Whether it‘s tracking inventory, calculating loan payments, estimating material cost for a construction project, keeping sales records, or preparing taxes, there is probably an app for that.
You may be wondering: what are line of business applications exactly? A line of business app is any application that serves a particular business need or assists with customer transactions in some way.
It differs from something like an email app, which could be considered a business application, but since it doesn’t apply to a specific industry or specific need, it wouldn’t be a line of business application.
For some people newer to the workforce, the days of old are never even considered. Remember when all restaurants used pen and paper to take orders?
The implementation of a point-of-sale system in restaurants eventually served as an all-in-one solution. Taking orders, keeping track of daily sales and cash totals, even inventory tracking and clocking in/out can be done all from the same program.
Tax preparation and accounting software, too, has come so far. Whether you have all internal or outsourced accounting, the days of having to do much more than signing the forms after printing are over. I’m not talking using an online tax prep program at home. I mean, large scale businesses filing end of the year taxes.
Keeping monthly ledgers, banking records for large corporations, strange tax situations, incomes from multiple states, and just about anything else can be found in good line of business tax and accounting software. So much of this information was only done on paper for so many companies not that long ago.
While many companies (particularly very small businesses) may not have the business scale to require this type of software, it’s time-saving and the accuracy assurance cannot be denied.
The examples above are just a few of many implementations of line of business applications and how they replace the ways of the past.
There are some free line of business applications out there and I am sure there are some that are acceptable for their purposes. But the adage is true: you get what you pay for.
Good corporate-level line of business applications often come with some costs involved. Whether that’s purchasing application licensing, paying a monthly or yearly usage fee, and for support for the applications, there will be an investment.
So how do you know if your investment will be worth it in the long run? How can you be sure using a new line of business app will be beneficial?
If you are looking for software to make your business operate more efficiently but have questions as to how the implementation will work or if the cost is worth the benefits, reach out to the software company.
In many instances, there will be trials or demonstrations available that you just have to inquire about. Emailing or making a phone call with specific questions can really help you have a more informed look at your upcoming investment.
If you are a business that uses a managed service provider, like Tech Experts, you should also interface with your IT provider. They may have insight from other clients or past experiences and should be a part of any technology change your business is looking into.
Your productivity and efficiency could be on its way up and, here at Tech Experts, we’d love to help you get there.