Reporting:  The difference between knowledge and wisdom 

There are a couple of benefits to digitization.  You no longer need store rooms fill of files or to deal with the bad handwriting of employees that somehow have degrees, but surely must have failed that first-grade writing lesson.  But there is one benefit that is often overlooked to the detriment of almost every aspect of your business.

That aspect is proper reporting.  It is not enough to have all your data in neat rows of thousands of numbers and hundreds of coulombs.  So, you know exactly how many calls were made, products were sold and services completed, but do you know what it means? 

Numbers alone are not enough to tell a story.  No, to use your data wisely you need the power of Intelligent Reporting.

You have all the knowledge you need once you have digitalised your data, but in order to turn that knowledge into wisdom with the power to change your team, approach or even the whole company for the better you need to ask the right questions!

Which teams are doing well and deserve rewards?

Are cold calls or old contacts more likely to turn into sales?

Which demographic has the most complaints about our service?

Are the machines likely to cost more to maintain after 5 years than they would be to replace?

When is my team most productive?

How well has the new project’s implementation worked?

Is there an upward or downward trend in my business?

You might not need to know everything, but you do have to understand everything and that it how reporting bridges the gap between knowledge and wisdom.  Lines of data in neat tables are fine, but data that can interact with each other, be compared and analysed might just be what your business needs to succeed!