What does one view of the truth mean? In a business context, it’s about having systems and processes that draw information from one central database. Only storing data elements once removes errors and duplication, reduces inaccuracies and ensures that everyone in your firm – from Finance to Sales to Admin – are all accessing the same data. Take a moment to consider what would happen if a regular client changed its office address – who is notified, who updates the information where? Or if a candidate changed their bank details? Problems can easily occur when data is held multiple times because it’s easy for your member of staff to only make the update once on the system they regularly work with – and any other instances of that information being held are simply left. You can see how easy it is to have two or more versions of the same piece of information held in separate places and being accessed by different users. And that‘s just the tip of the iceberg.
Even if your firm is using distinct software packages for specific functions or activities, these can still draw their data from one underlying database. That’s exactly how Access Workspace is set up – the underlying database feeds into whichever software your firm uses, from payroll to CRM to Financials.
At Access, we work with lots of recruitment firms, creating joined up systems that help them to function more efficiently. In each case, having one version of the truth has not just had a positive impact, it’s changed how they use their data, and, crucially, their confidence in it. Here’s what some of our clients had to say.
David Weitzmann, Finance Director, at Urban Recruitment Group wanted a one-stop-shop Finance system which pulled all the various elements together. He says that has “improved payroll accuracy, reduced incorrect invoices and credit notes and it’s easier to track which consultant timesheets need chasing.”
One view of your data means better quality reporting
Lots of firms have commented on how sourcing data for reporting and compliance is much quicker and easier with one centralised data repository. “Rather than using various word documents, spreadsheets and invoices, the software brings everything into one place. At the click of a button you can see exactly what has gone on. I can quickly get a snapshot of where we are – within five minutes I’ll know what’s happening.” says Impact Recruitment Services MD and Co-Founder, Nick Evans.
Colm McGinley, CEO of McGinley Group agrees: “We couldn’t report to the extent that we wanted to, we couldn’t drill down into the data and spent far too much time preparing the data rather than analysing. We desperately needed a different solution to get around those pain points. It’s allowed us to produce reports in the way that we need and in a way that the board wants to see. There’s far less human intervention into the data making it much more robust and it’s much more pleasing for everybody. We’ve managed to reduce a lot of processing time so we can spend that all-important time analysing rather than processing the data.”
The system has not only improved the reliability of the data, but it has also reduced complexity and the need for re-keying. “Reporting management information is automated, ensuring there are no
inaccuracies between actuality and what is being reported on.”
Make sure your recruitment firm is prepared for growth
Sometimes rapid growth can exacerbate the problems that occur with multiple systems and more than one version of the truth. Michael Clapton, Owner at Regional Recruitment Services had exactly that experience. “Before Access RDB, we were using two different CRMs for the business. This wasn’t intentional but we grew so quickly and expanded into new areas. The original software couldn’t keep pace with our rapidly growing agency and evolving business model so we needed other software to fill the gaps. After using both CRMs for two years, it was clear that this was resulting in huge back office inefficiencies - we had to make work-arounds for transfer of data and there were too many processes being carried out manually.”
Consolidating data from separate systems and silos and bringing everything together was the right way forward, and Michael was pleased to find that this wasn’t as problematic as he’d expected. “We had concerns about the implementation of the huge amount of data from our current CRMs, however, the Access team reassured us and was with us throughout the entire process. Each stage was implemented smoothly from the demonstration to the launch.”
Once you have one version of the truth it not only ensures complete confidence in the data – it also encourages business leaders to do more with it. Nigel Ramana Managing Director of Opus Recruitment Solutions says his firm relies on their data to make strategic decisions about the business, because he feels confident that it’s all accurate. “We’re now able to spot monthly and seasonal trends. For example, during a difficult month like December where businesses tend to shut down, we can pull information from previous years to help us forecast what will happen during this month and act accordingly. Being able to use all the information in the system to predict means that we can strategize on how to navigate through any typical year.”
Having one view of the truth – made easily accessible for your people as they utilise software to carry out their daily routines – will make a significant difference to how your firm operates. Perhaps now is a good time to unleash the power of your business data?