The Role of Software in Business

With today’s economic conditions and tight competition it is even more critical for business to gain every possible efficiency in their processes.  Leveraging the power of software is a significant tool that can bring about a number of changes, from increased efficiencies through automation, access to more information faster or just being able to produce a professional more accurate quotation quicker.  The way in which software can assist really depends upon the stage of the business life cycle, size of the business and the ability to invest in systems.  Almost all business have been introduced to software in some form or another, from Excel through to an accounting package but software can take many more forms and have a much more significant impact!

Excel Automation

Have a pre-existing quote workbook in Excel?  Chances are that it can be enhanced by adding macros or code behind it to automate the common tasks you’d be performing.  It can also be adjusted to retrieve data from an external source, such as a supplier catalogue.  If there are a number of steps you always manually follow, chances are these can be programmed into Excel which could either reduce or eliminate altogether the manual steps and saving you a significant amount of time.  Excel automation is often the cheapest and quickest way for a business to gain value from software consultancy.

Custom Databases

Databases are the next step in the evolution from Excel.  Similar to Excel, databases store information in rows and columns however the power of a database comes from its ability to capture complex relationships and perform queries to retrieve data.  Rather than having information repeated in a number of spots in a workbook it can be stored in a single location and referenced.  Databases have many Excel-like features but take these to the next level.

Where to Start?

Companies of all sizes can and should utilise software to empower their businesses and bring their businesses to the next level. It is never too late to start. Depending upon the size of your company and the value you can envisage from augmenting your processes with software will determine the exact approach that is right for your scenario.  If you already have an existing quotation system in Excel which is currently more or less coping it would be appropriate to refine a few elements in your current workbook and gain some immediate benefits for a low investment.   If your business is at a stage where you’re finding it difficult to keep track of current quotes or spending a significant amount of time in maintaining price lists or manually updating quote letters to be sent out  - it’s time to investigate how a more evolved software system can help.   This process usually starts with stepping through the unique process your business follows and identifying the steps currently causing pain – is the same information being entered multiple times?  Are there areas in your business where the team has difficulty getting up-to-date information?  Are you stuck on tasks that could be automated by software? Software today is so powerful that with the right implementation businesses will realise both a significant time saving and cost reductions year after year.

At ASC Software, we’ve built systems in which a central price list ensures all quote prices are current, generates a consistent quote letter and handles the generation of claims or invoices then pushes them across into your accounting package of choice.  We’ve worked with a variety of businesses from mining, finance to electricians, plumbers and air-conditioner distributers, manufacturing and sales. 

For a number of years we’d built bespoke, custom systems for clients.  Time and time again businesses approaches us after analysing packages available in the market and didn’t find anything that would fit their needs or the systems that did exist were just far too “clunky”, inflexible or expensive.  At that point we set about building Ascora –  a job management and scheduling system built specifically for trades and built for your iPad, iPhone or Android device – not just a tacked on after thought!   We made it easy and powerful for the team on the road and also provide a tailored powerful experience via the web for office or PC-based staff.

What’s it worth

What would it be worth if you could produce a quotation in half the time it currently takes?  How about receiving payments directly on your iPad immediately after a job is completed? What if your PC could automatically send out reminders on overdue invoices to clients or send out SMS reminders to clients on an upcoming site visit or booked job?  What if when you left your last job for the day all “paperwork” was already completed?  This frees you up to be able to focus on the other areas of your business, get through more jobs in the day, make more profit by working more efficiently and ultimately being able to spend more time at the end of the day with family and friends.

What is Ascora?

Ascora is real-time Job Management Software designed for tradies running across web and smart devices to cover all operational aspects of your business.  It has been designed by software experts to help manage your jobs, workforce and projects. Whether you’ve got 1 or 100 vans on the road Ascora will have you scale your business, improve efficiencies and your bottom line!

Book a demo today and see how Ascora can take your business to the next level today!