The areas where small businesses experience the biggest pain points are, ironically enough, where some of the easiest solutions could be found – all it takes is getting the right systems and procedures in place. Let’s look at these pain points.
Cash flow and finances
Paint points here include low revenues, high bulk purchase prices, not understanding or even knowing the company’s financial state, inadequate accounting practices and service providers, low cash flow, money not earning interest or making profit, overpaying for services owing to lack of scope and not knowing how much the business is worth.
The answer? You need an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that is easy to administer but still capable of giving you accurate financial reporting and deliver a clear picture of the financial health of your business.
Converting leads and retaining customers
Another major pain point includes not growing a big enough customer base quickly enough, not getting any prospects or leads, failing to convert leads into customers, dealing with customer complaints inefficiently and potentially losing clients that contribute substantial revenue towards your business.
The answer? You need an ERP solution that is integrated with your sales strategy and your customer service systems. You should be able to have all your current and potential customers’ information organised in such a way that you can draw up stats of your current customer base and analyse where you need to start preparing for possible growth or proactive planning to ensure continued customer service delivery.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV works the way you want! It works like Microsoft Office which means that you can get to work immediately with no change-over delays. It is also role-tailored to give employees relevant insights for their day-to-day work with accurate and instantaneous information. Our cloud and on-premise deployment options gives you the flexibility to choose to work when and where you want.
Sales and marketing
Pain points include sales being down, prices too low and not reflecting the value that goes into them, not finishing projects on time, outsourcing to fly-by-night operators, having to do product recalls, salespeople unable to do their jobs owing to aged systems, inferior products or inadequate training and up-skilling.
Marketing pain points are often numerous, including people not knowing about the brand, not having a proper website, not getting foot traffic in the doors, better advertising by competitors, not getting traction on social media and search engines, and management and/or employees not agreeing on the brand name, identity or image of the business.
The answer? Training and workshops to make salespeople more efficient and in tune with the brand, identifying potential sales opportunities through careful market analysis, a fully integrated marketing and sales strategy where the marketing complements the sales drive, a marketing strategy aligned with the product, service or brand that both builds the brand in the customer sphere but also serves as internal marketing and employee alignment. The right ERP system will have all of these in place and ready to be customised to your unique business needs.
Staff quality and retention
This is one of the major pain points and can have a huge effect on the efficiency and success of a small business. Pain points include high employee turnover, underperforming employees, unskilled employees, behavioural problems among employees, a negative organisational culture, low work ethic, bad staff discipline, inappropriate behaviour from management, no career prospects for employees and junior management, low morale, retrenchments, weak employee diversity, staff burnout owing to being understaffed.
The answer? Employees are pretty much your most precious resources, and your ERP solution should reflect that. You need efficient and effective policies and procedures put in place to control and protect employee’s rights and behaviour in the workplace. Clear communication strategies that empower employees regarding raising issues and complaints as well as giving input and suggestions on how to improve productivity and the business. Clear disciplinary procedures as well as proper HR policies available and accessible to every employee.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV works the way you want! It works like Microsoft Office which means that you can get to work immediately with no change-over delays. It is also role-tailored to give employees relevant insights for their day-to-day work with accurate and instantaneous information. Our cloud and on-premise deployment options gives you the flexibility to choose to work when and where you want.
Stock control and supply chain management
This is a tricky business element for many people, as it needs to run like a well-oiled machine which takes an efficient system and a clear strategy. Pain points raised here include having quality issues, inventory irregularities and insufficient planning around stock levels, products sitting in warehouses and tying up capital that could be used for cash flow or other vital aspects, poor distribution by partners who are either inadequately educated or trained on the product or simply are not motivated.
The answer? A supply chain management system that carries the product or service from beginning to end, with failsafes in place to prevent any orders or stocks slipping through the cracks. An ERP strategy that highlights communication systems which are geared towards this specific environment to ensure that everyone is on the same page, all the time. Proper management of stock planning, purchase and turnaround times to ensure constant flow of cash and stock.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basically all those small little snowflakes that end up causing the avalanche. This can include faulty equipment and IT systems, slow internet, insufficient or untenable space, breakdown in communications owing to aged or inadequate systems, technology and software, and loopholes in lease contracts.
The answer? A proper ERP system that regulates office communications, management and ensures measures are in place to deal with faulty or broken systems, furniture, equipment, tools or technology. A communication solution that enables easy and streamlined communication between management and employees, promoting cooperation and engagement.
Legal and admin pain points
There are a million pain points that can fall under this heading, as most small business owners can attest. These include, among other things, not having the correct compliance to employment equity, employment rights and legal requirements in place, having disciplinary or behavioural issues between employees or between employees and management, wrongful action against employees, inaction against employees owing to a lack of HR policies and procedures, threats of legal action without proper legal representation, an inability to deal with admin efficiently and effectively, issues with tax compliance and/or necessary permits and security compliance, unintentional illegal practices such as paying less than minimum wage without being aware thereof.
The answer? Proper policies and procedures to ensure all manners of legal compliance and a firmly structured ERP system that keeps everything and everyone above board. Communication systems that encourage and enable transparent communication between important external role-players such as lawyers and accountants that holds all parties accountable for the relevant, fair responsibilities.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV works the way you want! It works like Microsoft Office which means that you can get to work immediately with no change-over delays. It is also role-tailored to give employees relevant insights for their day-to-day work with accurate and instantaneous information. Our cloud and on-premise deployment options gives you the flexibility to choose to work when and where you want.
It becomes clear that proper structures and an efficient, streamlined yet simple management system can do wonders for the pain points experienced by small businesses. You need a system that will work with you and make your life at work easier, while at the same time initiating policies and procedures to have the business running like a tight ship.
And therein lies the final answer: Microsoft Dynamics NAV solution provided by Strategix.
Microsoft Dynamics NAV is a complete ERP software solution that provides small and medium businesses with greater control over your financials and can simplify your supply chain, manufacturing and operations. It is quick to implement, easy to use and allows you to work across your business with a single simplified and consolidated view of you entire organisation.
Use Microsoft Dynamics NAV to deliver the capabilities and performance you need to run your business. Get a better handle on your finances, make decisions based on accurate real time data, control projects and processes and achieve a delightful experience for your customers.
