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“I’m the only person who knows how this spreadsheet works …”
“We bought a system, but now the programmer’s moved on …”
“It takes ages for us to process our customer mailing list …”

Does this ever happen to you?

Don’t deny it – you’ve got at least one large and complicated Microsoft Excel spreadsheet in your business, and there is only one person who really knows how it works.  In fact, I’ll bet you have several spreadsheets like that, and I’ll also bet that you spend hours either using them or making sure that they are backed up (at least, I really hope you have them backed up)!

More to the point, I’ve lost count of the people who have told me that they are stuck with a particular spreadsheet or Access database that was built for them, by a developer who has long since disappeared

As a result, they are struggling with something that doesn’t really work. Their business needs have changed, and their database cannot keep pace, because nobody is able to adjust and amend it.

When that happens, it’s tempting just to “work around” it, storing bits of information in other spreadsheets and documents, until you end up with a sort of data “patchwork quilt.”

You can bump along like this until something out-of-the-ordinary happens.  Perhaps a customer calls with a unusually large and urgent order.  Or a key employee leaves, taking the information they had in their head with them.

Then you realise you’re stuck.  Faced with having to refuse that big customer order, or perhaps having to throw the whole system out and start over again.  Neither option is particularly appealing.

If you’re feeling stuck with your software,  Expedio can help!

Expedio works with small business owners to help them adapt their existing software to their changing needs, with the minimum of disruption and fuss.    We do this by taking a look at what you already have that works, and using our expertise to suggest gradual changes wherever possible.

We also help  to ensure the risk of this happening again is minimised.  Either we will leave you with a thoroughly documented process that can be picked up by someone else with relative ease, or we will train somebody onsite to maintain the application.

…or if you’re looking for a totally new application, we’ll do it properly

Of course, you can avoid a lot of future problems by building the solution properly in the first place. Very often the biggest pitfalls are caused by lazy development – for example, creating a list of categories that can’t be amended without editing the code. Doing this may be quick for the developer, but its impossible to change the contents if you are not comfortable opening up the code modules.

We don’t work like that.  Any database or spreadsheet application that we build for you will have flexibility built in. Before we start, we’ll listen carefully to exactly what your business needs, ask intelligent questions to uncover things you might not have thought of, and then advise you on the best way to design things so that they serve you business both now and in the future.

…perhaps it’s time you moved to the cloud?

We might suggest that you move elements of the business into “cloud-based” solutions – then you have no need for expensive infrastructure, and no need to maintain and update your systems, as that is done for you as part of the deal.  Your business can expand without the need for bigger premises, or you can be more flexible about how you work.

You’re not stuck with a standard package either – the solutions that we work with are modular and customisable, and allow you to start small and grow into things at your own pace.  We understand that there are concerns about using cloud systems, but if we didn’t think it was right for your business, we wouldn’t suggest it.

How we can help

If any of these situations feel familiar to you, then you have arrived at the right place!  Expedio can help to sort all of this out for you – from the business process right through to the solution, big or small.  We will work in the cloud, or using standard software like MS Excel or MS Access, or even Word, Outlook and Powerpoint.  We’ve also worked with open source systems of various sorts – the key is that it is the right solution for you.

Please contact us here to find out more.