In the past there weren’t that many software that’s capable of providing multiple features in within one single platform.

Users need to maintain multiple user logins and server administrators having to maintain several software / servers can really be a hassle and not as cost effective.

Users had to remember usernames and passwords for their Email account, HR system, Document Management system and a few other software which were deployed by the IT team.

This is a problem of the past as software vendors have taken this challenge into consideration and built systems which provides a single sign on access to most office related functions within a platform.

One such online team collaboration tool which includes HR and Accounting functionalities is TeamWox.

TeamWox is a groupware developed by the folks at MetaQuotes Software.

Initially the software was developed for in house use and wasn’t available for sale but over time, they realized that other organizations could also benefit from using the system, thus the commercial version – TeamWox was developed.

TeamWox can be deployed and implemented in several ways namely:

• Free version (Up to 10 users)
• Trial version (Fully functional for 2 months)
• Standard version (License for 25 users or more)
• SaaS version (Installed and hosted by TeamWox)
• Academic version (Free full featured version with unlimited subscription to updates)

All delivery method besides the SaaS version allow for the software to be downloaded and installed on a Windows based PC / server with the following minimum requirements:

• Windows XP2 or higher
• Pentium 4 or higher processor
• RAM of at least 1GB
• HDD of at least 100 MB free

The key features of TeamWox includes:

• Email
• HR Module
• Service Desk
• Task Management
• Accounting Module
• Online Assistant / Chat
• Document Management
• and more…

When I first used TeamWox, I realized that the available functionalities is quite similar to Outlook where we use it commonly for emailing, setting appointment schedules via the calendar,  adding tasks via the task management function as well as adding contacts into Outlook.

When everyone in the office uses Outlook as an individual, it can be a challenge to share information with co-workers, unless Windows Sharepoint Services is deployed.

TeamWox by default addresses this need for more collaboration among team members within an office environment.

For example, the email module within TeamWox isn’t just an ordinary email client. It includes integration with the task management module to ensure that an email is closely followed through via a task which is assigned to a responsible worker. Attachments for an email can also be integrated with the document management module to ensure that the latest document which resides in the central document repository is attached.

Besides the email module, I also like the online assistant feature which acts as an internal chat server to ensure that all communications within the organization stays secure in house. This feature is a great alternative for those who have disabled / banned instant messengers like Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger or ICQ within their office network.

If TeamWox also includes a project management module in it, that would definitely make the tool even more complete.

Overall I find TeamWox to be able to fulfill most business requirements needed by organizations for an online team collaboration tool.

For more details on how an organization can leverage on TeamWox to further enhance team collaboration, do check out TeamWox today!

The original post is published here: TeamWox – an online team collaboration tool with HR Accounting and Service Desk modules

With so many businesses taking an interest in ERP we want to outline some of the major advantages behind using an ERP System.

1. Improved internal communication

A business with many departments (such as a Human Resources or an Accounting department) would normally have their own system and this would often lead to duplicate information being entered throughout the various systems within the business.

Over time this can cause inconsistencies in the data stored by the business as some data would have been updated as it should have been and some data would not have been updated.

Converting to an ERP system means that all data is in one centralised location as it works with the other system in order to reduce duplicate data.

ERP ensures that data in other systems is updated when data in one system is changed.

This also results in less time spent updating data as data in other departments is already updated when data in one department is changed.

Prior to using ERP software, if a customer wanted to place an order, their order would have to be manually inserted into the computers within the customer services department, the Accounting department, the manufacturing department etc.

However an ERP system will automatically update the other systems once the order has been inserted into the order management system.

2. Security benefits

Some may be surprised to find out that another benefit of implementing an ERP software is that it provides an increased level of security.

Some of the most current ERP systems allow data to be changed by authorised people which provides data protection as personal data is safe from those without the right access to log in.

This also means that if a problem does occur then it is easier to be able to identify the culprit.

3. Link to other vendors

A growing number of ERP systems are capable of integrating with external systems.

This allows for rapid and more efficient communication with external business partners which ultimately means that deals can be done faster and money can be put in the bank sooner.

4. Logistics benefits

ERP drastically simplifies logistics and manufacturing related analysis by carrying out many tasks such as three way matching of purchase orders and costing reports.

It is also capable of carrying out many other tasks. such as identifying when stocks for each product will run out by tracking the number of products used on a daily basis.

