Why are so many businesses moving to the cloud? The answer is that its integration allows businesses to focus on what is most important: their business. And although the benefits are endless here are 10 best ways an effective cloud system can benefit your business.
Sales
With businesses putting a premium on customer service, it is essential to put in place a reliable system that automates every phase of the order management process. Customer-focused order management software allows businesses to not only simplify complex processes but improve both efficiency and its value. Whether it is tracking or processing orders, all of the data is in one place, which means fewer delays and assured updated information.
Purchasing
Powerful cloud procurement can help speed up purchase orders as well as manage and track cash flow effectively. Not only does identifying fiscal commitments and creating shorter lead times on back orders improve customer service, but it gives businesses more control over their financial operations.
Supplier
Managing supplier data in the cloud gives you greater visibility through a real-time view of supplier activities. The scalability and the accessibility of data gives businesses greater commercial leverage and simplifies supplier information management as well as making supplier data transparent and easy to share to current and future stakeholders.
Inventory
Inventory management software gives a business scalability, flexibility and visibility. The real-time visibility into inventory data anywhere, anytime, means you can plan for unexpected changes and meet customer demands. Furthermore, multi-site flexibility means that inventory can be tracked over many sites simultaneously, a mobility that creates a proficient solution to analyse stock levels and ordering patterns for appropriate re-ordering.
Pick Pack and Dispatch
An integrated cloud system means you can exceed customer expectations through an efficient picking and packing dispatch process. Prioritising parts of the process such as the type of product, customer or delivery service through powerful filters and invoice roles means that you can automate your businesses priorities. Automating a number of processes from barcode to picking and packing eradicates worries of time-consuming manual procedures and interventions.
Returns
A fully-integrated returns process, used with an invoice manager means you can manage all the challenges of product returns. End-to-end returns management increases visibility through a reverse logistics value chain, helps you work more efficiently through unified data, and overall improves customer service and satisfaction through simpler and faster handling of returns.
Accounting
Cloud accounting can help improve services while cutting costs. The files remain in real time all the time so that teams can work on the same file simultaneously. With automatic updates on balance sheets and real-time reporting, account balances remain accurate and secure. Cloud technology can also aid the challenging and time-consuming task of debt management by helping to quickly and sufficiently identify patterns of debt and credit risks. With reduced data entry time, no system downtime and the ability to identify shortfalls businesses can deliver better quality information.
Courier Management
As your business grows, so will the number of parcels you are dispatching each day. Through a number of powerful tools, courier management software can provide efficient customer service with instant access to complete, up-to-date information about their parcels. This therefore ensures on-time deliveries and no more re-keying errors, making the courier delivery process smoother from both ends.
Your Business Your Way
Embrace a new analytical approach by using software to generate reports. Data gathering software can benefit your business as decisions can be made based on the up to date and accurate statistics and information. Data is one of a companies most valuable assets, so it must not be misused. The cloud means you can get value from your data by reviewing what orders have been processed, which stage of the pick, pack and dispatch process they are in and how much stock you can allocate. Leveraging this accurate data generated from the cloud can lead to revenue improvements and business growth.
CRM
Add value by ensuring you always have an online, single customer view. With customer relationship management hosted in the cloud, you can stay on top of customer needs with a more accessible, mobile and innovative system. Leveraging the most up to date data in an omnichannel world is vital to offering the best customer service. By tracking customer interactions and managing the sales pipeline you can utilise its value to put the customer at the heart of your business.
The drive for technological change and advancement has opened the gateway to previously unavailable business control and growth. When implemented correctly, an effective cloud system can be the root cause of positive business change and continued competitive advantage.
Mike, the founder and MD had previously worked with a number of software companies and identified the shortcomings being felt by SMEs, particularly for those that were selling across multiple channels – Mail Order, online, phone etc. At the time, Excel spreadsheets and homemade databases were the most common way of managing these but were highly susceptible to human error and often encountered problems when used by multiple users. Mike created KCS to provide a centralised solution to improve transparency and efficiency for these businesses.