Organizations improve services by leveraging reporting tools

Information is a key part to business success, and with big data initiatives, organizations are making significant gains by leveraging their available resources. Traditionally, collecting a massive amount of data has been seen as a considerable challenge, but analytics and reporting tools have given new insights, identifying any emerging trends. This information will enable decision-makers to make educated choices and innovate areas that need improvement. Big data has already made a substantial impact on industries and is continuing to influence how companies operate. As these features become more prevalent, management will need to consider how to best utilize them for maximum advantages.

Although the process behind big data has been streamlined with cloud and reporting services, it still presents challenges to users. Without the reporting software, identifying issues can be like trying to find a particular needle in a bunch of needles, ZDNet stated. However, by utilizing the tools, users can better recognize trends and ensure that they take the appropriate steps to handle these occurrences. Analytics can show what services are most preferred among the consumer base, as well as which products are showing the most problems. This type of information will help enable better marketing to the business's audience while ensuring the clients receive the type of service they expect.

By utilizing analytics and reporting software, release manager Aleem Cummins of retailer John Lewis, said this company was now able to "drill down until we could get enough information to be able to re-create the problem and then once we could re-create the problem, we could then see what we had to do to fix it."

Using reporting for better insights
While big data is still in its buzzword phase, it's become a major asset to companies. In order to handle this information, managers can use a report designer to present the data in a comprehensive way that's easy to understand. With any image, it's integral that all viewers will be able to readily comprehend the message. The Coloradoan contributor Stu Crair stated that most reporting features allow users to connect with spreadsheets, text files and databases to develop creative ways of displaying information. By reconfiguring the parameters in each report, management can get the specific information they need and generate ways to respond to emerging trends.

The reporting programs will not only help improve business operations but can also bring employees closer to their clients. Metrics can identify the audience based on age, gender and other elements that are critical to what the organization offers. The statistics will enable the company to better market to their consumers while fueling attraction and retention efforts. However, in order to get the right results, users must be meticulous in their data entry practices and ensure that they are constantly checking their work.

"If you wanted to see a report for an existing customer, you can use a dynamic parameter to show you a list of customers to choose from," Crair wrote. "This dynamic feature is ideal in this case, as it is easy to misspell a customer name and miss the the proper results."