IF you are looking to increase the profitability of a company without taking on more work and without reducing staff, that is the dream for most business owners, right?

Well, have you looked at your processes to see if you can save crucial hours that could be dedicated to other more profitable exercises?

When looking at process and systems within a business it is key to understand the business process logic before looking for any improvements or solutions.

The why, what, who and, most importantly, how need to be considered to ensure that automation is properly implemented and has the desired effect.

Pain, impact and vision are a key route to understanding the company’s needs and understanding just how these can be delivered effectively.

Clients often see the pain but not the impact this is having on the business, staff or, most crucially, their clients.

Many businesses are using a process that has not been reviewed or audited because “that is how it has always been done”.

Or sometimes they may be using multiple systems to record the same information, meaning the duplication of effort and time, reducing the amount of profit the company can make.

There are many different types of integration projects for businesses.

These could be new software-related and wanting to integrate the old data into the new system, or it could be looking to make sector-specific systems work together.

STEVE BORWELL FOX Borwell Ltd