Print Management Blog
Mon, 01 Dec 2008
Same thing applies to renting or buying web based software to manage the business better. Its easy to lose track of what the strategic aim was and get bogged down in the detail.
However you choose to dress up the basic reason for your new business application software (possibly CRM), like "its to manage + track whatever KPI's are relevant" and related processes to either help sell more to existing customers, or find new ones through marketing, or make your processes more consistent, there are greater benefits to be had.
The ultimate goal if used to support and / or develop best practice within the business, is to help deliver improved free cash flow in the business. Customers often don't give enough thought to supporting the business change necessary to get the most from their investment.
The Point is, that the reason for making an investment should be strategic: using web based business applications gives you predictable costs especially if rented, better data security and a framework for delivering more sales of better quality and better profit margin through the business.
Ask yourself one question. How will what we are doing improve cash flow?
Isn't this the simplest way of deciding whether an investment is A Good Idea?
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Thu, 13 Nov 2008
It can be very difficult to calculate Return on investment made when the investment is as intangible as a better process or a better software system. I spent ages creating a detailed ROI calculator and gave up !
Here's a simple sum to help quantify whether spending money is worth it. Anyone got a simpler way of calculating this?
Think in really general terms. What % improvement do you feel confident using the new system would save you against your current costs? Or add to your annual turnover? This could be from less steps in the order process, standardisation of documents, ease of access of staff induction documents etc, generally streamlining your processes. Or on sales, from selling more to existing customers or finding new ones.
Now pick a really safe percentage, say 2% - 5%. Lets call it 2% to make my maths easy.
Take your annual turnover
Take the projected cost of the new system.
Take 2% of annual turnover divide by 12 to get a projected monthly increase in revenue. Divide one by the other.
This is what the payback period would be if using it as part of your day to day activity put just 2% on your turnover. Certainly less than 6 months? Then take that 2% a year and work out what its costing you over the last six months not to have done it. What other investment in your business has that sort of payback period?
Here's an example
£2 million turnover @2% = £40,000 in first year / 12 = £3,333 pr month
Software cost say £10,000
Actual Payback on investment 3 months, after that you are ahead.
Or if you prefer, every 3 months if you don't do something costs you £10,000 (on the above sums)
Anyone got a simpler way of calculating this?
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Fri, 07 Nov 2008
Attended a BT seminar on "Unified Communications" last week at BT tower in London.
Unified Communications is basically understanding how all sorts of previously different technology business applications can now with the power of the internet all be viewed and accessed from a single point on various devices. Could be PC's, laptops, mobiles, doesn't matter. Whatever you are accessing the business from, messages and business information can be exchanged between you and others.
As all our application stuff is Java web based we have been providing this type of ability for years, but it was interesting how some quite large organizations regarded this as something new and cutting edge. Perhaps in some ways the SME can actually be ahead of larger businesses now.
Do we hide our lights under a bushel? Does anyone see a need for "unified communications" in their business or is it just jargon for the bigger organization?
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Fri, 31 Oct 2008
Steam's Business Builder for Print division exhibited at the IPIA Show "Print for Business" at the NEC recently. Two main trends were noted: It was interesting to find how many businesses had security concerns with data across multiple sites, and how TBM's ability to automate and deskill the print buying process using the web to let printers tender on line was "suddenly" of great interest ! It seems the cost savings and opportunities to drive profit presented by managing print broking on line seem to be hitting home.
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