It's a challenge for any business: getting the right management information that allows you to make better decisions. Among the many Business Intelligence tools on the market, there are excellent solutions for all kinds of organizations. But what kind of BI solution do you need as an equipment dealer?
Geared to the equipment management industry
Business Intelligence solutions are designed generically. As a result, they can be deployed at any type of organization. But as an equipment dealer in particular, you have very specific requirements regarding the business insights you want. Think of sales, rental, service, parts and the equipment fleet. Your BI tool must therefore be tailored to the equipment industry. With KPIs that are of interest to equipment dealers. And the development, implementation and support of the BI solution should be done by a party that specializes in equipment dealers. When you're talking to a BI consultant who knows exactly how equipment dealers work, you get to hear from him or her what you need in a BI tool instead of explaining what you think you need. A specialized BI partner will also proactively continue to improve the BI tool based on new insights and developments in the industry.
Integrated with your ERP system
In Business Intelligence, data is critical. Accurate, high-quality, complete and current data. And where do you get that data from? From your ERP system, of course! The ERP package is the most complete source of information within your equipment dealership. It contains all relevant data from all departments and processes. It is therefore important that the BI tool you work with is integrated with your ERP system. Not a stand-alone program, but a solution that relies on the complete, real-time information present in the ERP system. An additional advantage of BI integrated with ERP is that it increases the likelihood of user acceptance. After all, anyone working with a BI solution wants to be assured that he or she is looking at complete, accurate and up-to-date information.
"Within your equipment dealership, you may have experts in BI, as well as employees who want to use the tool without training. You need a tool that is of interest to both types of users."
Extensive features but easy to use
A BI solution should offer endless possibilities to approach data from any perspective, bring every piece of information to the surface and be able to answer any question related to business information. At the same time, a BI tool must be user-friendly and accessible, making it a low barrier to entry for any company employee to work with it. Within your equipment dealership, you may have experts in BI, as well as employees who want to use the tool without training. You need a tool that is of interest to both types of users.
Give it a try to see how it works?
Are you curious about a Business Intelligence tool developed specifically for equipment dealers? On our Business Intelligence page you will find a demo. Not one to watch or where you need our instructions, but an interactive demo that you can try without any explanation. We'd love to hear what you think!
Bjorn Schouten is a Business Intelligence Consultant at Dysel and helps clients turn data into valuable management information.
