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Succeeding in a competitive market isn’t easy, particularly for small startups that have to go against larger and more established organizations. However, that didn’t stop Golden Road Brewing. The Los Angeles-based craft brewery has thrived because of its custom database software system.

Co-founder Meg Gill spoke with Inc. Magazine about her vision, her challenges and what helped her succeed in a tough industry. While hard work and resolve played a substantial role in her success, it was her understanding of how to manage information that really fueled her ability to compete in her market. She soon realized that data could improve virtually every aspect of her business, including the freshness of her beer, something she explained was crucial to her company.

“You can’t get to volume, and then to profitability, without fresh beer,” she said. “That’s something we live by. Even though our first year was incredibly successful, we learned that without comprehensive tracking and reporting systems for distribution and retail, we couldn’t control whether our beer was fresh.”

An article featured in Forbes picked up Gill’s story and suggested many small organizations don’t understand the power of quality data, which is why success in this space is never easy.

“Small and medium businesses (SMBs) face many challenges when it comes to basic infrastructure. Many times, spreadsheets are the only answer for running the business (inventory management, production schedules or sales process). As a result, manual reports proliferate and they are tough to manage and consolidate,” the article said.

Understanding the importance of not only digital information, but the ability to process it efficiently will go a long way toward helping any small company compete in its industry, regardless of what it is. Gill figured out early on that her database system, which she manages in the cloud, will help ensure the freshness of her beer, which keeps her product at the level of quality it needs to help her business grow. If her information was inaccurate and the freshness of her beer was compromised, it could have damaged her entire operation.

FileMaker development can allow companies to build a system that tracks data that’s important to them and store it in a similar cloud environment. This will allow businesses to grow as their solution scales up with their success.

All the data in the world may not amount to much of companies fail to make the most of their information.

When users collect and process data, they have to be able to think about it and do so quickly. Any hesitation to act based on the contents of an organization’s data could cause an organization to fall behind in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

This act is called analysis-paralysis, and was recently listed in a Bloomberg article as a bad habit data managers must break. Thomas Redman, the article’s author, explained the ramifications of this indecisiveness.

“Analysis-paralysis plagues people and companies that don’t deal well with uncertainty,” he wrote. “They can fall into the trap of seeking ‘just one more bit of confirmation’ before deciding. They delay, delay, delay, seeking to make the perfect decision. They don’t realize that not making a decision is a decision in itself and can have consequences. Delay too long and the competitor may introduce that new product line first, a great candidate may go elsewhere and an investor may withdraw its offer.”

While quick decision-making certainly requires effort from the individual tasked with analyzing the data, the process can be improved with the help of custom database software. Having the ability to collect, process, store and report on information in real time will alleviate the risk of waiting too long to make data-based decisions. This can improve the overall state of an organization by allowing it to stay ahead of its competition, rather than falling behind.

In a perfect world, customer retention would never be an issue. We would acquire new business, the relationship between ourselves and our customers would be perfect and they would stay with us forever. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world and, sometimes, people leave us. While it’s a difficult topic to think about, it’s not necessarily devastating. An incident in this vein can actually be a positive. It all depends on what we make of it.

The most successful organizations don’t go about business assuming they will never lose a customer under any circumstances. Instead, they have systems and strategies in place to capitalize on a particular situation by obtaining all relevant information pertaining to the event and using it to improve the overall company. Ultimately, by keeping an eye on the churn rate, companies can make efforts to keep it down.

A recent article in Inc. Magazine listed five metrics every marketer should pay attention to. Churn was included because of all the important bits of information that can be processed whenever a customer leaves.

“Nobody likes to talk about churn because we all want to believe that no one would leave us and move on, but it happens and it’s an incredibly powerful metric,” wrote Janine Popick, the article’s author. “If you measure it consistently and over time, you will see any unusual spikes or valleys. And you can track those back to things that may have happened.”

