Unlock the power of data. That’s the slogan of Bmatix, a founding member of the Gumption Group. Put data to work, and you will have better control of your operational management. What does that mean in practice? Jan Vautmans, Managing Partner at Bmatix, explains how data-driven organisations make a difference.

‘Companies produce huge volumes of data’, says Jan. ‘Structured data of the sort you find in ERP systems. And less structured data, such as video images or clickstream logs with data on the navigation behaviour of website visitors. Bmatix maps all operational data and collates it in a data warehouse. We remove the errors and apply proprietary or professional terminology. We can also apply arithmetic operations to values in your data. That way, we turn these data into valuable information for your business. Information that can be used in operational and tactical reports, to calculate key performance indicators or as a basis for your logistics and financial planning.’

‘For our customers, a data project is largely a learning process. The further along you are in the development of business intelligence (BI), the more you unlock the power of data. Four logical steps characterise the learning journey of a data-driven organisation.’

‘Companies produce huge volumes of data’, says Jan. ‘Structured data of the sort you find in ERP systems. And less structured data, such as video images or clickstream logs with data on the navigation behaviour of website visitors. Bmatix maps all operational data and collates it in a data warehouse. We remove the errors and apply proprietary or professional terminology. We can also apply arithmetic operations to values in your data. That way, we turn these data into valuable information for your business. Information that can be used in operational and tactical reports, to calculate key performance indicators or as a basis for your logistics and financial planning.’

‘For our customers, a data project is largely a learning process. The further along you are in the development of business intelligence (BI), the more you unlock the power of data. Four logical steps characterise the learning journey of a data-driven organisation.’

‘The further along you are in the development of business intelligence (BI), the more you unlock the power of data.’

1. Make basic processes more efficient

‘Many businesses run the same types of processes – retail processes for example, including purchasing, storage and goods sales. Managing a logistics chain like this is complex and labour-intensive. If something goes wrong, it causes immediate problems and annoyance for the customer.’

‘The first aim of BI is to refine standard processes and basic operational management. By analysing your information, you can better understand processes so that you can optimise them. That way, fewer things will go wrong, and customer satisfaction will rise. It is a lever that you can use to make the difference and stand out against less efficient but cheaper competitors.’

2. Create additional value for customers with the time you save

‘Do data-driven organisations completely do away with the human aspect? Nothing could be further from the truth. With more efficient processes, there is more space to better develop the creative potential in your organisation. People who once spent their time preparing reports and solving operational problems understand the inner workings of the operational management. They now have the time to develop new services or commercial activities. These can increase your revenue or tap new market segments. That’s how BI delivers competitive advantage.

3. Improve your business culture with objective operational management

‘Data-driven organisations eliminate the conflict model from their operational management. They no longer act on the basis of complaints or personal assessments and interpretations, which can often give rise to friction and dissatisfaction.’

‘If you base your opinions and decisions on objective information, you can avoid time-consuming and energy-consuming disputes about causes and culprits and come to solutions more quickly. Introducing BI has a positive impact on your business culture. After all, happy employees produce happy customers.’

4. Respond more quickly to external developments

‘In an upturn, BI gives you the ability to optimise the use of scarce resources, identify the right customers and maximise your profits. In times of crisis, customers suddenly purchase less and your operating capacity is no longer fully utilised. The focus shifts to saving costs.’

‘With objective information and efficient reporting, data-driven organisations can quickly convert business insights into action. In many cases, they also use the information gained to run simulations and carry out “what-if” analyses. Agility is crucial in our rapidly changing world. BI helps to facilitate that agility, which makes it an asset in any economic conjuncture.’

‘If you base your opinions and decisions on objective information, you can avoid time-consuming and energy-consuming disputes about causes and culprits and come to solutions more quickly.’

The essence of business intelligence

‘In summary: with BI, businesses improve their operational efficiency. They can react more quickly to new evolutions. There are fewer internal conflicts. BI gives people elbowroom to develop new services. Data-driven organisations are constantly learning and benefit from progressive insights. As a result, they will more easily maintain their competitive advantage.’

‘The holy grail of BI is to anticipate the future and make a business fully future-proof. Thanks to artificial intelligence and machine learning, that dream is within reach.’

Download or order your free Gumption magazine.

The essence of business intelligence

‘In summary: with BI, businesses improve their operational efficiency. They can react more quickly to new evolutions. There are fewer internal conflicts. BI gives people elbowroom to develop new services. Data-driven organisations are constantly learning and benefit from progressive insights. As a result, they will more easily maintain their competitive advantage.’

‘The holy grail of BI is to anticipate the future and make a business fully future-proof. Thanks to artificial intelligence and machine learning, that dream is within reach.’

Download or order your free Gumption magazine.