Existing Systems

What do you mean by existing systems?

When we refer to existing systems, we're talking about the software your business relies on every day to manage its financial, operational and administrative processes.

These systems play an integral role in keeping your business running. But as time goes on and your business evolves, you may need to make some difficult decisions about whether to maintain them, upgrade them, replace them or scrap them altogether.

Let's take a look at some examples of systems you might already use:

Data management systems

Data management systems store, organise, update and retrieve business information. Excel spreadsheets, Microsoft Access databases, SQL databases and shared data repositories all fall into this category and are used by most businesses in some form.

Customer relationship management systems

Another system you might use daily is the humble CRM. These systems help businesses manage customer details, enquiries, communications, sales opportunities and relationships. Salesforce, HubSpot and bespoke CRMs all fall into this category.

Finance and accounting systems

Finance systems help you manage income, expenditure, invoices, payments, expenses and financial reporting. Xero, Sage, QuickBooks and bespoke accounting applications are all examples.

HR systems

This is where you manage everything relating to your employees including records, recruitment, absences, holidays, performance and payroll information. Employee management databases, HR platforms and staff records systems all sit under this umbrella.

Project management systems

Project management systems help you organise work, assign tasks, track progress and manage deadlines. Microsoft Project, Trello, Asana and bespoke task management tools are all examples.

Older project management systems may have been perfectly adequate when your business was smaller, but could struggle to keep up as your requirements grow. A lack of automation, reporting capabilities or remote access can create unnecessary work and disrupt your workflows.

Workforce management systems

Workforce management (WFM) systems help businesses manage staff scheduling, resource allocation, time tracking and workforce planning.

Older systems that lack mobile access or integration with other business applications can make it harder to manage a changing or distributed workforce. Depending on your requirements, upgrading or replacing them with a more suitable solution could improve resource allocation, productivity and operational efficiency.

Communication and collaboration systems

Gone are the days when you have to get up and walk over to ask someone a question. Outlook, Teams, Slack and other collaboration platforms allow you to communicate remotely, share information and work together, regardless of where you or your staff are.

Websites and content management systems

Company websites and the content management systems (CMS) behind them allow employees to add, edit and manage content. Your website might be used by prospects, customers or employees to access services and resources online.

WordPress, Umbraco and bespoke CMS platforms are all examples.

Legacy infrastructure

Older hardware and software infrastructure may once have been state of the art, but it can become costly and difficult to maintain over time.

Legacy infrastructure may rely on outdated programming languages, unsupported technologies or proprietary systems that don't integrate easily with modern solutions. This can make maintenance, upgrades and connecting to newer applications increasingly difficult.

What are the indications that my existing systems are holding my business back?

Oftentimes, it's glaringly obvious that your existing software isn't quite up to the job. Other times however, it's more subtle and you may need to look at the bigger picture rather than looking at small inconveniences in isolation. Regardless, here are some common signs that your existing software has run it's course: 

You're relying on manual workarounds

Your staff have developed their own ways of getting around the limitations of your existing software. Perhaps your staff are maintaining separate spreadsheets to track staff holidays because your system doesn't support your approval process, keeping a manual log of equipment maintenance because there's no way to record service dates and repairs or using paper forms to capture information that has to be entered into the system later.

Your systems don't talk to each other

A bug bear for many businesses. If your staff are copying and pasting data from the likes of Excel and Word into your existing system, spending too much time on data consolidation just to ensure information is consistent across all of your systems or your service teams have to spend unholy amounts of time looking at multiple systems to get the complete picture of a customers history, this can be a good sign it's time to introduce integrations.

Standard activities are tedious and time consuming

Something as bog standard as processing a customer order might involve opening several screens, entering the same details more than once and working through unnecessary steps before it's complete. Your staff might also have to navigate multiple menus to find a report or manually calculate figures that your software should be able to produce automatically.

Your existing system can't keep up with demand

As your business grows, your existing systems may struggle to manage the increased demand. For example, a scheduling system that worked well when you had a small team may now be cracking under the pressure when you're coordinating hundreds of employees across multiple locations, with different shifts, skills and availability to consider.

Reporting is an unwelcome chore

You might be struggling to get a clear picture of business performance because your existing software offers limited reporting options. Perhaps you can't break down sales by product, region or sales representative, compare performance across different periods or drill down into the figures to understand what's driving results without spending tens of hours a week to get there.

You struggle to make changes

Even minor changes to your software seem to turn into lengthy, expensive projects. Adding a new field to a customer record, changing an approval process or updating a calculation might require specialist developers, extensive testing or changes to other parts of the system.

The impact of existing systems on your business

The decision to hold on to your existing systems may seem appealing, especially if they've been working 'well enough' for years. However, as your business grows, software that once served you well can start to create challenges, increase costs and limit what you can achieve.

If you're already experiencing some of these issues, or want to avoid them further down the line, here are some of the potential drawbacks of holding on to systems that are simply no longer fit for purpose:

• Higher upkeep costs: As your business requirements change, your existing systems may require more frequent updates, fixes or custom development to keep them working as you need them to. Over time, the cost of maintaining and supporting them can start to outweigh their value.

• Difficulty integrating with other software: Your existing systems may not connect easily (or at all) with the other applications your business uses. This can make it harder to share information, automate processes and get a complete picture of what's happening across your business.

• Security and support concerns: Your systems may not have the security features, updates or support your business needs. This could be due to unsupported technologies, poor maintenance or software that hasn't kept up with ever changing security requirements.

• Lack of flexibility: Your systems may well have been designed around processes that no longer reflect how your business operates on a day to day basis. Adapting them to accommodate new services, workflows or business requirements can be difficult, time consuming and expensive.

• Reduced efficiency: If you haven't looked at your processes in a long time simply because your existing software accommodates the ones your using, you could be missing out on opportunities boost efficiency and performance across the business by reducing the steps or time needed to complete certain activities.

Should you stay, or should you go?

In some cases, keeping your existing systems is a viable option, especially if they’ve been deeply integrated into your business operations. If your systems are still reliable and effectively meet your needs, ensuring they are regularly updated and maintained can help prolong their life and ensure they remain fit for purpose. This approach allows you to retain the familiarity and customisation that your team is comfortable with, whilst ensuring your systems are as optimised, secure and as flexible as they can be.

On the other hand, a new solution may well be the better option, especially if your existing software is struggling to accommodate the demands of your growing business. A custom built system allows you to design a solution that is definitively aligned with your current and future needs, incorporating the latest technologies and best practices. As ever, the right approach depends on what you already have, what's working and what needs to change.

How can we help?

If your existing systems have stopped meeting your needs, we can help you understand your options. Our UK based development team can assess your current software, identify opportunities for improvement and recommend a practical way forward. That might mean improving what you already have, integrating it with other systems, modernising parts of it or developing a replacement. Regardless, we'll help you find the approach that is most suitable for your business.

Get in touch to discuss your existing systems and find out how we can help you make them work better for your business.

Further reading