Excel is one of the most polyvalent tools on the market, with the possibility of storing, organizing and manipulating data. However, when you have to manage complex logistics, it can also be your worst enemy. Here is why:
Prone to mistakes
Studies (Market Watch, 2013) have shown that up to 88% of spreadsheets contain errors and this is no surprise. When the time comes to manage workforce scheduling, travel, and accommodation, Excel is probably the worst option. Miscopied formulas, formula errors, bad formatting, plentiful worksheets are the kinds of problems you may have to deal with (just to name a few). Multiply this methodology by the number of coordinators in your organization and the chances of errors increase dramatically.
Lack of standardization
Your organization may be weakened by the lack of standardization in your processes. Employees using Excel to manage logistics may create spreadsheets based on their personal methodology and leave their successor with a highly specific spreadsheet. This will result in a huge loss of time and knowledge for the company. Moreover, numerous people can use the same data with different criteria and manipulations to produce inconsistent numbers without keeping a log of the modifications.
Time-consuming
Reliable, consistent, easy to use… these are not the benefits you will get from an Excel® solution when you try to use it to manage operational processes. It does not provide you with an overview of your project, but most importantly it does not give you the possibility to automate your processes. As a management person, you want to be able to forecast the upcoming workflow and regulate the productivity of your team. Automated processes are cost-effective and helping you adapt to growth or changes in your operations without increasing risks.
Not intended for teamwork
Scheduling workforce, travel, and accommodation is rarely an individual task; it involves numerous people across multiple departments and even different companies. One of the weaknesses of Excel is that it is impossible for more than one person to work in the same spreadsheet, at the same time. Passing spreadsheets around not only decrease productivity, but it also leaves room for errors and synchronization problems, such as the risk of someone working with an older version of the information. Moreover, you are exposed to the risk of losing valuable data through the manipulation of your files.
Poor decision-making support
Information is often spread across different files that have to be collected, combined and then thoroughly checked for errors. It is hard to get the big picture and produce the right reports to facilitate the decision-making of top executives when you don’t have access to an integrated software solution.
The Nomadis platform was designed to help you avoid these problems, make your job easier and less stressful, and empower you to improve the performance of your organization. Use Excel to accomplish the tasks it was intended for; do not rely on it to support critical operational processes.
Contact us now, we will be pleased to demonstrate how the Nomadis platform outperforms all other solutions, including Excel®.