Mobile Applications used for field services, inventory/asset management, direct store delivery and proof of delivery are good at capturing data, integrating with backend systems and keeping your mobile force up to date.  But all that data can be put to further use if managed through a proper dashboard management system.  Dashboard management systems can be a separate application or an add-on to existing applications that provide management the tools to make informed business decisions. Harnessing this information is key to making decisions to better place your organization in the market, maximize profit margins and reduce overhead.  What can they do for your business?

Let’s say you run a direct store delivery (DSD) business selling bakery goods.  By simply capturing the data that the DSD application provides, you can keep track of inventory and automate invoicing, which in itself is beneficial.  But by optimizing your data management into a decision support dashboard you can determine which goods are selling better in which stores and going faster off the truck and link that to ingredient ordering and labor management.  Knowing this information allows management to make informed decisions about what ingredients to buy and what products to send to different outlets.
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Equipment maintenance systems have been an integral part of production environments for decades.  There is no denying the importance and benefits of well-maintained equipment.  Prolonged asset life and reductions in both downtime and operating costs have turned maintenance from being viewed as a cost of doing business to vital part of being profitable.

Traditional barriers to effectively managing the maintenance process have been in organization and documentation of the system used.  Tracking each piece of equipment by last service date, frequency of service, scheduling of routine maintenance – all on paper – it becomes a full time job to maintain the maintenance system.  Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software was developed to organize this information, and quickly became not only a way of managing upkeep; it has become a tool for improving maintenance performance.
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