Proactive management of your data is now a necessity

Do you have the tools to manage your data effectively, or are you, like many other businesses, just making do with inefficient, insecure manual processes? With the growing threat of data theft and misuse, it's vital that you get control of your data management and ensure that your staff are aware of their responsibilities when processing data relating to your customers, suppliers and other key stakeholders. There are many ways you can potentially gain control but, what is the best approach to take? With the help of a proactive business software system that has an integrated CRM module, it is simple to adopt a company-wide culture of responsible and effective data management.

Who has permission to see the data you have stored?

Many manual systems do not give you the ability to effectively store your data where access can be controlled. It is often too easy for someone to simply over-write data that has been added by someone else, or even lose files by accidentally moving them or saving them to a new location. If you are storing financial data, or other types of sensitive information, then you need to ensure that only those individuals who need access in order to do their job, actually have access. Giving open access to your sensitive data could result in a breach which in turn could result in financial loss as well as reputational damage.

How do you track who has edited your records/files?

Retaining records on who is editing a document can help you to trace any errors that may occur throughout the business and put procedures or training in place to stop this happening again. Audit logs can also help with traceability and document reliability, as well as minimising any future errors due to your employees taking greater ownership of their work.

Where is your data stored?

Having your data stored in multiple locations not only causes a headache for administration staff, but can also lead to miscalculated invoices, incorrect or out-of-date information being referenced and other clerical errors. If your business is lacking a centralised document management system, now may be the time to start investigating your options as this can significantly improve your overall efficiency as well as ensure accuracy at every stage.

Can you obtain and edit your data in a timely manner?

There is always the possibility of a customer or other stakeholder asking for visibility of their past orders, documented conversations or just simply the information you have stored about them. If this were to occur, are you confident that you could access the information required in a timely manner? Sadly, we find the trending answer to be increasingly negative. Having quick access to your files is imperative in achieving a smooth, lean operation in any business, and can save many wasted hours trawling through vast data archives should a data query occur.

Customers that use prof.ITplus know that they have a system that helps them control their customer and prospect data. The fully integrated CRM module within prof.ITplus can help you to effectively manage your data while helping you to deliver a professional service. The ability to attach documents and emails to individual records within prof.ITplus means you will be able to view all the contact details, enquiries, transactions and notes relating to a customer/prospect all in one location, with incoming and outgoing emails readily available to view in an instant. You can also run targeted marketing emails directly through the CRM, with the added benefit of being able to monitor who has given you permission to email them with marketing material at any given time.

prof.ITplus is perfectly suited to distributors, wholesalers and stockist businesses across many sectors, and has 18 fully integrated modules that help you keep your data in one safe and secure location.

Find out how our prof.ITplus software can help your business by calling 01299 873 873 to speak to one of our prof.ITplus consultants.