Suppose your customers leave primarily during the summer, or what if churn occurs consistently after prices go up, or whenever your communication systems fail (like your website going down.) This information can be collected, processed and used to adjust certain aspects of operations accordingly. For example, if it’s determined that the majority of customers who leave do so during the summer months, the next time the season rolls around it might be a good opportunity to run a promotion to entice customers to stay. While fixing price hikes or technical issues is a bit harder, having that information will at least let companies know the magnitude of those situations, which will only help in the long run.

For this data strategy to be successful, you need a system designed to process information quickly and display it in an easy-to-understand format. Building a custom database software system will give businesses the tools they need to make the most out of customer losses and turn churn from a negative to a positive.

Revenue management is an important component of any organization, particularly in industries that have been directly impacted by economic uncertainty. In these instances, the ability to properly view and analyze data to determine potential revenue has become increasingly vital.

Ankur Randev is the vice president of revenue and distribution at Highgate Hotels. Working in the hospitality industry, he understands that unforeseen factors like weather can have a drastic impact on revenue, but he is optimistic about the future of his organization and position because he knows that big data will play a much larger role going forward. One of the key advantages of using data to determine revenue is that there are more channels to view information, thus giving professionals like himself more data to work with.

However, speaking with the online publication Hospitality Net, Randev warned businesses to ensure they are using high-quality data. More importantly, he said they should learn to capitalize on the information they do have.

“The biggest hurdle is that businesses do not fully understand the value of customer data,” he said. “While a lot of organizations have embarked on building customer databases, it’s important that the quality of that data is constantly refined. From the top down, all departments must embrace the fact and understand that every guest interaction is an opportunity to build on that database.”

To fulfill this need, companies can build a custom database software system that can give users a fully detailed view of customer behavior and any other factor that could potentially impact revenue.

The ability to process information and store it in a virtual environment is certainly a benefit to any company that relies heavily on its data. However, as volumes continue to grow, the challenges pertaining to its storage and impact on the business network must be considered.

The issue of storage is being alleviated with cloud computing. For example, if a company initiated a FileMaker development project to build a database, it could then host that system in the cloud. The virtual nature of this storage system makes it easier for businesses to implement additional space, as they don’t have to concern themselves with physical servers. However, even if a company has a strong cloud storage solution, it must be able to properly maintain the amount of data managed in the cloud.

Bandwidth becomes a concern when large quantities of information are being processed through the network. If an organization is managing its data in a cloud system, it must have enough bandwidth to ensure information can transfer quickly without compromising other areas of the business.

In today’s offices, we are more connected than ever before. In addition to traditional desktops, many organizations issue smartphones or tablets to their employees. Others manage a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) strategy that allows workers to bring their own gadgets to the office for work. With so many machines being connected to the network, data is flowing constantly, which could put a strain on network strength if it is not properly managed.

The key is data efficiency. Companies need to get the most out of the bandwidth they have, which means they cannot afford to run into issues such as data duplication. If the organization is processing more information than it needs to, it is taking up more bandwidth than necessary. Mitigating this issue is crucial. A system must be in place that properly manages information in the most efficient way possible.

FileMaker development can help with this need as well, as this process can be used to build a custom database software system. This program can be constructed to fit with an organization’s specific data needs, which will go a long way toward ensuring that information flows quickly without slowing down any other processes.

In the era of big data, marketers have come to learn one thing: information can help companies enhance their marketing efforts. This is a valid point and this blog has discussed this topic in the past, but one thing marketers need to understand is the number of challenges that can accompany a big data strategy.

Building larger volumes of data can ultimately help marketers gather the information they need to reach a more responsive audience with a more targeted message, but just having the information without any system in place to analyze it and provide context won't offer much assistance. In fact, when marketers have more information to sift through to find what they are looking for, they will likely find it more difficult to effectively do their jobs.

