Computerizing business operations is an effective way to streamline business processes, accurately manage large amounts of information and data, and accomplish more work in less time. Advertising, accounting, client information management and interoffice communications are business processes that benefit from computerization. The decision to computerize business operations requires input from all levels of the organization. Important details must be considered, including decisions about computer hardware and software purchases, specialized computer training needs and a systematic approach to data entry and management. Here are the necessary steps for computerizing a business.
1
Consult with all staff members.- Meet with managers and department heads. Ask them to make a list of all activities that can potentially be computerized. Handwriting payroll checks and envelope labels, manually calculating product totals and sales tax, and outsourcing flier production to printers are just a few examples of tasks that can be done in-house on a computer.
- Ask managers to meet with their employees. Include employees at all levels of the business in the conversation to implement a system that benefits everyone. For example, a delivery driver whose main job is to deliver goods may save time from a company investment in a GPS system, rather than writing out directions by hand or consulting a map.
2
Research computer hardware options. Consult with a computer expert, explain the processes of your business and ask for hardware recommendations. The type of business you run, the amount of information you must process and save, and the speed with which the data must be accessed are all important considerations in choosing computer hardware.
3
Choose the right computer software. Depending on your specific business, you may need software for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, marketing product design or other needs. Investigate your options by consulting with computer specialists and experts in your specific industry.
4
Secure your computer system. Consult with a computer security specialist to select the best antivirus software. Explore software options for securing confidential data.
5
Arrange for computer installations. After making decisions about hardware and software options, arrange for the computers to be installed. If it is a small office, the task may be as simple as plugging in the computers yourself.- Hire a network administrator. If your computers must be connected to one another to share documents, set up a network. Hire a temporary or permanent network administrator to set this up for you.
6
Set up training sessions for all employees. Staff members may possess varying degrees of comfort and proficiency with computers and specialized software. Arrange for employees to be trained on all computer activities necessary for their assigned tasks.- Ensure that training sessions are thorough, particularly for critical tasks. If your business is a medical clinic, for example, be sure that all doctors and nurses are well trained on how to enter and access critical patient information.
7
Start an organized and logical process for entering data. Begin with high priority tasks and projects with pressing deadlines. For example, if your business will computerize payroll statements, prioritize this task to ensure timely payroll checks.
8
Keep all hard copy documents. In the event that mistakes are made in data entry or in saving data to the new system, keep all hard copy documents, such as invoices, client records, employee information and other documents containing important details.
9
Invest in a backup system. Consult with a computer specialist to choose the best backup system for the needs of your business. If your business is small, you might choose to manually backup your data to a portable storage device on a regular basis. For larger businesses, options include automating the backup procedure through online file storage providers and backup servers.
