Pedal to the metal. How Dynamics 365 Business Central helps SMBs go for growth

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1 Pedal to the metal How Dynamics 365 Business Central helps SMBs go for growth

2 Pedal to the Metal: How Dynamics 365 Business Central helps SMBs go for growth Executive summary There are around 2.1 million businesses operating in Australia today, the vast majority of them small and medium enterprises 1. Each and every one wants to prosper and succeed, and the majority is aware of the impact that intelligent technologies can have for their business, their employees and their customers. SMBs aren t flush with cash only 7 per cent of all businesses in Australia turn over more than $2 million a year. But combined they contribute 56 per cent of GDP and employ 68 per cent of the nation s private sector workers. They need to be smart with their investments and make sure the systems they invest in today will grow with them tomorrow. They want systems that provide the insights to help them make good decisions, that provide the sort of customer service that modern consumers now expect, that allow them to respond to digitally-charged disruption rippling through every sector, that support employees when and where they need it, and still allow the business to meet its reporting and regulatory obligations without any fuss. That s what we want too. We recently commissioned a survey of Australia s SMBs to get more clarity about what challenges this sector faces and how prepared it is to respond. We also wanted to identify how smart technologies, intelligently deployed, can help the nation s SMBs press the pedal to the metal and go for growth. It makes for compelling reading. Michael O Keefe Business Applications Group Lead for Microsoft Australia 1 2

3 Pedal to the Metal: How Dynamics 365 Business Central helps SMBs go for growth Gearing for growth Challenge Research Solution SMBs want to grow. To do that they need flexible technology platforms that grow with them, provide transparency, deliver intelligent insights and represent good value. More than half of Australia s SMBs don t have access to business applications software today, even though the majority recognise the benefit it would confer. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a cloud based, flexible platform offering end to end streamlined support for all your teams that scales as your business grows. 3

4 Pedal to the Metal: How Dynamics 365 Business Central helps SMBs go for growth SMB insights and answers Whilst the economic outlook remains patchy, Australia s SMBs are seeking growth opportunities and know that meeting the needs of customers has to be a priority if they are to succeed long term. At the same time, they are facing a real pressure to modernise operations and support employees with flexible intelligent solutions that let them do their jobs faster, better. And, there s always the threat of new competition to be navigated, with digitally fuelled disruptors many of them based overseas - invading every sector of the economy. To evolve and grow SMBs need systems that grow with them, so they can stay agile, get a holistic view of their business data, and, ultimately, provide them with insights that can help them automate processes and operations. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the end-to-end cloud-based solution that can help run every aspect of a business. Businesses pay a monthly fee, knowing that all the computing complexity will be managed by Microsoft, freeing you to run and grow your business. It s a step up from the lightweight cloud accounting packages that are great starter systems but don t have the depth a growing business needs. At the same time Business Central doesn t lumber an SMB with a heavy ERP technology overhead to manage or the need to juggle and struggle with an array of different point solutions. Instead, Business Central: > unifies business by breaking open silos of information, boosting efficiency with automated tasks and workflows all of which can be integrated with familiar Office tools like Outlook, Word, and Excel; > delivers a complete view of your business with connected data, business analytics, and guidance from Microsoft s intelligent technologies; and > is cloud based, so it can be deployed rapidly, customised as required, and grown on demand, adapting in real time to meet changing business needs. And when you re ready to take your business international so is Business Central. We have designed Business Central as the best end-to-end business management solution designed to help SMBs create greater efficiencies, streamline business processes, and empower employees to react quickly to changing business needs with intelligent insights anywhere and on any device. With built in intelligence it s easy to use, adaptable to specific industry requirements, and helps companies make better business decisions. The entire solution has been designed, and is continuously being enhanced, to let you and your employees do your work faster and better and that s good for growth. 4

5 Pedal to the Metal: How Dynamics 365 Business Central helps SMBs go for growth Connect your business We commissioned a survey of 300 Australian SMBs and found that despite challenging times 48 per cent of them are focused on growth in the coming 1 2 years. However although more than half of them understand that using integrated business software would have a measurable positive impact on the business fewer than half use such systems today. Not for much longer though. A third of the businesses we spoke to are either evaluating business application software already or plan to do so in the next year. These early movers could reap a significant competitive advantage. Start then grow As a cloud-based solution Business Central lets you get started quickly, but have the peace of mind that you can scale quickly when you need to. The flexibility of Business Central means that you can adapt the platform for your needs using PowerApps, Microsoft Flow and Power BI. And all the back-end technology is handled by us you re free to focus on growing your business. Make smarter decisions Break open the silos that pile up in point solutions and shift to a single integrated solution to gain a complete picture of your business with in-built analytics. It s the smarter way to grow. 5

6 Pedal to the Metal: How Dynamics 365 Business Central helps SMBs go for growth Research reveals Survey respondents 25% 50% 25% Sells products to end user consumers Sells services to end user consumers Provides products and services to other businesses Go for growth Digital accelerator Brakes on Brakes off 48% focused on growth in next 1 2 years 55% predict that using integrated software would have a measurable positive impact on the business 51% don t have any business application software 33% evaluating business application software now, or planning to in next 12 months Survey of 301 Australian SMBs conducted in June 2018 by YouGov Galaxy. Research commissioned by Microsoft Australia. 6

7 Pedal to the Metal: How Dynamics 365 Business Central helps SMBs go for growth Out of the blocks Carers Queensland is the peak body representing unpaid family and community carers in the State, responding to the needs of 474,000 carers and the people they care for. As the organisation has grown so have its information and operational needs. Already an Office 365 user, Carers Queensland is now also working with Microsoft partner Dialog to transition from MYOB to Dynamics 365 Business Centre, leveraging the benefits of integration along with the operational transparency and efficiency that affords across the organisation. Assetlink which delivers a huge array of asset lifecycle services to over 1200 customers around Australia is also poised to reap the rewards of transitioning to Dynamics 365 Business Centre. The enhanced system and data security afforded by the cloudbased solution, along with ability for anywhere, anytime access by employees as they serve the needs of customers nationwide will support the company s growth and customer service ambitions. 7

8 Press the pedal to the metal SMBs have growth within their grasp. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the cloud based, end-to-end business application that integrates deeply with other Microsoft productivity solutions including Office 365, Outlook and Power BI for maximum efficiency and effectiveness so you can press the pedal to the metal and go for growth. For further information visit...