A recent survey adds credence to this thought, determining if marketers aren't aware of big data challenges and don't prepare for them accordingly, they could find themselves trapped under mountains of information. The Teradata Data Driven Marketing Survey 2013 states that marketers are increasing their reliance on data, although many of them are still trying to determine the best possible way to manage their information. 

According to the results, the most popular way for marketers to deal with big data challenges is to implement new technology used to increase analytics and build efficiency into information processing operations. The study projects a 60 percent increase in analytics spending over the next three years. In fact, Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) are starting to take over Chief Information Officers (CIOs) as the top executives when it comes to relying on technology to process information. The study suggests CMOs will outspend CIOs on technology by 2017.

While it's crucial for marketing departments to understand the importance of technology and how it can help alleviate big data challenges, implementing a new system for the sake of doing so may not be the best solution. Companies need the right technology to process their information. One that can scale as data volumes continue to grow is ideal, considering the fact we don't know how massive big data will get in the coming years.

FileMaker development allows companies to build custom database software systems designed to collect, process and store information. Marketers can meet the challenges of big data if they build the right system to fit their needs, which will ultimately improve the company's overall marketing efforts. 

While technology advancements have helped launch new communication methods such as social media and SMS communication, email remains one of the most effective ways for companies to interact with their customers. Email marketing is still a valuable business practice, mainly because of its ability to adapt to new processes.

For example, while we have moved from traditional PCs to mobile devices like smartphones and tablets as our primary computer, businesses have managed to adjust email messages so they can be optimized for smaller screen displays. Today, people all over the globe prefer to check email on their mobile gadgets instead of a desktop or laptop computer, and those tasked with sending emails have capitalized on this fact. 

Additionally, big data has become a major component of modern email marketing campaigns. Businesses are able to use the information they collect from other customer interactions and utilize it to send higher quality and more focused emails to a more eager buying group. Using big data can make email marketing campaigns that much stronger.

The online publication Marketing Profs offered a seminar to visitors on the use of big data in email marketing initiatives, and in its introduction article the site offered some keen insights regarding the practice. 

"Every day brings another chance to deliver timely, memorable experiences for potential buyers," the article said. "Whether they're long-time customers or fresh new prospects, our job as marketers is to optimize their experience with our brand so that they'll choose our products [and come back for more]. But optimizing those experiences takes more than guess work; to achieve email marketing success, we must rely on the data our marketing programs generate every day."

To successfully use data to fuel an email marketing campaign, it's important for companies to collect that information in a system that can both integrate with its outreach applications while also presenting data in an easy-to-understand format. A custom database software system will have to enable the marketer to make smart decisions based on its data without having to slow their processes by waiting for information to update or spending a prolonged period of time searching for it.

FileMaker development can allow businesses to create powerful systems that can assist with any email marketing strategy.

Storing data in the cloud provides companies with numerous crucial benefits, chief among them being the ability to access information from a remote location. Instead of having to come inside the office to obtain data from an internal server or even a desktop hard drive, workers can view and report on information from a smartphone if they are across town, in another state of even on the other side of the globe.

By receiving access to information stored in the cloud, users can yield a number of benefits. They will be given the flexibility to perform their duties on the go, which can increase overall operational efficiency. They also can work from home, provided that option is available at their organization. If it is, an incident that prevents them from coming to work—an issue with the car, for example—won’t limit their ability to do their job because they’ll be able to access the information they need to be productive.

An article recently featured in the business service directory Manta discusses the best ways to manage a work-from-home policy. While giving workers access to company data via the cloud will provide them with the resources they need to do their jobs, author Rieva Lesonsky suggested keeping the communication lines open is equally as important.

“When you can’t pop your head into someone’s office to see how their work is coming along, you need to be in frequent communication,” Lesonsky wrote.

Doing this is not just a way for managers to check on their employees to make sure they aren’t slacking off just because they aren’t in the office. It gives workers a chance to collaborate and ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to analyzing data and using it to complete business tasks.

