Interview: how to improve internal processes in an enterprise?

Is it possible to improve internal processes in the company? It depends on what goals the new software should pursue. The type and scale of such an investment are always tailored to the individual possibilities and preferences of each client. So… let’s talk about the specifics.

Traditional dedicated system or mobile application? What better reflects the idea of improvements in the company?

• Filip Dziedzic: as usual, the simple answer is: “it depends”. This is not a marketing ploy. In the case of dedicated software, everything depends on the business goals set by the company. Mobile applications facilitate the performance of all employees on the move. I am talking about couriers, service technicians, and management staff. Access to company data directly from the phone significantly improves the performance of their daily duties. All aspects of office work, accounting, contacts with employees, etc. can be perfectly modernized with a traditional system. Web and mobile applications can complement each other perfectly. The use of a specific solution depends on many factors.

OK. So, let us start with the mobile applications. Can you give an example of an industry in which this solution works effectively?

• Filip Dziedzic: of course. I can give many examples, such as our latest project, which concerns the pharmaceutical industry. Improving the internal processes of a company from this sector focuses on increasing the employee’s efficiency in pharmaceuticals storerooms. The mobile application supports order fulfilment during the employees passage through the entire warehouse, facilitating the efficient preparation of orders. Additional functionalities include: the ability to manage and monitor stock levels.

How does this app work?

• Filip Dziedzic: as part of the application, a configuration of a picking trolley is created from appropriately selected and aggregated orders. The system suggests where to look for specific items from orders, helps to classify them. In addition, people with specific authorizations can monitor inventory levels, i.e., they receive information on the number of orders to be picked on a given shift, data on route departures, the number of available trucks, etc.

Indeed, it sounds like a real improvement. Can similar solutions be used in other industries?

• Filip Dziedzic: that kind of application will work wherever we deal with a warehouse. This is particularly evident on the example of improvements in the operations of a container port. We have really advanced logistics here. An interesting solution is to install touch screen kiosks in individual warehouses. These devices are synchronized with each other thanks to the mobile application and the data on the state of loads is updated in real time. Cargo digitization is possible thanks to the use of QR codes.

The presented examples confirm the use of mobile applications in logistics. Do they work well in other areas?

• Filip Dziedzic: definitely yes. The utilities sector uses the potential of mobile applications to facilitate the activities of field employees, especially service technicians. They have access to the history of repairs on the phone, they can order the necessary parts, report working time, and have access to specialist knowledge. All with just a few clicks. The financial sector uses applications to suggest personalized offers to clients. Manufacturing companies use the potential of the application to monitor the condition of machines, ensure continuity of production and control working time. There are many similar examples.

If mobile applications have so much potential, where is the place for traditional systems in all of this?

• Filip Dziedzic: in practice, there is a lot of that space. Enterprises often start using box solutions available on the market. In the initial stage of development, this is more than enough. Problems begin when the company grows, there are more employees who need to quickly find information dedicated only to themselves. Often, subscription-based solutions do not have all the necessary functionalities, or an employee must use several of them during the working day. In such cases, it is worth creating one dedicated system that will be equipped only with the necessary features. It is a real time saver. The systems we create integrate data from many sources, allow you to create advanced reports and enable wide possibilities of permission management. Such software is essential for the proper functioning of enterprises. Our basic work tool is still a laptop or a desktop.

Can you give practical examples in this case as well?

• Filip Dziedzic: Sure! We are currently working on software for a client from the UK. Our task is to create a system that will enable efficient communication between the software already existing in this company and various systems used by its customers. We are working to maintain the unified communication. We provide effective connections, focus on data translation, and support a variety of protocols imposed by customer systems. This is only a fraction of our tasks, but this system is a huge improvement.

It sounds interesting. Do such integrations only apply to cases where the client wants to efficiently connect their applications with systems from external organizations?

• Filip Dziedzic: very often integrations concern many customer facing systems that are used in one enterprise. Our other dedicated software optimizes the complaint handling process in the financial sector. This system integrates with 5 frontend systems through which the customer can file a complaint (web form, internet banking, mobile banking, branch application, incoming letters handling system). Additionally, to assign the subject of the complaint to the most competent specialist and to have an insight into the recipient’s history, we integrate with over 14 internal systems in the bank. All for the convenience of the recipient and the comfort of work of people examining the complaint.

The last question: are you able to identify one, the most basic element of the enterprises that can be improved thanks to dedicated software?

• Filip Dziedzic: every enterprise is different, there is no single recipe for a typical improvement. If I you ask me about an example of the most universal system, I think it may be a system to improve the internal document flow in the company. We have already implemented several variants of such systems. The effects are always visible quickly. Customers gain full monitoring capabilities from the registration of the document up to closure of a given case / archiving. We leverage secure storages, various access levels, intuitive search, and insight into the history of people who have access to files. That always proves to be extremely useful solution.