What can you do with FileMaker?
We’ve explored FileMaker and its uses in previous blogs and case studies but this blog explores some of the best use cases.
How well do you know Claris FileMaker?
Claris FileMaker has been around for over 20 years and has got better and better every year. Regular updates and innovations such as the use of AI have ensured that FileMaker maintains its position as a market leading low code software development platform whose use is only constrained by your imagination. It’s no surprise that FileMaker is known as one of the best Innovation Platforms around.
When you think of FileMaker, you may think about it as a database tool, better than Excel for holding lists etc. and perhaps in the early days you would have been correct, now however it can do so much more. Yes, at it’s core, it is a Relational Database. It allows users to search information of different types easily, linking different fields as necessary. However that is only the start of what it can do for you.
With its powerful front-end capabilities, Claris FileMaker can fulfil nearly every business application requirement for small & medium companies as well as divisional requirements for larger companies. In fact we have clients running companies with revenue over £10M solely on a FileMaker system complete with near real time back up resiliency.
Indeed with the latest releases introducing AI capabilities, greatly simplifying the user interface it is difficult to justify needing any other system. Why spend hundreds of thousands of pounds investing in a corporate level system which requires time and resource investment when FileMaker can do the same job for significantly less, and for lower ongoing costs.
Why complicate your business with multiple systems when one will do?
We have clients at all levels and stages of growth using FileMaker for many things, some for a single specific application such as a student management and progress tracking system and others who run their complete business using FileMaker.
Let’s look at some of the applications for FileMaker:
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- Asset management – It doesn’t matter if it’s personal or business, we all need to ensure we know where our assets are, that they are suitably stored and insured, their value and many other things. FileMaker allows you to design the perfect system exactly as you want it to look, to work the way you need it to work.
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- CRM – Every company needs one and there are lots to choose from but FileMaker will meet your exact needs and can be fully integrated with almost any other system you might use. In fact many clients start with CRM and then realise that they can easily expand the system to replace their other systems, simplifying their business processes and saving time and money.
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- Sales quoting – Every company has a sales tool, but for many, that is a spreadsheet which is fine but limited and requires continual manual input. It also means that every stage of the sales process requires duplicated input and this in turn requires extra staff and takes time. For some companies with complex or custom products this can require multiple spreadsheets and these need constant updating and management. We’ve developed many quote tools for companies with complex products, going as far as developing a tool specifically for Sage 200 clients offering flexibility and simplicity for clients using Sage as their manufacturing system.
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- Order processing – As a follow on from quoting, typically staff need to re-enter the information on the order into another system, sage for example. This can lead to delays and errors so why not automatically pass the orders by ‘flipping’ the quote by a touch of a button? Our systems do this for you an as they can be integrated with systems such as Sage, we can automatically process orders and generate Bill of Materials and Works Orders into your manufacturing or financial system.
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- Stock management – Again there are many solutions available, either custom such as SAP or off the shelf, but do they link to other systems easily? Indeed most of them require you to conform to their standards and warehouse ’locations’. Why restrict yourself in this way when we can build a system which address your products and systems directly and is fully integrated with your other systems easily and without restriction.
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- Manufacturing processing – All manufacturing processes are different depending on the companies and products involved so how is an off the shelf system going to work? By forcing you to change your processes and requiring staff retraining. How about a system which supports you processes and track the job as you need it tracked? One that supports your business and is fully integrated with your other business systems?
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- Project Management – Our project management systems not only track the progress of a project, they also track supply orders, expenses, invoicing, expenses and other aspects of a project, giving greater reporting capabilities and real time information such as profitability and margin.
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- Logistic and distribution – Business models vary and it is often difficult to get stock and distribution systems that support them. We’ve help clients devise systems that not only track and manage their stock but do so in a way that complements the business and improves visibility of stock, provides forecast information based on sales and stock movements, and supplier lead times.
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- Invoicing – A key part of any business. Our systems have both inbuilt invoicing capabilities, (including pro-forma invoicing), and integrate with existing financial systems as required to pass order and shipment information for invoicing.
Or all of the above combined!
With Claris FileMaker we can offer you one, two or all of the above systems as standalone systems or as a business wide, fully integrated system greatly simplifying the day to day activities of staff and improve productivity, performance and response times whilst reducing costs. We can provide all the management reporting you need in a format you want giving you the best view of your business at the individual, team and company level on an almost real time basis, all form a single interface. Surely that’s worth thinking about.
So what can FileMaker do for you? Contact us to find out more.