Courtesy of Alastair

It's a story we often hear:

You have a problem in your department. It's probably something that involves maths or working stuff out. Let's say it's coming up with a price for your range of SKUs or calculating your customer's Return On Investment for a proposal. It's tricky and fiddly but it's also vital to get right when you are talking to your customers. This manual step is something most people need to do.

Lara has an idea. She speaks to her colleague Dave (who everyone in the office knows is a bit of a geek) and asks him is he could do something wizzy in Excel. He writes a couple of formulae and there it is! It works! From a simple drop down list Lara can now select a product and instantly get a figure she can put into her proposals. It's great: quick, accurate and not messy! Everyone is happy. In fact, now Alan has an idea to add...

And so new features get added and before you know it everyone is using it. It escapes the confines of the office and even the reps on the road start using it in front of clients. It has become a mission critical tool. Dave is everyone's hero because he has made their job easier and more accurate. Win rates go through the roof.

Then your prices change. Dave is on his honeymoon (congratulations Dave) and the spreadsheet is locked for changing formulas. Reps are providing out of date data and there is no way to track the tool's usage or communicate that change is required. The tool has fallen over under the weight of its own importance.

We have seen this with price lists, product configurators, ROI calculators, running cost tools; you name it and someone, somewhere has made it in Excel. Excel is very powerful, and if you know what you're doing it can be the right tool when used properly. But brand, version control and usage metrics go out of the window. And if you lose it, forget the password or break it, this tool is worse than useless.

We regularly turn these worksheets into simple online tools. We have done it for companies ranging from security specialists to printer manufacturers. Once the tool is available online it is not only secure and totally on brand but also updated and distributed instantly. You can also get full system metrics (who is using it, for what and when) as well as being able to control who can see and do what with your data.

In the words of our Business Director (and apparently budding comedian...) "You prototype it and we'll GOtotype it!"

Find case studies and further information at signals.co.uk or call us to find out how we can help.