Data Management

Data Management is basically how you structure and organise information held within the organisation.

At a very basic level the way you organise your My Documents is data management. You really need to be able to find files quickly and easily... and not lety anyone who shouldn't access them do so or indeed let them corrupt or edit the files!

EFFECTIVE DATA MANAGEMENT

Think about how this helps employees using the data management system... (THINK of you using the shared network)

As an employee it is:
- Easy to use and understand, saving time and money on training. It is structured so there is an order and sense to it.
- Easy to search & retrieve files, saving time.
- Users across the network can share data, preventing duplication of effort.
- Users across the network can edit, amend, update & save data.


If however this is not the case, then there will be consequences of poor data management.

POOR DATA MANAGEMENT

If your organisation has ineffective data management systems then chaos will reign. What could happen because of this?

Well again THINK about if you owned your own business and if you had staff who were hopeless and the data management system was a joke. Customer orders were getting lost or people saving over work?

Effects to the firm could be:
- earn a poor reputation for being inefficient and ineffective.
- it would cost time and money to train staff to rectify the problems and to bring in a new data management system
- important files could be saved in the wrong folders, again time would be lost searching for files that may be needed ASAP!
- due to inefficiency customers may go elsewhere. Would you really go back to your Mobile Phone company if they keep losing your account details or for example send you your bill twice for the same month due to a lack of efficiency on their part? No you'd be off!
- Out of date information may be accessed, which again costs time and money. You may be contacting the wrong customers who have moved house!

Remember in Business: Time is Money!

It would be interesting to hear some of your own experiences with good or bad customer service.

Like most things in life structure is needed as it gives you a foundation to fall back on. Strategy (your aims) comes first, but then you need structure (how you are going to do it).