It can then leverage on this information to notify the relevant staff that more products need to be ordered which ensures that the manufacturing line never has to stop due to insufficient stock.

In short, ERP simplifies the manufacturing and logistics process to make it work faster and more efficiently which in turn reduces costs and ensures that deadlines are met and customers get their goods as promised.

5. Accounting benefits

A commonly cited benefit of ERP is the benefits that it brings to the Accounting department.

It is able to simplify much of the repetitive, mundane accounting related tasks such as bringing together information on sales, costs and profits occurred within a given timeframe.

In addition to this, the data can also be presented in a detailed but concise manner.

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The original post is published here: 5 benefits of implementing an ERP system

He and his business partners currently specialize in different types of products such as cakes, pastries and cookies.

Each of them have a physical store which sells and promotes each others products.

During the holiday season, they get bulk orders from customers who are having parties and company events.

It is during these times when they struggled with managing many customer orders and faced the following challenges:

• Who ordered what and when
• Whose order should be given priority
• Any customer’s special requests to take note off
• Difficulty in tracking order quantity, delivery date, etc

Because they have received several complains for mixing up orders and forgetting special requests from customers such as to replace white sugar with brown sugar, they have decided it’s time they explore a web based software to help them with order management.

The main reason why they needed the system to be web based is so that when one shop get’s an order, the shop owner can immediately enter the order details for all to be aware of.

In other words, when the cake shop owner gets an order for pies, he would enter the order details into the order management system and the pie shop owner will be aware of the order and works on it accordingly.

Based on their requirements, I searched around and finally found a web based business software with built in order management capability. This simple yet powerful web based business software is called Groobix.

Groobix does not only provide order processing capability but includes the following modules as well:

• CRM
• Tasks
• Contacts
• Documents
• Sales & Billing
• Collaboration
• Business Calendar
• Customer Service
• Stock Management
• Project Management
• and more…

I signed up for the Groobix Free Trial and gave it a go.

Upon logging in and using Groobix, I realized that  it provides a consistent look and feel which makes the web based system user friendly, easy to use and packed with functionalities.

Because Groobix provides so many business application functionalities out of the box, in this post I will focus and highlight it’s order management capability.

As you can see from the screenshot above, products must firstly be added before orders can be placed.

Adding an order is as simple as filling in all the necessary details such as

• Customer details
• Who to assign the order to
• The product ordered
• Quantity required
• Priority level
• Set the due date to deliver
• Set option to send email to the person responsible for the order

Once orders are entered into the system, store owners can easily view at a glance all pending orders as well as a history of all past orders.

I hope today’s post provides some insights as to how you too can utilized Groobix to simply help with your business order management.

If you have similar requirements for a simple web based order management system, do give Groobix a try today.

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The original post is published here: SaaS Web based Order Management System

Most large enterprises with huge IT budget would implement costly ERP systems to streamline and consolidate their business operations.

Small to medium size enterprises (SME) usually opt to implement sub components of a total ERP system depending on their budget and needs.

Organizations who have IT staffs with open source knowledge usually implement open source software by themselves.

One of my friend’s company implements the following open source software in his office:

• SugarCRM (Open Source CRM)
• OrangeHRM (Open Source HRMS)
• Achievo (Open Source Project Management)
• KnowledgeTree (Open Source Document Management)

Using a combination of these systems help to automate his business operations but it still poses some challenges such as:

• System administrators having trouble managing several system updates.
• Users have trouble remembering their userIDs and passwords for each system.
• Organizations are dependent on several indispensable IT staffs since they have key skills to support the system.
• Each system sits on its own database so data integration tools must be utilized for data consolidation and dashboard purposes.
• Users are frustrated at having to go through trainings for each system as it has its own user interface, modules and functionalities.

Although implementing several open source solutions may be a cost effective solution at the beginning, in the long run the challenges may turn out to be costlier in terms of productivity loss, insufficient and inaccurate data and worst of all, a bunch of unhappy system users.

If only there’s a system with just a single interface and login page that could cater for all the above business functions.

All these while I’ve been hoping for one and today I found it. This web based SaaS ERP system for small businesses and SMEs is called WorkforceTrack.com.

