Replacing spreadsheets with an online database application
Replacing spreadsheets with an online database application enables organisations to provide employees with the tools required to become more efficient in their day-to-day roles and improve company performance.
Data is at the core of the way a business operates and can be used to drive company growth, improve customer service as well as exploit new sales opportunities. For many organisations, business critical data, ranging from sales, products, customer details and orders, are held in Excel spreadsheets.
Holding important data within a spreadsheet instantly exposes an organisation to potential data corruption and offers little or no validation. Human error can distort spreadsheet formulas, equations and figures, resulting in inaccurate data and poor decision making.
Some of the key indicators that it’s time to replace spreadsheets with an online database application include:
- Data duplication
- Human error skewing formulas and equations
- Inconsistent data
- Not always password protected
- Difficulty in managing data security and protected data
- Inability to adhere to regulatory compliance changes
Web-based business applications – an ideal spreadsheet replacement
Web-based business applications provide companies of all sizes with a logical and flexible way to replace spreadsheets and improve the way that data is managed.
Low-code database software provides the ability to quickly and easily convert spreadsheets into usable online database applications that provide a logical and flexible method for employees to manage business data. Low-code solutions offer the ability to import spreadsheets to create a basic online database application, with the relevant fields and data, within minutes.
Typical web-based business applications that can replace spreadsheets to improve employee and company productivity include:
Approval workflow engine
An approval workflow management engine enables employees to gain complete visibility and control over approval processes, whilst speeding up approval times and reducing operational costs. Its core focus is to facilitate both single level and multi-level approvals for processes, such as invoices, holidays, expenses, price changes, credit notes, reviews and more. An approval workflow engine removes a lot of manual tasks and decision making to streamline workflow processes and will help you to achieve a 100% audit trail of all authorisations, documents and requests created, approved and declined.
Online Database Application Example: Approval Workflow Engine
Quoting app
An online quoting app allows businesses to streamline quoting processes that enable employees to deliver professional looking quotes, as well as manage and monitor all existing quotes. It helps increase sales conversions by providing increased visibility into the management of quotes raised and delivered, approve or decline discount rates and schedule follow up calls. Overall, providing your sales and management teams with an online quoting tool removes repetitive data entry and increases the speed and accuracy of quote delivery and close rates.
Online Database Application Example: Online Quotation App
Sales management application
A sales management application helps the sales team to improve lead management, increase the visibility of sales KPIs and generate new business. A sales management app is mobile ready, allowing remote and field-based sales professionals to easily access and update essential sales information, such as customer accounts, activities, opportunities, quotes, pricing and sales orders.
Online Database Application Example: Sales Management Application
Web portals
Web portals are a great way to provide your customers and suppliers with self-serve access to the company information they need. Having the ability to replicate the look and feel of your website and be integrated with existing business systems, users can access documents, sales orders, credit memos, invoices, deliveries, statements and arrange online payments. Web portal software reduces internal administration and can reduce support call volumes, allowing employees to deal with other pressing business requirements.
Online Database Application Example: Web Portals
Benefits of building an online database app
Providing your employees with the ability to replace spreadsheets with an online database application is a logical way to remove the administrational pain that surround the maintenance of spreadsheets. In fact, replacing spreadsheets with a web-based business application can provide additional business benefits, such as:
- Removal of data and spreadsheet duplication
- Enforcement of business rules
- Streamlined management and usage of data
- Improved, 100% accurate audit trail
- Enhanced security features to remove the risk of data breaches
- Increased control over business data
- An extra foundation for automating workflow and authorisation procedures
- Mobile ready and accessible 24/7, 365 days a year
- Improved ability to create and distribute reports
- Increased customer satisfaction
Next steps
To create engaging, high value online database applications, organisations are quickly turning to drag and drop, low-code software. Low-code platforms enable developers to quickly and easily build a business application from a spreadsheet, and drag fields onto a canvas to build an application. For more complex requirements, low-code solutions allow the user to utilise JavaScript, APIs and custom components to build an application that is a 100% fit to business requirements and processes.
For more information on replacing spreadsheets with online business applications, download the brochure below or call us on +44 (0)330 99 800 50.
