The success of your supply chain can make or break your business. The wealth of data we can mine today can make a big difference. Just as well.
Big Data – making a difference
We hear a lot about Big Data these days. It’s just about impossible to miss the sheer volume of data life throws at us daily. And increasingly, the tools we’re using to help us automate workflow functions can help us mine this data, and analyse what it means for our business. With the right analytics, and reporting capabilities, the patterns and trends we find help us make informed commercial decisions. Such as choosing the best supply chain solutions for our business.
We’re all looking for the same things from our data. We want to:
- offer our customers the best possible service so that not only do they keep coming back, but they also spread the word
- streamline our operations to increase productivity and keep our costs down
- understand exactly how we use the volume of data we have at our fingertips to improve our performance.
Behaviours and trends
The right analysis can help us better understand our customers and what they want. With data coming at us from a whole range of sources including social media and browser logs, we can predict behaviour and trends to find sales opportunities, avoid customer churn and increase our upselling opportunities. We can also use the data to create personas that best fit actual customer behaviour, rather than the behaviour we might expect. Persona creation can revolutionise a business.
Big Data can also revolutionise and optimise our business processes. Predictions based on social media data, web search trends and even weather forecasts can be useful when it comes to predicting the nature and location of retail stock, for example. Good news for our supply chain.
Big Data and the supply chain
It’s also made a big difference to the success of our supply chain operations, offering opportunities to track goods and delivery vehicles. Traffic data can also help improve route selection and delivery times. Supply chain operations are close to our heart at Four.
iPOS procurement management software
We offer iPOS procurement management software, a solution that can easily be integrated into your core systems and your data. So that you don’t need to upgrade your legacy systems and you can make the most of all the data you have to hand.
For successful supply chain management you need full visibility of your cost pipeline. This is exactly what we provided several global telecoms companies that operate across Africa. Looking for an electronic purchasing solution, to gain control across their regions, iPOS provided them with a successful solution. Read more here.
‘We needed the very best consultants to help us achieve a successful outcome.’
Nick Schild, Procurement Director, Celtel
In these turbulent times, we all need to control our costs. Our iPOS software has helped save our customers millions of dollars in savings. Celtel saved $23m in the first year.
iPOS in action
iPOS gives you more than just control over purchasing and corporate spend. It also:
- checks and approves every purchase order
- offers integration across finance, procurement, employee expense and workflow
- includes a digital signature so that all approvals are online and transparent.
Tesco used our iPOS software to install a new, streamlined purchasing system in just three weeks. Find out more here.
‘We had financial control – Four Business Solutions has given us operational efficiency.’
EMS Business Consultant for Tesco, Stuart Lloyd
And we also worked with Tigo, using the iPOS procurement suite to help them create a mobile phone service across Guatemala and Tanzania. A multi-million dollar project, it empowered staff and dramatically improved working practices. Tigo has now expanded iPOS across its business in Africa.
Read our customer success stories here.
Additional features
What else can you expect from iPOS procurement management software? Well, it will support:
- reporting and inquiries, helping you to review purchasing across your entire operation
- the re-modelling of your existing supply chain
- setting goals and forecasts
- scheduling time, materials and other resources with demand planning and forecasting
- stock planning, supply and distribution network planning, and supply chain strategy.
Adding value
iPOS procurement management software can add real value to your business. Four have a range of solutions that can help transform the way you work. To find out more about the other solutions we offer, please contact me, John O’Brien, CEO for Four.
