An introduction to Business Intelligence Software

Over recent years there have been significant developments in the software world which have changed the business environment for the better. For example, the software revolution included companies moving from performing accounting manually to using accounting packages. Then came the era of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), where businesses made a conscious effort to improve their efficiency. Many companies now have both Accounting and CRM solutions and this has significantly changed the way businesses operate.

As a result of the developments in technology, businesses are far more organised and have more information than ever before about their customers and their company. But it's important that decision makers don't become complacent as they believe they have all the information they need to safeguard the future growth of their company. Although they have the information required, very often it is not used fully. This can result in things not being as they expect, because within the information a company holds there are often pieces of data which remain hidden unless you have the software to uncover them.

Today many businesses focus their attention on planning their future rather than analysing the past. And to a certain degree this is the right thing to do, after all, you can't change the past but you can plan for the future. However a vital part of planning is analysing where you went wrong in the past, this enables you to shape the future direction of the company.

It is easy to use CRM and Accounting solutions to confirm what you already know about your customers however, this doesn't help you to learn more about them or help you retain them. More often than not, it simply gives you a reason to continue doing what you have always done. However, Business Intelligence Software is making it easier for businesses to use, look at and analyse data.

What is Business Intelligence Software?

Business Intelligence Software is designed to report, analyse and present data. Essentially BI tools help organisations uncover information that they would not otherwise have been aware of, enabling management to make informed business decisions quickly.

Benefits of Business Intelligence

Implementing a Business Intelligence Solution will enable you to:

  • Achieve a comprehensive, in-depth understanding of what's happening within your business
  • Display information from multiple sources and perspectives - simultaneously
  • Quickly and easily share data analysis with anyone
  • Produce easily understandable graphics, dashboards and reports
  • Identify previously hidden data features and trends in minimal time
  • Display information visually so that people will quickly comprehend it
  • Quickly gain answers to a series of questions using interactive visual analysis

A product agnostic approach

Business intelligence solutions are changing the way businesses use, look at and analyse data.

Concentrix takes a product agnostic approach to providing business intelligence software which ensures you get the solution which is right for your business. Concentrix provide a number of Business Intelligence solutions including:

All of these solutions have their advantages; however it is a case of selecting the solution which matches the requirements of your organisation.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV Business Intelligence

Microsoft Dynamics NAV Business Intelligence provides you with real-time data and a wide range of analytical and reporting tools. These include graphical displays, online analytical processing cubes and web based delivery options. So staff within your organisation will soon start using the system to make informed, confident decisions that help drive business success, on both strategic and tactical levels.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV has the role tailored functionality and this brings significant advantages from a Business Intelligence perspective. The role tailored structure of Microsoft Dynamics NAV helps individuals make fast informed decisions. The role centres give users visibility into relevant business activities, such as tasks, notifications, lists, key performance indicators (KPIs) and reports.

Benefits of Microsoft Dynamics NAV Business Intelligence

Microsoft Dynamics NAV Business Intelligence has a number of benefits including:

  • Delivering decision-driving information across your organisation. Employees can access real-time overviews of business metrics, drilling down into the detail of transactions, customer records and histories. They can closely monitor business operations with information viewed and accessed through their Role Centres.
  • xIncreasing productivity with relevant information and easy to use tools. With access to up-to-date information and powerful analysis and reporting tools, employees can monitor performance, analyse trends and identify problems before they occur.
  • Working smoothly with Microsoft Office programs. Tight integration across Microsoft Dynamics NAV with familiar programs such as Microsoft Office Excel makes it easy to access, analyse and share information without having to switch between applications.

Sage 200 Business Intelligence

The Sage Business Intelligence tool provides a unified and integrated view of all your data, with complete management dashboards and analysis. Sage 200 BI makes manual, complicated spreadsheets a thing of the past as reports are generated automatically. What's more the reports will always be relevant and up to date as Sage 200 BI is integrated with the data in your Sage 200 solution. Sage 200 will increase the control you have over your business and enhance the agility of your business as Sage BI will enable you to identify areas of low and high performance. In addition, Sage 200 BI will enable you to closely monitor your businesses data and therefore the trends which are occurring across your business.

What are the benefits of Sage 200 Business Intelligence?

Sage 200 Business Intelligence will bring a number of advantages to your business including:

  • It will help you to work more intelligently
  • It will provide cost-effective reporting and analysis
  • Maximise your productivity and minimise costs
  • Gain a rapid return on investment
  • Enable you to achieve a real competitive advantage

Tableau

Tableau software displays data in a way which the brain finds easy to interpret, helping senior decision makers quickly get a view of what is going on in their company. Tableau is useful as a method to display daily performance dashboards. However, it can also help identify previously hidden data features and trends and uncover information which would otherwise have remained concealed.

Concentrix can connect Tableau to the live data in your CRM, accounts or business management solution. This will provide you with advanced visual data analysis and business intelligence direct from your system and customised to your needs. What's more Tableau is easy to use, if you can use Excel, you can use Tableau.

Get Business Intelligence working for you

If you would like help, advice or more information about Business Intelligence solutions, please contact Concentrix on 01509 410500 or email info@concentrix.co.uk.