Having the right software running in the cloud can go a long way toward enchaining communication and collaboration, and mitigating the risks associated with remote connectivity. Building a custom database software system will help with this process because it will be able to handle multiple users, will update information in real time, and contain the functionality needed to help each party complete tasks in a timely manner.

Of course, this is only possible if the solution is properly created. FileMaker development will ensure that the system responds correctly and can be adjusted accordingly to meet any changes in operations.

An organization is only as strong as the quality of the information is possesses. This has become increasingly clear as data has become digitized and companies have utilized a massive amount of resources to manage big data strategies and protect the integrity of their information.

Businesses decisions based off of poor data likely won't be the right choices. If companies want to succeed, they have to ensure that the information they capture, manage, store and use to generate reports is not only accurate, but is presented in a way that leaves little room for error.

Data cannot be misinterpreted

That's one aspect of data quality that must be understood. Just because all the information is there and it's correct doesn't mean it will be used correctly. A company's financial data could be correct and up-to-date, but if it's stored or presented in a way that's difficult to understand, decision makers, analysts or any other professional tasked with utilizing that information could have the wrong impression of it, thus compromising the integrity of that decision.

Ultimately, user-friendliness is a valuable component of a big data strategy. The easier it is for users to understand, the better the chances are that it will be managed properly. This is different than data security, as information should be impenetrable by outside forces. However, when appropriate parties do access data, they shouldn't have to question its meaning.

Data quality requires collaboration

An article in the online publication Diginomica addresses the issue of data quality and provides a number of tips to help promote the value of business information. One important fact for companies to understand is that data quality requires a collaborative effort from both the IT and business management side.

"Don't label data quality as an IT issue and not a business issue," writes Nigel Turner, the article's author. "It is both. While the technology of data quality is often implemented and maintained by IT staff, it is the business user that benefits most. Just consider the example of clean, well-managed customer records. The business user also understands the meaning and usage of the data in the context of each application."

All of these factors can go a long way toward ensuring the quality of information, but it must be managed with the right technology. Building a custom database software system will allow companies to enhance data quality, which will ultimately help them become more successful and profitable organizations.

Going green is one of the key initiatives at many organizations, even those that aren't in environment-related industries. New regulations are being written each day that mandate environmentally friendly operations, so it's up to companies to find new ways to reduce their carbon footprint. 

Strategies range from installing high-end solar and wind energy solutions to implementing simple changes to office policies, like requiring employees to shut down all computers at the end of the day. Phasing paper out of the daily workflow is one tactic that has received universal adoption, as it offers numerous advantages.

The removal of paper in the office can reduce the risk of lost information in the event of a fire or natural disaster, it can improve operational efficiency and it can help with environmental initiatives. Rather than using large quantities of paper to record information, businesses that go strictly digital will likely see an improvement in these areas of their operations.

The proliferation of mobile devices in the corporate environment has helped increase the usefulness of a paperless office. Instead of carrying around stacks of physical documents, employees can pull them up on their smartphones or tablets, giving them access to the same information. This is both an efficient and environmentally friendly practice, but it requires strong data management.

An article in the online publication Smart Data Collective lists a number of advantages companies can enjoy by implementing a big data strategy. Chief among them is a reduced reliance on paper.

"There is no need to continue the use of shipment forms or other paper documents when filing information," the article says. "Business data management in 2013 should be based around the advanced IT and data management systems that are available. All shipping documents, client portfolios and stock inventory should be kept within a centralized data server, whether it is a mainframe computer system or an outsourced cloud service."

Of course, having the right data solutions in place is imperative. If companies are going to be successful in their efforts to ditch physical documentation for digital information sharing, data must pass through a system that can collect, process and store information quickly and efficiently. Using FileMaker development to build a custom database software system will give businesses this advantage.

Ultimately, enhancing data management processes allows companies to move forward and implement innovative new strategies that boost efficiency and reduce environmental impact.