Benefits of Automation? Let me count the ways...

Tue, 25 Sep 2018

The benefits from automating data management tasks using Orchid products might be too many to count...but this list of eleven seems a good place to start.

Have you ever added up just how many hours you or your staff spend on tasks that are important to your business, but repetitive and mundane?

Wasn’t the age of the computer supposed to free us from such drudgery?

We recently read a blog by ümlaut, an Australian firm specializing in data management solutions. They described eleven benefits of automating such tasks, and made the point that they extend far beyond the obvious one of time saving.

While their focus was understandably a little different we couldn’t help noticing that, when viewed more generically through the lens of a business using Sage 300, Orchid’s products can also provide very similar benefits.

With due acknowledgement to the ümlaut team, here are just a few selected examples of how the eleven benefits they described from automating data management tasks could be achieved through the use of Orchid products.

Manage workflow better
- Process Scheduler can automate the execution of recurring critical processes, with each step dependent upon the result of the previous one.
- Return Material Authorizations & Repair Tracking supports configurable workflows for end to end management of product returns.
Avoid human error
- Report Runner can save default parameters to simplify re-running or regular reports.
- Extender can be used to automatically trigger event-driven actions, such as performing enhanced custom validation at the point of data entry.
Reduce paper handling
- Document Management Link & Notes make information readily accessible where and when it’s needed, reducing reliance on physical documents, operations manuals etc.
Reduce time and money spent on manual data entry
- Inter Entity Transactions & Inter Entity Trade automatically generate balancing loan account entries, reciprocal documents and follow-on transactions.
Manage client relationships better
- Extender can automate communications tasks, such as creating, filing and emailing an order confirmation at the click of a button when a sales order is entered.
- EFT Processing can streamline not just the payment of A/P invoices, but also the processing of customer refunds.
Focus on core responsibilities
- Any product that saves time can help achieve this, but it’s particularly applicable to our Inter Entity products, as mentioned above, which free up the time of key finance staff, allowing them to focus on more strategic matters.
Automatically read and file important documents
- Document Management Link will not only let you file the electronic versions of your key documents, but can automatically rename them according to your conventions.
- (If you also want read documents perhaps you should be talking to ümlaut about their OCR solutions.)
Liberate and leverage data insights
- Orchid’s Business Intelligence product, Info-Explorer, lets you import Sage 300 data into cubes, providing powerful slice and dice analysis capability for a fraction of what you might expect to pay.
Secure data
- EFT Processing has built-in security features including encryption of bank account details, 2-step approval processes, and comprehensive audit logging.
- Process Scheduler helps secure your data by automating your regular backup regime and data integrity checks.
Reduce risk of non-compliance
- Document Management Link customers rave about audit savings and stress reductions through having supporting documentation readily available.
- Extender lets you develop tailored customizations to help you meet regulatory and compliance obligations specific to your business.
Empower your data
- Many Orchid products, including but not limited to those that make up our Information Manager Suite, empower you to extend, access and use your Sage 300 data in ways that just wouldn’t be possible with an off-the-rack solution.