WorkforceTrack is a simple and mini ERP solution created specifically to cater for the needs of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

Although it does not handle manufacturing, logistics and distributions like how some other big ERP solution providers do, WorkforceTrack covers the following key modules nearly all organizations need:

• Online Payroll
  
• Online Timesheet
  
• Attendance Tracking
  
• Accounting & Finance
  
• Document Management
  
• Project Management (PM)
  
• Performance Management
  
• Human Resource MS (HRMS)
  
• Expense Claim Reimbursement
  
• Client Relationship Management (CRM)
  

For only $5 per user / month, WorkforceTrack provides a lot more features and functionalities than its competitors. See comparison.

There are two aspects about WorkforceTrack which I really like which makes it different from other solutions.

1. Performance and Goal Management

I’ve seen some organizations which have implemented high end expensive software which at the end of the day doesn’t get used much. They can have the best CRM system but if the sales persons are trying hard to get new sales but not logging the efforts into the system, it doesn’t provide much value at all.

WorkforceTrack provides the ability for goals to be defined from company level to department level to personal level. When an employee’s performance is align to a predetermined goal, both the organization and the employee will have a way to track performance and achieve a common objective which is measureable.

In my opinion, all systems should incorporate some elements of key performance indicators (KPI) in it so that users have a reason to use the system at the same time organizations can benefit from full user participation and have complete data.

2. Dashboards and Reports

If you have multiple systems, it can be quite challenging to consolidate data from several databases to develop dashboards and reports.

But with WorkforceTrack, everything resides on a single platform thus providing key decision makers important details pertaining to the organization.

For example, with these dashboards, a CEO can easily see that:

• Most projects are behind schedule
• Sales pipeline is near zero
• People are always on leave / vacation!

=> Disaster coming soon!

WorkforceTrack to me is a real unified management solution as it includes many key ERP functions on its SaaS platform for both system administrators and system users to benefit from.

For more details and information on WorkforceTrack.com check them out today (online demo) and give it a try by signing up for the 7 day free trial.

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The original post is published here: Web based SaaS ERP for small businesses & SMEs

If your company is running a global business through the Internet or otherwise, then you will have to make sure that you have software that is able to handle the international market as well.

An ERP software like OpenERP can be considered one of the best open source options for you at present.

Now, what is OpenERP?

This is an ERP software that allows you to manage your business at all times. It will support your company profile by allowing you to have a system which is taking care of your sales, purchases, workflow and accounting.

It can also be customized to take care of assets, trading, production and stock management if that is what your company requires.

Personnel management, project management, planning and statistics are all part of the package and your financial management, from budget to payment of orders to analysis of the financial situation are all taken care of via OpenERP.

OpenERP’s key features

The key features of this software are based on making sure that your business is running on the best possible manner by helping you with all of the management related sources available which includes logistics, accounting and finances, human resources, project management, daily productivity and efficient communication.

Perhaps the most important feature of this software is the ability to start with what you require and to grow with the software in accordance to your needs. Therefore, whether you are a small company that requires certain amount of information or whether you are trying to run a huge business that has operations all over the world, this software will provide you with all that you need in a very simple and easy manner.

As far as the technical features are concerned, this software is easy to use and you can choose whether you want to have it as a Ajax Web client or a GTK application. It is completely internationalized. It is available in 20 languages and it has the capacity of understanding 40 different kinds of accounting charts. Its integrated business intelligence capabilities allow multiple users to be able to handle all the aspects of the software in a very dynamic and efficient manner. And the most important factor is that the reports and work flows that you require can be easily easily customized to your needs.

OpenERP Review Summary

This new developed version of OpenERP is seeing a lot of interest in the business market because of its unique features and because of the way it is being presented to the people, taking into consideration the desire to have business management that is web friendly, that is international, and that is simple to use at the same time.

If you have to study five books to understand software before you are able to install it in your system, then it seems as if you are investing a lot in something that perhaps your business is not going to be able to work with. The simplicity of this version is giving it the upper hand.

Other features of the latest version of the OpenERP include the object editor, the work flow edition and the report editor. You can also have ergonomic calendar views and your will have a fully integrated documentation system that will allow your work to flow easily.

There are many things that need to be taken into consideration when you are looking for a business software that is going to serve your purposes and although everything is not perfect, this software can prove to be extremely useful.

Recently, OpenERP released an All-in-one (server, client, web) Windows installer for those who are more familiar with Windows technology.

I hope you find this simple OpenERP review useful! For more details, check out OpenERP today!

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The original post is published here: OpenERP Review – a summary of the open source ERP