Systems

Information systems are used everyday in businesses.  The information systems are used “for the purpose of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of that organization.”[1] The retail industry is an industry which benefits from the information systems because it is such a fast paced work environment the systems help the store run more efficiently and at its best.  In retail there are many systems including systems that generate a weekly schedule, calculate payroll with a clock in/out system, system to provide customer feedback, and a system for inventory management.  In order for a company to succeed they must have customers to support them. 
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a very important system used by companies to get to know there client base better and make adjustments accordingly.  “The purpose of CRM is improved proximity to clients to respond to their needs and turn them into loyal customers” [2] Customer feedback is the best way to see how a company is perceived by their customers.  In retail they use customer surveys to accomplish this.  They have the customer’s call, complete an automated survey and then the system provides a report summarizing how the customers experienced the store.  If the store is receiving low marks they need to work on things and over time they can track their progress by if the scores are improving or not.  The store should also see an improvement in their sales because when the company begins to see the needs and then meet the needs of their customers they become loyal and will return and continue to spend their money.

This is where the inventory management systems come in they are used to make sure when the customers comes into the store we have what they want but with out having and abundance that could tie up company money or slow production.  If inventory is not managed properly companies will have unhappy customers and ultimately lower sales.  “Inventory management systems must have the ability to track sales and available inventory, communicate with suppliers in near real-time and receive and incorporate other data, such as seasonal demand…And, they must tell a storeowner when it's time to reorder and how much to purchase.”[3] It is tricky but they systems make this process much smoother because they can use the information from past and present sales to predict future sales making the decision for management on how to stock their shelves properly.  These systems help keep customers happy by providing them with what they want and not running out of products and keeping up sales.

Customers and inventory are both what keeps companies in business.  Managing both is not an easy task it takes the help of systems analyzing data to help guide these companies to make the right decisions to keep sales up.  Plus companies have many other factors besides the customer and inventory management they also have to oversee production of products and many more.  This is why systems like the above are so important because it helps the company run more efficiently.

[1]  "Information Systems." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_systems#Definition>.

[2] "Customer RelationShip Management (CRM) - Kioskea.net." Kioskea - Computing Community. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. <http://en.kioskea.net/contents/entreprise/crm.php3>.

[3] "HowStuffWorks "How Inventory Management Systems Work"" HowStuffWorks "Business & Money" Web. 14 Sept. 2011. <http://money.howstuffworks.com/how-inventory-management-systems-work.htm>.