Avsight is custom-designed for the aviation aftermarket industry-but whether you’re managing inventory, generating quotes or performing repairs, it needs to be properly configured to realize its full potential i.e. you need to optimize AvSight. All too often, ERP deployments become such a challenge that the concise work of optimal fine tuning just can’t be done, or is left for a future phase. This can leave companies and users feeling frustrated, as though the solution delivered doesn’t live up to their expectations, or potentially even worse, was never designed to meet the needs of business.
Companies undergoing implementation projects benefit from outside assistance to provide the additional bandwidth and expertise needed to reach envisioned optimal outcomes.
Businesses who have already gone live and are using the system can still achieve their original visions and goals. In fact, in some ways they are in an even better place to design and deploy custom and sometimes complex solutions now that management and users have had hands on, real-life experience using AvSight. Working with a team that brings a powerful combination of technical expertise with an understanding of aviation best practice allows organizations to effectively address outstanding issues and realize longstanding objectives.
Ask yourself the following key questions to identify immediate wins that will have a huge impact on the business:
1) Are Business Processes Fully Supported?
Each company’s unique processes are part of its overall success. Businesses need to ask themselves if all areas of the operation have been fully addressed and are functioning smoothly and with confidence, which can be especially challenging for MROs and larger organizations.
Here are some key questions to ask:
- Are we confident we’re making full use of the functionality available?
- Does AvSight feel difficult to use?
- Do the users express frustration or unhappiness?
- Have we exposed, or worse, created bottlenecks?
Taking the time to review and re-work “broken” processes not only increases efficiency, but also demonstrates to users that management takes an active interest in improving their work experience. Again, engaging resources who know best practice, AvSight and Salesforce to solve process challenges takes you from just getting by to thriving.
2)Are User Roles & Permissions Correct?
Avsight leverages Salesforce’s powerful and granular permission system. Setting clear rules to keep data secure and workflows efficient without providing too much access can be a difficult challenge.
Common issues include:
- Lack of understanding of access provided in predefined roles & permission sets.
- Users granted full access out of frustration to locate access needed to perform their jobs.
- Sensitive information exposed to users because of unneeded access.
- Errors made by users performing functions they should not be accessing.
Outside resources familiar with the technology and business models as well as the ways that larger and smaller companies operate can greatly simplify the process of assigning the right roles and permissions.
3) Is the Master Data Clean?
Data migrations can be long and tedious processes. Get them wrong, and it can feel as though you’ll be stuck with the consequences forever. Problems can include missing records, mis-mapped fields, or records that once migrated can no longer be transacted against (think ROs that can’t be received). Since accurate master data is the foundation of any ERP system, bringing the right skill sets to play is key. Strategies for successfully migrating data, or making corrections to data brought over incorrectly include:
- Intrinsic understanding of how the data is used in both source and target systems
- Understand how data is used between two systems – e.g. when fields are not a one-to-one mapping.
- Ability to perform mass uploads and imports.
- Solutions for data corrections or additions after a go live.
- Teams dedicated to validating converted, imported or corrected data.
Having dedicated resources with the skills to perform the tasks listed above puts you in the strongest position to address data migration issues that might arise.
4) Are You Using All the Right Tools?
A huge benefit of running AvSight is being part of the Salesforce platform. This opens the door to an immense collection of supporting technology that can be deployed to help make your business a success. When businesses think about their technology, they often envision functions that can be achieved using these varied powerful solutions. But without the right combination of aviation industry expertise, knowledge of bast practice, and Salesforce know-how this technology can all be overwhelming and leave businesses wondering where to start.
Solutions we deploy with our customers to help them achieve their goals while incorporating industry best practices include:
- Page Customizations & Optimization to maximize efficiency and user experience
- Workflows to:
- Simplify tasks like the creation of Repair Orders from Inventory
- Automate functions like sending Email Reminders for Open Cores.
- Generate Internal Notifications to support processes
- Custom Development outside the ERP to support complex projects
- APIs to connect AvSight to third party systems and databases
- Experience Cloud to provide Customer and Vendor Portal access to AvSight
- Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to:
- Record vendor responses to RFQs
- Capture PO or RO updates to pricing or delivery
- Voucher Invoices from PO & RO vendors
- Scrape Vendor and Listing Service Websites for Pricing & Availability
Partnering with teams that know the right tool and understand how to deploy it successfully from both the technical and business side allows aviation companies to take full advantage of their technology’s potential.
5) Are Dashboards & Reports Providing Needed Meaningful Data?
ERP solutions are sometimes deployed with “out of the box” reports along with the intention to fine-tune them later, or even worse a link to a tutorial on report writing. Displaying and tracking a business’ KPIs and core metrics are of course intrinsic to its success, as is the ability to monitor for outliers before they become issues. Some options include:
- Executive Dashboards: intuitive visual representations of real time KPIs with easy to navigate drill down capability for detail inquiries
- Management Reports: well thought out data with easy to navigate drill down capability for detail inquiries, editing functions for instant updates, and options for export to file
- Mobile Versions of reports and dashboards to keep managers connected away from their desks
- Large Screen Displayed Dashboards: for teams to monitor Quotes Pending, Orders to Ship, Actuals to Budgets
- Internal Scheduled Reports & Dashboards: Daily, weekly or monthly snapshots of KPIs emailed as pdfs or links
- External Scheduled Reports & Dashboards: monthly snapshots of KPIs emailed as pdfs (or links with limited access) to Investors, Consignment Partners, Customers (AR Statements, Cores Due) or Vendors (PO/ RO delivery schedules, quality acceptance statistics)
The key to unlocking your data in a meaningful way is working with resources who understand the data structure, explain clearly what elements of that data should be relevant to the business, and deploy the right technology choices to present it.
6) Are You Investing in Ongoing Training & Improvement?
ERP deployments can leave end users feeling overwhelmed. Different styles of adult learning mean that even with formal training, some employees resort to “figuring it out on their own”, sometimes coming up with approaches that, while they get the job done, are far from best practice. Unfortunately, even the best ERP configuration doesn’t deliver a good ROI without proper user adoption.
With ongoing training and improvement programs:
- Users are shown the correct way to accomplish tasks, can ask questions, remove uncertainty and increase confidence in what they are doing.
- Employees feel empowered, respond positively to the support provided, and gain efficiencies from new skills and techniques
- Sessions often reveal hidden faults or inefficiencies that left unaddressed can affect the whole business
- Group environments inspire creativity, resulting in ideas for improvement and innovation that further expand productivity
Our consulting team are experts in AvSight and Salesforce along with over 40 years of aviation experience. Our lead consultants understand, enjoy, and even embrace the complex challenges of aviation. As we give technological guidance, we also provide real industry insights and explore your ideas and business plans to arrive at the ideal solutions for your organization.
Final Thoughts
AvSight’s potential as a system of intelligence is dependent upon a quality deployment making full use of all the discreet technologies available both within and outside the Salesforce platform. Combining that with the knowledge of seasoned aviation professionals who bring years of best practice with them allows businesses to maximize their technology investment and equips them with the tools that bring competitive advantages. By aligning your business processes & access, mastering your data, deploying the right technology at the right time, and empowering your team through training and reporting, you’ll gain the operational visibility and agility needed to succeed.
Need Help to Optimize AvSight?
We specialize in Accounting Seed, AvSight, LeaseWorks and Salesforce solutions for aviation businesses. Reach out and let’s see what we can build together.
Email: hello@weareprodigy.com Website: www.weareprodigy.com