Skip to main content

ROI Calculations and the real world

In business to business sales, it is key that the sales consultant understands the full value of the Return on Investment for the purchaser.

There are beautifully designed models which clearly indicate the financial savings that will create bottom line advantage for the purchaser.

We do it too.   When selling Time and Attendance and Employee Self Service there are very clear savings, with T & A the key is better control reduces costs, and with ESS there is significant time saving .   We have done calculations on ESS that a 500 employee company can save upwards of 12 man months per year, by implementing ESS.

Terrific!   But the question is what do you do with that time.   A strong selling point for most people management solutions is that it allows the management to become more strategic, as the software solution reduces the administration overhead.   And it does, in some companies, but when it doesn't, there are reasons.

Some are:
  • A lack of forward thinking and planning
  • Ineffective change management - users, management and staff all need to be part of the process
  • Ineffective project management - this is a partnership between supplier and user that can become a blame battle, instead of a clear path towards an effective solution
  • Rather than using the extra time available more effectively, the remaining workload gets spread over longer time periods (Again, forward planning can help with this)
  • The staff were so overworked before that the change is in allowing them to go home at 5.  This, of course, can have a very positive effect on morale.
  • Failure to launch 1 - the project takes so long to get going that internal savings are expended on the implementation phase
  • Failure to launch 2 - the staff do not feel empowered during the implementation process and are not fully on board with the project, and so continue to utilise old processes with the new solution
  • The model used to calculate the ROI uses assumptions, and variations in the project are not factored into the model
  • The input data is not aligned with the purchaser's business model, and makes a decision based on incomplete information
  • And sometimes it is just the wrong solution!
While project and change management do add cost to rolling out solutions, they are worth it, if done effectively.   Then watch that ROI.....



Links and References

Accsys PeopleWare

Note

Thank you for reading Teryl@Work.   Should you wish to use any of the material, please acknowledge this blog as the source.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

3 things to do BEFORE you resign

or sign a new contract… 1.         Confirm your notice period ·          A lot of companies allow 30 days from date of resignation, but many ask for a calendar month 2.        Check your restraints ·          If you are joining a competitor ·          If you are joining a client 3.        Find out when your last payment will be transferred ·          Companies have been burned by paying over on the 25 th , and people not returning, so they may delay payment transfer until the last official working day, or even the first day of the following month.  You may need to make special arrangements regarding debit orders …. Both your current company and your new one deserve to be fairly treated.   Knowledge of ...

When did having it all become doing it all?

Or being all things to all people… Ruth Bader Ginsburg , U.S. Supreme Court Justice: “You can’t have it all at once. Over my lifespan, I think I have had it all. But in different periods of time, things were rough.” As a mother, a wife and a business woman, I have thought a great deal about this.    My article about #OutsideWork generated some personal mail that asked me, inter alia: “How?” “What do I need to do to satisfy everybody that needs my full attention when I am with them?”  My children, my boss, my partner – they all need me to be the best that I can be, and I am barely keeping my head above water.” “I don’t want to be selfish, but there is no time for me.” And a poignant comment: “This article made me remember that there must be time for “self” but I am not finding it.  I am mentally and emotionally exhausted and nobody seems to care” There is no one answer.  It’s different for those in a committed partnership, compared to sing...

Employment Tax Incentive Bill

While there has not been agreement from all parties on the Employment Tax Incentive (ETI) Bill, and the roll out, it was formally published on 4th November, 2013.  With the January go live date, there are still some issues that need to be finalised, but simply put, the concept is as follows: The incentive runs from January 1st, 2014 to December 31st, 2016 The employee must be between 18 and 29 years old on the last day of the relevant month The employee must earn a wage of less than R6 001 per month The incentive can only be claimed in the months when the remuneration is under R6 001  The employee must have been engaged after October 1st, 2013 The employer must be eligible by being  Registered for PAYE In good standing with SARS Not local, provincial or national government Limited to South African citizens and valid asylum seekers, the main driver is for youth employment, however, the incentive also applies to employment in Special Economic Zones (SEZ) ...