  

Use data to make smarter, quicker, better decisions

Most businesses are sitting on a goldmine of data. It could be customer records and purchases, financial transactions, employee records or marketing analytics. When companies manage this data efficiently and tap into it, they unleash significant business opportunities.

For example, most businesses have lots of data on their customers. But that data is often stored in different locations, in different formats and with different people. Increasingly, companies are operating in hybrid environments with data stored in everything from simple Excel spreadsheets to sophisticated database clusters, data warehouses and Cloud-based solutions.

Developing processes to efficiently manage all this data can help you to start identifying your most valuable customers. Then you can make data-informed decisions about how to segment, target and acquire new customers. This also helps you understand, develop and retain existing customers cost effectively.

You can do all of this, and more, with data. Exploiting the data you already have can help you forecast future trends more accurately. That enables smarter decisions on your product, price, marketing, and recruitment strategies.

There you have it. Three solutions to help you save time and money – automate as much as possible, outsource intelligently and exploit your data to make smart decisions. If you have any questions or would like to know more, you can contact us here.

 

 

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