Why you should be collecting data from MOM?
Harvard Business Review reveals that industry-leading companies that practice “data-driven decision making” are approximately “6% more profitable than their competitors”. This increase in profitability comes from making choices that are grounded in key variables and data points. Data allows you to cut through the abstract and actualize clearly defined goals, the results of which will be measurable KPIs. It takes the emotional, instinctual and just plain “guesswork” out of the equation. For example, if you’re considering whether to hire another field technician, you can analyze big picture data in MOM. Such as your current revenues and number of clients, right down to specific details. Such as how many hours each project takes. And how many projects you have lined up regularly year over year.
Data-driven decisions can be employed at every level of business too – not just in areas that directly impact dollars and cents. For example, Medium points out that data is an ideal support for operational changes that root out inefficiencies. Data reinforces and proves why a new process could benefit your team, even if some employees may not be as keen about the change. As you incorporate more data-driven decisions, you’ll learn how to get creative with data points as well. Consider this: data can help you “informationalize products [or] services”. Showing your clients and potential clients concrete data points can build trust and add value to your offerings.
Mobile Office Manager is a gold mine of data
From financials to scheduling to inventory to clients, your ERP holds all the detailed and essential information for your company. Of course, you can get the data points on the basics like your monthly and yearly profits, but there are more specific variables that can be extracted from Mobile Office Manager (MOM) modules for better and more detailed business decision-making, too.
- In Statements, view your profits and losses by department (ex. Service versus Modernization) to see how each area of your company is doing.
- And, in Opportunities, see which members of your sales team is best at converting recommendations into projects.
- In Vendors, sort by which you most commonly use, if you’re looking to improve your contracts or bargain for a better deal on parts.
- Or, in Sales and Projects, pull results on your estimates versus confirmed project costs to ensure the accuracy of your quotes and that they are well-supported.
- In Customers, use the city to sort how many clients you have in a new area for potential expansion purposes.
- In Scheduling, review unassigned calls and field technician schedules to quickly dispatch where needed.
BRIEFING
These are just a handful of data points you can take from MOM. There are actually a lot more variables you can pull to analyze – it just depends on what decision you need to make. The best place to start is to ask a question and then see what data can help you answer it.
Most modules and sub-modules in MOM have click-and-sort fields to make filtering your data quick and specific to your needs. There’s also a handy Export to Excel button that will maintain the same formatting you set-up in MOM for ease of use. If you want to export into other file types, you have that option too.
Tips to avoid bad data
The data compiled and collected from your ERP is only as good as the entry and maintenance of it. MOM significantly reduces the number of errors that can result from manual data keeping, especially thanks to its real-time technology, but there are still several actions you can take to avoid bad data when using MOM.
First, always fix errors when you spot them. For example, if you see you have a duplicate client account in your system, work to correct it on the spot as you may forget to go back to it later. Second, MOM has audit tools (Logs) that allow you to verify the exact updates to data if there are any questions about what’s been imputed. Third, implement a data management process, which will ensure the quality of the data entered. For example, selecting one team member to enter and review the information for data integrity.
Ready for a new solution to manage your data? Try Mobile Office Manager for free now.
