software without thought leadership and elbow grease is garbage-in, garbage-out
As the world becomes more automated, our approach to solving complex problems uses a lot less elbow grease and a lot more software as a service. In most cases this results in a more efficient process.
At its core, Software as a Service (SaaS) is the product of a small group of people who thought long and hard about a problem, then invested time in developing a coded solution for a larger market. In essence, when the market accepts a new SaaS product, it is doing so because human capital was effectively spent assessing the market need and developing a product that solves it.
Many SaaS providers will note their value lies in their ability to streamline efficiencies and make workflows more effective by reducing the amount of human capital needed. It is ironic then, that these systems would not exist if it were not for the thought leadership, research, experience, and hard work that went into designing the system in the first place.
And just like a market-proven software could not exist without a little blood, sweat, and tears to build it – a customer will have a difficult time extracting value from that software without some thought leadership, best practices, and… to be frank… effort.
Think about a software that is widely used every day, like Google. It took (and continues to take) countless hours to develop the code and algorithms that the search engine relies on to effectively organize the Internet. And while its daily users can perform basic functions to find specific web pages or restaurants in their area, most have not built the skill set to utilize Google as a vehicle that effectively builds their business.
Google has become a go-to source for digital advertisers, researchers, students, photographers, retailers, graphic designers, software engineers, food critics, and the list goes on and on. But unless you know how to tap into all the built-in functions Google has developed for your respective field, you are leaving value from the web page untapped.
This same idea is true for all software services… and despite a proliferation of technology designed to streamline operations for increase efficiencies, effectiveness will always lie in the hands of the operator. Therefore, companies face the decision; hire, train, and spend the overhead to ensure your software operators are employing best practices with consistency OR choose to outsource these responsibilities to an expert.
When choosing to outsource, a company is definitionally choosing to elect an outside company that specializes in what they are being hired to do. They stand the benefit of the thought leadership that an outsourced company brings to the table AND the cost-advantage of no longer holding the head count.
In the event and hospitality world, Best.Day.Ever. has worked with numerous different software programs – usually an incumbent system our client has utilized for years. It takes time to untangle the data profiles of these technologies, but once we understand the overarching value-adds and align them with company goals, we can work diligently on enabling software to work efficiently on our behalf.
For example, there are a variety of SaaS offerings designed to organize and implement a ticket requesting process for organizations that own a large portfolio of company-owned sports and entertainment ticketed events. The idea is to provide a vehicle that streamlines and tracks the use of these tickets for events like NFL games or concerts. But without the right people employing best practices, you run the risk of garbage in, garbage out.
Best.Day.Ever. is proud to have assembled a team, developed best practices, and become best-in-class with pertinent software (including our own proprietary gamification platform) so that we can drive results for our clients in hospitality and event management.