How integrated are your web and IT systems?

There’s nothing better than introducing a new IT system that comes in on budget, is easy to implement, and saves you money on out-dated procedures.

But as many in business know, the more systems you introduce, the more complex it becomes to have them “talk” to one another so that your aren’t constantly cutting, pasting, importing, exporting, maintaining and generally managing your business data.

Then there’s the myriad of procedures that need to be introduced and maintained to ensure that the latest data is co-ordinated across all of your stores of data.

As an illustration, let’s take some fairly fundamental business requirements:

• Email address book.
• Customer database.
• Email marketing.
• Website.
• Website statistics.
• Sales records.
• Bookkeeping system.

In some businesses there are of course many more “data sources” than these, but let’s keep it relatively simple.

Duplication = lost productivity and increased likelihood of errors

When businesses start out, it’s likely that most or all of these systems are separate and “unintegrated”. In other words, an entry in one system will not be reflected within another system.

For example, a new sale may be confirmed by email, then recorded in a job or sales “book”, then recorded in a customer database, then have a receipt generated in the bookkeeping system, then ensure the customer is added to your email newsletter list for ongoing communication and so on… and on.

Over the course of these procedures, basic customer contact information may be stored or recorded at each point, meaning time is lost every time that data is duplicated across all systems.

Additionally, the process has to be repeated every time there is a change to that customer data, for example a change of email or physical address.

And if there’s a glitch at any point, the customer may not get what they ordered, or be billed, or time spent identifying where the glitch occurred and so on.

Towards a data “holy grail”

Of course the holy grail of this complex web of duplication is to implement a single entry point for data, which in turn is reflected across all data centres.

While such a capability can be achieved, it is often done so via expensive systems. Even then it is unlikely that all types of data can be centralised as even newer procedures emerge that may not be compatible with current systems.

But for the small business operator, it’s important to integrate as many systems as possible to save time, improve productivity and reduce errors.

The good news is that there are now web “software as a service” (SaaS) systems that can integrate many of the following functionalities, starting at under $100 a month:

• Website.
• Content management system.
• Customer database.
• Email marketing system.
• Secure e-commerce system.
• Website statistics.
• Customer extranet.

In turn, these capabilities can integrate with bookkeeping systems like MYOB or Quicken to streamline data flows even further.

With systems like these, information entered by customers can actually be reflected across entire data systems.

A single and centralised data entry point

For example, say a customer buys a product or package via your integrated website system. When they enter their contact information for purposes of the sale, that information is immediately stored in the integrated customer database, where it is immediately available for either normal email correspondence or email marketing (if they have opted in to such along the way).

The same database can also be used as the source for all future customer interactions, whether that be information about the customer, a record of correspondence, or classification for further communications or a record of all future sales.

Some systems even record all website interactions that customer makes – an increasingly valuable source of information.

Such an integrated system also has the advantage of allowing customers to change certain data (such as a change of address) themselves, again saving your business the time in reflecting that change across all data sources.

Multiple benefits from single entry

Where such an integration really becomes powerful is when you conduct an email marketing piece or campaign.

Because the customer is already classified either automatically or subsequently by you or your staff, they are then able to be sent targeted emails, which in turn are personalised.

So with little effort on your part, you have another email recipient who can receive your personalised email communication on whatever topic you wish to convey.

That email may be linked to pages or areas on your website which again can be measured for that customer’s response and in turn adding that data automatically to the customer database.

Only a short time ago these capabilities could only be afforded by large organisations but now are available to the smallest business.

Smart businesses should have them implemented as soon as possible to ensure that all customer interactions are fully recorded and integrated across all business systems. Of course independent advice is the best way to ensure you implement a system that is appropriate to your current and future business directions and budget.

Craig Reardon is a leading eBusiness educator and founder and director of independent web services firm The E Team which provide the gamut of ‘pre-built’ website solutions, technologies and services to SMEs in Melbourne and beyond. www.theeteam.com.au

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