Perhaps you’re wondering why you need integrated business solutions for your business, right? Have a look at this scenario. Suppose you are like many other fast-growing companies. In that case, you likely automated various business processes, one at a time, due to the increasing challenges associated with manual processes. After a while, you found out that your teams are using different systems to streamline various processes.
Since each software stores its data separately, you end up having siloed systems that do not communicate storing similar data. These silos can easily wreak havoc across the entire organization by reducing data consistency and accuracy, slashing productivity, and minimizing visibility while increasing the total costs.
What’s the cure to all these issues? Integrated business solutions. Do you want to find out how integrated business solutions can address the above limitations? If yes, go through this article as we will answer everything you should know about these solutions.
What is an integrated business solution?
Integrated business solutions are tools and applications equipped with various software modules to automate business processes while storing information in one data repository. The ultimate aim of these modern business solutions is to unify multiple business vectors and data sets for better centralization and oversight.
The integrated data sets are used to get insight from a larger data pool across various workforce areas. Simply put, business integration solutions are designed to build a single system that will govern the entire organization’s architecture. They can include business processes, partners, data, subsidiaries, and operational procedures, just to mention a few.
Why do you need integrated business solutions?
Integrated business solutions enhance information accessibility throughout the organization by pulling data from multiple business systems. Here are some reasons why you should consider adopting them:
1.Increased productivity
Every company’s goal is to become a leader in what it does. However, this cannot be achieved without working on its productivity. Like other innovative business solutions, integrated business solutions enhance productivity by addressing siloed data and applications challenges.
Siloed apps are time-consuming and labor-demanding because employees have to key in similar data into different business systems. For instance, the sales team keys in customer orders into customer relationship management (CRM). The shipping team does the same in the fulfillment system. Lastly, the accounts payable types the same orders into the payroll system to generate invoices.
During the report compilation period, managers struggle to find the correct data, taking hours or even days to complete. What integration business solutions do is store all the company’s data in one place. As a result, they eliminate unnecessary repetition of tasks while availing data across the organization in real-time. This enables employees to focus on more productive tasks instead of repeating the same work multiple times.
2.Accurate decisions and data
If data is entered multiple times manually, the chances of making errors increase. Once an employee from a certain department enters the incorrect data, it becomes inconsistent with the original data. If such data is used to make critical business decisions, it can lead to costly errors.
With integrated business software solutions, each department has access to the same data. As a result, there are no controversies experienced when making critical decisions because the data used in all departments are similar and consistent. You also minimize errors associated with retyping.
3.Minimized IT costs
Decentralized, siloed applications and tools increase the IT costs due to unnecessary duplication. They include software and hardware-related expenses, maintenance, upgrade, and integration costs associated with multiple applications.
With integrated business software solutions, companies no longer need to procure, incorporate and maintain multiple software licenses and hardware solutions. As a result, these enterprise business solutions slash operational and maintenance costs. Therefore, companies can use the saved amount to improve various business operations to enhance efficiency and productivity.
4.Greater insights and visibility
Siloed systems and applications make it difficult to find and deliver the right data to the intended people and within the intended time. The case is so because business managers have to manually peruse through applications to extract the data needed. As a result, companies delay making critical business solutions and spend a lot of time pulling together the required reports.
Alternatively, they forgo key reporting processes and make risky and hasty decisions driven by their instincts. Postponed or wrong decisions can have a devastating impact on its ability to define its customer requirements.
What do integration business solutions do to rectify this issue? Well, business integrated solutions offer tools that can extract information from the repository within a limited time. Ad hoc or canned reporting tools enable organizations to design forecasts and make decisions based on the available historical data.
What’s even more interesting is that integrated business solutions come with a dashboard that displays critical information regarding performance. Besides, these dashboards are equipped with functionalities to alert employees about potential problems before they occur. Therefore, managers can utilize these tools and features to enhance competitive advantage and increase customer satisfaction.
Let’s take a look at a real-world example where integrated business solutions have done wonders, shall we?
How integrated business solutions enable business growth: marketing automation for unit4
As a fast-growing company with offices all around the globe and more than thirty websites, Unit4 was facing many struggles associated with disjointed solutions. They created significant growth barriers and inefficiencies that negatively affected the company’s performance.
The company adopted integrated business software solutions with Hippo Content Management Software (CMS) to address its challenges. The following is what the company achieved from this move:
- It unified its lead generation attempts across markets
- It found efficient and cost-effective management of its global web properties.
- Unit4 attained brand consistency across its regional marketing departments, enabling it to incorporate consistent marketing strategies.
- It implemented the personalization of optimized user experiences.
Did Unit4 make any progress since adopting integrated business solutions?
Unit4, one of the leading enterprise cloud application providers for small and mid-sized markets, achieved significant growth since adopting these business solutions. In 2020, Unit 4 attained significant milestones set in the company’s three-year growth strategy. Its cloud booking grew by 43% (YoY) during that year and by a staggering 82% (YoY) in the fourth quarter.
Its yearly recurring revenue grew by 20%, while its cloud subscriptions rose by 15% to approximately $119.9m during the 2020 financial year. Unit4 further reported an 18% increase in its total annual bookings during the same period.
Achieving such milestones wouldn’t be possible without integrated business solutions. Now you’ve got a reason and evidence for considering these solutions the next time you need digital solutions for your business.
Examples of integrated business solutions providers
Are you less experienced in technological solutions? If yes, don’t worry because you can outsource integrated business solutions from experts. They will take care of all your integration needs while allowing you to focus on other fundamental business operations. Here are some companies that can serve your business integration needs:
1.Graffen integration business solutions
Graffen company was formed in 1963, selling electric shavers, typewriters, and dictation equipment. However, as time went by and technology, the company advanced to IT services. With over 30 years of experience in the industry, you shouldn’t worry about giving them your business integration needs.
What makes Graffen integration business solutions unique is its customer-centric culture. They do everything within their power to ensure that customers get what they request and they’re operating. They provide support throughout the integration process until the customer becomes an expert in handling the integrated platforms.
Graffen also focuses on reducing carbon footprint through an initiative known as “GreenGraffen.” This program offers services, including paperless process automation, energy-efficient office equipment, and server virtualization and consolidation.
2.Cogent integrated business solutions
Cogent integrated business solutions is a worldwide IT service provider with offices in India, the USA, and Spain. The company approaches its customers’ needs focusing on its three fundamental principles: connectivity, clarity, and creativity.
The company works with firms in various industries, including technical, management, and scientific consulting services. Cogent business solutions’ SCM consulting team comprises high-performing and experienced individuals with the expertise to make the necessary connections between the customer’s business requirements and the SAP framework.
The company’s SAP SCM consultancy services include complete implementations, technical and functional upgrades, third-party vendor solution integration, and process modeling. Therefore, once you outline your business integration needs, Cogent integrated business solutions will cover everything else.
Closing thoughts
The Integrated business solutions meaning is to bring together multiple business software solutions into a single platform, allowing you to have greater visibility of your processes and performance. Don’t let your manager face difficulties generating reports or employees spend more time doing the same thing. It will stagnate business growth.
Instead, adopt integrated business solutions and watch everything you need in one dashboard. No redundant work or siloed applications and systems that slow your decision-making or visibility. Share data seamlessly across multiple departments and make the best out of it with integrated business solutions.
Did this article amuse you? If yes, find more articles on business management on our website.
Read our Ultimate Guide To Business Solutions