The Horrors of data chaos: symptoms that your business is a victim

Data chaos lurks in many businesses, often operating in plain sight but in heavy disguise so as to not to be identified. Data chaos causes a nightmare of disorganised, disparate and inaccessible data which sucks the lifeblood out of informed decision-making and can slow down growth and efficiency.

The consequences of data chaos are scary. It can leave your organisation at a competitive disadvantage, it can impact your profitability, and it can compromise your ability to make informed decisions…to name but a few evils.

Here, we shine a light on some of the most common signs that data chaos is at play in your organisation. 

1. Data held in silos

Your data is lurking in silos, disconnected, disparate and spread across multiple systems such as an ERP system, customer relationship management (CRM) system, spreadsheets and other third-party systems. Siloed data impacts an organisation’s ability to generate detailed insights and Business Intelligence which impacts the ability to make informed decisions, from day-to-day issues to key strategies.

2. Reports: you have to create them manually

Creating manual reports or relying on colleagues to build custom reports can suck hours, days and even weeks of valuable resource out of your business.  By the time the report hits your desk the information may already be out of date. Be alive to the risks of relying on manual reporting.

3. Spreadsheet, spreadsheets, spreadsheets

Over-reliance on spreadsheets for planning and reporting can be risky. It’s a highly manual process that is prone to error and often delivers outdated and inaccurate data. Often there are different versions of one spreadsheet, which are all being updated by different people at different times. This will inevitably lead to version-control issues and the possibility of multiple versions of the truth. Overall, using spreadsheets to analyse data is inefficient and can be ineffective, making analysis far more difficult than it should be.

4. An absence of tactical information

Management can identify directions they want the organisation to take, often expressed as Key Performance Indicators. But to use KPI’s you need to repeatably get access to this information in a timely and reliable manner. For example, looking at effective hourly costs, inventory turnover, average support resolution time.

5. A frustrated data-disempowered team

Give your team the tools they need to make data-driven decisions, empowering them to help drive your business to new heights.

So, as this Halloween night draws in, fear not. Your business doesn’t have to be haunted by data nightmares any longer.  Contact Village Software at info@villagesoftware.co.uk today and take the first step towards a brighter, more informed future. Visit https://villagesoftware.co.uk to learn more!

Happy Halloween!