During a period of slow or declining economic growth, job training and education can be the best investment a company makes, but often is one of the first expenses to get cut. |
When times are tough, it’s especially important to invest in improving workforce skills because individuals are expected to cover more ground and take on added responsibilities as reductions and hiring freezes take hold. Skilled people who can do more with less are the key to successfully navigating the economic storm. |
The Expandable Users Conference is a highly productive vehicle for increasing utilization of the Expandable system because it’s concentrated over a relatively short two-day span. The conference provides great “bang for the buck” as it covers a broad set of topics aimed at exposing attendees to the techniques practiced by the most experienced Expandable users. |
This year’s conference focuses on creating “power users” who will return from the conference armed with skills and information to help their companies better manage the recession. Here's what you'll learn at the conference: |
- New functions in the latest release that you can use today to increase performance
- What’s new in upcoming releases that you can expect to gain in the near term
- Ability to customize reports to expose critical information
- Tips and techniques that save time and increase productivity
- Explanation of “under the hood” logic that can be used to streamline processes
- On-site consulting with Expandable personnel to get direct answers to your most pressing questions
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| Here’s seven ways the users conference will help you weather the economic storm. |
| 1. Do more with less |
When times are tough, every little bit of cost saving and productivity increase can make a difference in the company’s ability to remain viable and competitive. The point of a business system like Expandable is to maximize efficiency by establishing and automating sound business processes, but to realize the expected return it’s important that users be well-trained and keep up with new tools and functionality improvements.
Expandability 2009 is aimed at providing information to help participants better wield the power of the system to reduce manual processes and gain the efficiencies of automation. |
| 2. Make better decisions |
| Agility is a valuable attribute in a down economy. Having the ability to quickly increase or decrease production depending upon changing demand is a good way to remain lean and minimize waste. The key to being agile is having early visibility of critical, actionable data. |
| Although Expandable provides a healthy array of reports and inquiries, the information that is most critical to your business may not be as visible as you like in your current collection of reports. Use the conference to learn how to customize your information sources to put your key indicators front and center so you can make timely decisions that minimize negative affects. |
| 3. Increase ERP utilization |
| Expandable publishes regular releases of the product and each one includes new features and functions suggested by you and other Expandable customers. Staying current with the releases and knowing what’s new is a good way to make sure you are using all the available features and functions. |
| Use Expandability 2009 to get a first-hand explanation of the new features in the latest version of Expandable and preview what is scheduled for subsequent releases. Participating in the tips and tricks sessions at the conference is also a good way to make sure you are using all the time-saving features and techniques. |
| 4. Learn to be cross-functional |
| During slow economic times companies tend to decrease headcount and implement hiring freezes. Those fortunate enough to remain in the ranks of the employed find they’re required to play new roles in covering the functions others were performing. |
| Having responsibility for additional areas of the business can mean navigating unfamiliar areas of the Expandable system. The user conference is a one-stop opportunity to expose yourself to the nuances of the different modules in Expandable. |
| 5. Maintain operational visibility |
| A key benefit of your ERP system is a central depository for your business records and transactional data. With your transaction records organized and accessible, you gain the ability to measure and analyze data to keep sight of your business performance. |
| This year’s Expandable Users Conference has a special Reporting and Analysis track that focuses on making better use of the various tools that provide visibility of your business underpinnings. There are many options for reporting and analysis with Expandable, including the Executive Information module, Inquiries, Crystal reports, data cubes and data warehousing. At the conference you will be able to sort out the strengths and weaknesses of each approach and identify which options make the most sense for your business. |
| 6. Identify areas for improvement |
| Making better decisions and identifying operational deficiencies is a key benefit of Expandable reporting and analysis tools. Customizing reports to present the key metrics that drive your business will help you monitor your business and identify where there’s room for improvement. |
| The Reporting and Analysis track at Expandability 2009 will help you learn to customize your views by accessing and pulling critical information from the database. Also take the opportunity to meet one-on-one with Expandable support representatives who make time at the conference to sit down with customers and answer specific questions. |
| 7. Share a support structure |
| We all seem to be in the same boat when the economy takes a turn as we face similar challenges and work under the same pressures. Having a lifeline that we can hold onto and hands to reach out to others with creates good partnerships and promotes healthy business practices. |
| Networking with Expandable personnel and users at other companies that have Expandable provides the opportunity for you to make valuable connections. Bring back to the office business cards of resources you can look to throughout the year. |
| In Summary |
| Although the economy is not as robust as we have enjoyed in the past, there are actions we can take to minimize the impact on our companies. By increasing utilization of our ERP system we can do more with less and remain agile as we bob and weave with the economic punches. |
Increasing the benefit of our ERP system holds the potential to streamline business processes to run more efficiently, which will deliver an even higher return once we reach the recovery that is surely ahead. |
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