Every business has an Excel aficionado. Whether it's a chart to track annual leave, budget planners or payroll information, there's always someone who lives by the mantra 'I have a spreadsheet for that!'; but is there an easier way?
Excel is excellent
Don’t get us wrong, Excel certainly has a place in our hearts and businesses.
As part of the Microsoft suite, users of all ages are taught how to use Excel as part of roles and even daily lives – anyone who loves meal planning or holiday planning can attest to this – and, as time develops, it gets used for more and more tasks.
The ability to store, read and visualise data is fantastic. Excel makes maths easy, and ultimately, it’s cheap and easy to run.
Definitely benefits all round.
Software is superior
While Excel (yes, it is software in itself) is perfectly placed for small projects or individuals’ needs, when it comes to collaboration, sophisticated data reading and security, cracks become crevices.
Key goals for most businesses are to make a profit and improve efficiencies. Having duplicate, unprotected Excel spreadsheets accessed and shared, mid-managed and often compromised does not help meet those goals.
Off the shelf solutions or bespoke software on the other hand, does exactly that.
Whether an ‘off the shelf’ solution that is integrated into your system, or a bespoke app created to solve your specific problem, software can ensure:
Your team spends time on what is important.
Your systems and data are protected.
Your business operates efficiently.
Changes are trackable and accountable.
Information can flow more easily between systems.
You don’t have multiple versions of the truth hidden in different departments.
Your systems are less prone to human error (like when Tracy from accounts accidentally added an extra zero to the company forecast and they published it, true story).
Your data is managed and curated properly.
The right people can access your data at all times.
Is software scary?
The digital revolution has a lot to answer for, but most of it for the better.
Never before have we had the opportunity to record, manage and use data in such a way, or so quickly. Like everything, making a change can be frightening and removing tried and tested methods and tools can be met with, quite frankly, chaos. But ultimately, investing in and/or creating software specific to your needs can not only provide exactly what you need isn’t scary, but rather empowering.