The Use of Information Technology in Business Today

The use of information technology is business today is widespread. There are few instances where a business can live without the necessary computer hardware, and a software suite capable of compiling sales and or customer data. It is with these tools that the business organizations today have achieved success and can measure future growth and profitability.

The use of PSA (Professional Services Automation) software has drastically changed the practices and procedures within an organization. These applications encompass all areas of the business, giving an area for employees to enter time, a storage location for sales contacts, and a centralized location for shared documentation.

To know how employees are spending their time is extremely valuable to any manager. It is imperative that the employee is not only well guided, but that his or her concentration is focused on contributions necessary to achieve a team goal. Management now has greater control over exactly how much time should be spent for each project without directly interjecting into the work. Also, each employee is accountable for the work that they turn in on a weekly basis. The added accountability for each employee adds to the quality of work accomplished.

Professional services Automation software integrates multiple aspects of a business into a singular solution. Most importantly, billing can be generated. Since this is the main generator of revenue for a support organization, the ability to effectively track all billable time is paramount. The description and documentation of time spent helps to summarize completed work and avoid any controversy during the billing process. The collection of all work done also can be used to search past work done and provide a marker for time expected to be spent on similar projects.

The process of storing sales data is extremely important to the success of a small business. Leads are generated through cold calling or blitzing, and are stored in the system. Better leads that are generated from a website, or better yet, referrals should all be entered into the PSA software. They are all entered as new leads with the referral information tied to the potential customer. Knowledge of the individual businesses are compiled and easily accessed for additional contact by sales department employees.

The collection of sales data can be useless if not entered correctly. The ability to customize the system to match the business terminology is important. Contact to potential clients can be flagged as interested, motivated, extremely motivated, cold, or dead. Salespeople can move these along to people that might be able to close deals, or move along to the next lead. The efficiency of having all these categorized in one place creates an environment where a sales department can manage contact in the most beneficial manner to close a deal.

Support to customers is a large part of a company that depends upon customer satisfaction and continual billing. The accurate detailing of time spent supporting the company will greatly display the value of a company towards the client. A client is very willing to pay for support when they know exactly where resources are concentrating their time and energy. These systems also update