Through recent prospect conversations I\u2019ve had, it was suggested to me that report automation is just for the \u2018big boys\u2019 of market research i.e the large global research agencies \u2013 is that a true evaluation? Russ Budden, E-Tabs Client Consultant discusses\u2026 It\u2019s fair to say that agencies who run large scale projects and produce collectively hundreds of reports each day would (and do) benefit from\u00a0report automation<\/a>\u00a0solutions. However it would be unfair to say that the idea of report automation is exclusively for them and it is a universal desire for all research agencies and consultancies regardless of size to produce their reports more efficiently.<\/p>\n Improving the efficiency of the reporting process not only shortens turnaround time but improves the accuracy of a report and allows the agency to provide \u2018added value\u2019 to their client \u2013 whether it be extra reporting capabilities (i.e. increased frequency of reporting) or allowing the agency to do more with the data \u2013 spending more time discovering the insights and less time creating them.<\/p>\n Indeed, I spent many late nights as an exec, manually populating and updating charts in reports. With any manual process, not only is there the very real possibility of human errors creeping in, it was also extremely labour intensive and tedious creating the same report over and over again. I taught myself macros in a vain attempt to make the process easier, but they had to keep being re-developed for new projects and new waves of data within an existing project.\u00a0 In fact, I would predict that many times it actually took longer working out where I went wrong in the macro, than actually manually entering the new data!<\/p>\n Many late nights manually populating charts<\/strong><\/p>\n With all sizes of agencies trying to find process efficiencies in addition to ever-decreasing client budgets, the need to think smartly about how best to utilise their workforce is key.\u00a0 Having an exec sitting in front of PowerPoint, putting together a 40-slide report every month could take a day or two each month.\u00a0 Across the year, that exec could easily be spending at least a month a year producing that report. That report could be automated meaning that time spent could be reallocated into uncovering some key insights within the project, or spending more time impressing the client by finding out why something has happened, not just showing it\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n In many cases when I\u2019m discussing the merits of report automation with a prospect, it is usually countered by their concerns about their existing internal processes \u2013 \u2018We don\u2019t do it that way?\u2019 \u2018We\u2019ve always produced our data tables this way?\u2019 etc. Although a process might have always been performed historically a certain way, does that mean that the process is the most efficient way?\u00a0 We\u2019ve seen our clients who use our\u00a0automated reporting<\/a>\u00a0solutions improve the efficiency of their reporting \u2013 whether it\u2019s done by themselves using our software or whether it\u2019s run by us on their behalf.\u00a0 Perhaps it might be time to assess whether your current reporting processes are as efficient as they could be?\u00a0 I\u2019d be more than happy to chat to you about them and see how we can improve them together.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you would like to speak to someone about any charting, reporting or data visualization project you have, please fill in the form below and someone will be in touch.<\/strong>
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