Business Analytics

Nearly all businesses today are capturing vast quantities of transactional data about orders, shipments, costs, prices, and the like, but few mine that data seeking insights into the factors influencing their customers, products and business practices.

Businesses that gain critical insights by exploiting their transactional data through analytical means, and then converting that insight into practice are able to maintain a significant tactical advantage over their competition.

To gain and maintain that advantage, we pose the following questions:

• Would it be ideal to leverage all transactional data available at your fingertips?
• Would you like to gain critical insight into customer behavior and/or sales force effectiveness?
• Would you benefit from a product-by-product forecast report using historical purchasing patterns that forecast each customer's replenishment potential?
• Could more accurate forecasting free up cash to reallocate to other investment opportunities?

We suspect that your answer to each question is an unequivocal "yes".

There is an old adage: "Forecasting is difficult, especially in regards to the future." Though forecasting may be difficult, we know that forecasting accuracy can have a significant effect on our choices when allocating precious resources. Helping clients utilize analytics to improve forecasting, and then incorporating that information into the resource allocation process, is one of our primary goals.

We utilize a structured approach to produce analytics that begins with reviewing and collecting information regarding your data sources. We will then work with your team to identify what questions need answers. Finally, we will summarize the findings in an Excel-based presentation that can be used to produce additional analyses. In addition to specified analysis, we can develop Visual Basic applications for recurring forecasting, such as replenishment forecasting.

Analytics is one of the three core components that comprise an effective financial performance management (FPM) solution, the other two being financial planning and reporting. All three need to function in unison to provide Management with the control, information and insight they need to achieve set goals. Call us today at 818.436.0781 to see how we can help build your vision.  Also, please visit our Resource Center where you will find case studies, white papers and tools relating to financial performance management processes.