Business dashboards connect users with critical information and data at-a-glance. Users can pull everything from sales and marketing data to inventory reports to finance, to website analytics into a dashboard. Those dashboards put critical information into one place, displaying it visually, so that users do not have log into multiple systems to get a snapshot of the information they require. Users can also manipulate the data and customize their dashboards so that information is accessible and easy to analyze, right from a desktop or mobile device.
With the right tools in place, business dashboards have a number of benefits, including:
Users can only realize the positive impact of business dashboards when they have the right tools in place. First and foremost, dashboards must measure something meaningful. This means selecting the right metrics – not just broad metrics such as “net income,” but drilled-down, specific metrics that influence that broader category.
Many times, dashboards are set up without the user in mind. They are either extremely complicated to set up, requiring assistance from a developer or some other member of the IT team, or a reporting tool comes with pre-loaded dashboards that don’t measure metrics that are relevant for every user.
Compatibility and interfacing are also common challenges of business dashboards. If a dashboard cannot connect with critical business systems, the information they provide will be incorrect, outdated, or otherwise limited in its usefulness. To bridge the gap users will have to manually input data, thereby defeating the purpose of the dashboard.
An ideal business dashboard will securely and automatically connect users to the information they need, either in real time or as close to real-time as possible. Some refresh daily, while others refresh weekly, or at some other useful and actionable interval. Additionally, business dashboards should be available to a user whether they are at their desk, or working remotely.
A well-designed, user-friendly dashboard tool allows users to not only access critical information but to act quickly on that information.
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