How to get the most out of your MIS system

The beginning of the year is always a good time to conduct an audit of your systems and procedures and there is no better place to start than with your MIS system. Dave Bell (pictured) has advice on how to do it.

A good MIS system should save you at least 30 per cent on your admin/office wages bill after it has been installed compared to an office where routine work is either done manually or there are separate incompatible systems each running on stand alone computers.  The savings arise because your whole office is now running on an integrated multi user software package.  There is no rekeying of data between separate systems.

For larger companies this usually means that staff are not replaced when they leave, or else they are redeployed into customer service roles. For smaller companies this savings in staff hours will result in better quality of life for the owners.  They will find themselves working less overtime and will be less stressed as they will be able to easily track the key performance indicators of their business on a weekly or monthly basis rather than waiting for the results to come from their accountant at the end of the financial year.

A good MIS system will have low cost of ownership.  You will not need full time or part time staff to "baby sit" your computer software.  You will be able to rely on telephone support with the occasional site visit.

A good MIS system will be "internet aware".  It will have the facilities available for emailing all printed documents including quotes as well as being able to send quotes by SMS.  An internet based online ordering and job tracking system should be available for installation when required.

A good MIS system will be able to easily integrate with the Microsoft Office range of products for extra data analysis and customer reporting as required.

Finally, a good MIS will have local support.  There is nothing more frustrating than having to wait until support staff are available in another country or time zone.

If you would like your existing systems audited please feel free to contact your local Quote & Print office.  Contact details are available on our web site at www.quoteandprint.com.au