Sartre and Spreadsheets!
To take Jean Paul Sartre’s famous “L’enfer c’est les autres” and run with it down many flights to the IT department, ‘other people are hell’ when they get their hands on your spreadsheet.
When you started your business you built a spreadsheet to help you keep on top of things. Who people were, how much they owed you, how much you owed them. Over time it became more and more complex and that was fine. You were the only one using it, and you knew every detail of how it worked. Which cells needed updating, which cells to never change. Which formulas needed altering if you brought in some new criteria.
But now, you have a team. You need to delegate some of your work to them and they need to use the spreadsheet you designed just for you. It is a precarious situation. There are so many stories about innocently-made spreadsheet errors that have ended in financial disasters, resignations and humiliations.
So, you know that maintaining your data’s integrity is paramount. But now other people are involved because your business is growing. Is a spreadsheet the most robust tool you can give your team? Is it the safest platform on which to build your business foundations?
We all know how easily a spreadsheet can get screwed up.
So, what’s the solution? A Bespoke Database.
The ‘database‘ part means that your data is stored efficiently and your calculations, formulas and functions are kept safely locked away from other users. No cut and paste errors with a database!
The ‘bespoke‘ part means that the database system is tailored to match your exact needs. It is user-friendly and designed around your business.
Upgrading your business from spreadsheets to a bespoke database brings you many great advantages:
- Task automation (e.g. raising invoice reminders)
- Multi-user access (everyone can access simultaneously)
- Login controlled access (users can be restricted to certain areas)
- Everyone on same version (only one version, no confusion)
- Instant Reporting (databases designed to generate reports)
- Data security (data is separated from user access)
In time, your business will have to make that change if it is to grow. Does Amazon operate on spreadsheets? Let’s face it, the answer is definitely no! So, the only question you have to answer is When? If you are reading this, then the answer is probably Now!
Contact Working Data today and get started on the road to Making Work Easier with a Bespoke Database
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