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The medium is the message was a phrase coined by Marshall McLuhan, meaning the medium influences how the message is perceived. Using Key Performance Indicator (KPI) dashboards as the medium to deliver improved data visibility and real-time notification is proving the point to enterprises irrespective of size or industry. The use of key performance indicators (KPIs) is an integral part of business intelligence andKPI dashboards are the enablers for the presentation of KPIs through compelling visualisations that track Operational Performance.
Organizations that have identified, and are measuring, their top level KPIs are at a significant competitive advantage over those organizations that don't know what their most important activities are or even how to measure them. Independent research supports this. A recent survey by Aberdeen group shows that companies that employ operational KPI dashboards to provide real-time notification and threshold based alerts to employees, are more than two times better than the average for both financial operating performance, and year-over-year sales pipeline performance.
This research highlights the potentially huge return on investment (ROI) of KPI dashboards to any enterprise by providing decision makers a top down view of the department and business KPIs. Each department; sales, marketing, production, distribution, finance, suppliers, etc. will be working with different KPIs that contribute to, and drive, top level business objectives. KPI Dashboards enable each department to measure its direct contribution to the company's overall financial performance.
So, if you are still relying on multiple spreadsheets, print outs, emails etc. or a weekly update with departmental managers to give you a update on the performance of their teams against operational goals, think of all the time you could save using KPI dashboards to keep your KPIs visible all to employees in one place, their dashboard software!
The frequency you review and report your KPIs to the enterprise ultimately dictates whether or not your KPIs matter to the daily activities of your workforce and impact how quickly your business can respond to competitors, industry or market changes. For example, if your strategic KPIs are only reviewed once per quarter in a slide deck presented to the whole company, it's difficult for information workers to take ownership of the metrics that apply to them. Doing this also takes time out of everyone's busy schedule, plus the information is already out of date and may not be complete or consistently presented. Enterprise performance indicators need to be grouped in a single place that is visible to all employees on a daily basis so they are able to make tactical decisions that can have an immediate impact on business outcome. KPI dashboards are the perfect medium for disseminating real-time KPI data. This is true whether your KPI dashboard appears on a computer screen, a handheld wireless device, or a big screen.
The rapid development of mobile BI dashboards offers an exciting new medium for enterprises to stay connected to their KPIs. Mobile BI dashboards are designed to provide real-time awareness of your KPIs on any browser, mobile device, or tablet. This new era of improved KPI access promises to simplify the monitoring, management, and distribution of KPIs within your organization. The message your KPIs broadcast keeps you in tune with your operational performance, allowing you to make better, more informed decisions. Many organizations remark at how much their work environment has changed due to the integration of mobile devices. A mobile BI dashboard recognizes this shift and aims to provide you with the information you need whether you are working remotely or away from the office attending an important business meeting.
Without a dashboard to report on changing KPI data, key performance metrics are out of sight and out of mind. An enterprise-wide KPI dashboard deployment helps to solve the challenge of consolidating KPIs from each department or line of business by providing a real-time view of relevant metrics using data visualization styles that clarify presentation and highlight exceptions.
Because the medium is the message, making it effortless to view relevant operational business data whether it is individual, departmental or enterprise KPI data just requiring staff to switch applications or even complete a simple login to access their KPI dashboard can be enough of a barrier to prevent them from looking at their KPIs at all. Busy people tend not to pay attention to things that aren't right in front of them. Ironically, if your employees learn that the metrics that really matter to them personally (salaries, awards, bonuses, promotions, status, and achievement) are directly influenced by how well they drive their KPIs professionally, then they will demand easy access to a KPI dashboard before the enterprise thinks of rolling it out to them.
When it comes to KPI dashboards, Klipfolio takes the idea that the medium is the message to heart. Klipfolio KPI Dashboard delivers clear, concise, role-specific KPIs based on business indicators to the desktops of key people throughout your enterprise. It provides real-time notification and threshold based alerts, so that changes in any key performance indicators will never go unnoticed.
Providing users a KPI dashboard enables them to track their individual or the department's progress against business goals. It can also increase productivity by simplifying workflow. In a sales environment Klipfolio KPI Dashboard can increase productivity by up to 85% simply by integrating into the sales workflow, reducing the time taken to access information by eliminating the need to swap between applications or login to SFA,CRM or ERP programs. It is also an excellent medium for delivering employee alerts and notifications, ensuring your message will never go unnoticed. Merging KPI management with the efficient delivery channel of a desktop dashboard means everyone can make better decisions, perform more confidently and effectively and have a positive impact on the business.
Learn more about Klipfolio Dashboard.
