Businesses no longer win by the size of their wallets but by the speed of their decisions. This quote sums up a critical shift in modern business strategy. Imagine running your business without waiting for month-end reports, being able to change tactics on the fly, and knowing where you stand financially in real-time.

Using live money info, businesses can act faster, plan better, and beat rivals in ways they couldn’t before. Now, companies can gather and use lots of up-to-the-minute data more easily with new money tech, making them even stronger.

The Role of Real-Time Data in Business Decision-Making

Indeed, there are many live financial metrics that businesses can track to maximise their growth strategies. Profit and loss statements, accounts receivable and payable, and cash flow data are relevant simply because they are the most vital metrics to be tracked in business.

Decision Speeds

Having access to up-to-date, accurate financial data at all times of operation can have a profoundly positive impact on how businesses make their decisions. This makes the response time between recognising an issue within the business, or alternatively, a potential opportunity that could be seized upon, infinitely smaller than if a business had to wait on traditional means to see their financial figures.

A simple way to illustrate this is if a retailer spots a surge in demand for a particular product through real-time sales information, they can promptly adjust inventory levels to maximise profits and surpass rivals who rely on slower traditional analysis methods.

Decision Accuracy

Being able to react quickly to problems or opportunities is important; however, being able to do it with confidence, is also vital if a business wants to succeed in the long-term. Having access to current financial figures means business owners can adapt their strategies based on how well they know they are performing in contrast to what would otherwise have only been projections.

This is ideal because it means budget allocations are more accurate, and the financial forecasts that those businesses are creating can be accurately adjusted to match shifting conditions.

Enhancing Risk Management with Real-Time Financial Data

The ability to manage risk effectively has always been important for any business, and as more and more real-time data becomes available to every industry, it is becoming much more achievable. Advancements in Financial Technology (Fintech) tools for accountants and SMEs in particular, have made data more accessible, even to the layman, and once obtained can be used to dramatically improve a business’s risk management:

• Obtaining Real-Time Financial Data: The ongoing development of Fintech tools now means that businesses can obtain real-time financial data from numerous accessible sources. Between Open Accounting and Open Banking software, to cloud-based financial management tools like our very own Pulse, entrepreneurs can now access and view their finances like never before.
• Risk Identification: Having a complete picture of your financial data allows businesses to quickly pinpoint and address risks that may be on the horizon; this is typically achieved by proactively monitoring financial transactions as they occur, rather than reacting to older statements after the fact. Detecting issues early on means businesses can respond promptly, potentially avoiding minor financial hiccups from escalating into major issues.
• Taking Proactive Measures: It is just as important to be proactive in the case of a trending downturn, as it is when a potential opportunity comes around, and this is precisely where access to real-time data shines. Contingency plans can be developed in advance, or a chance at expansion can be capitalised on the knowledge that there are enough funds to cover the costs and that the business can continue running its operations smoothly.

Competitive Advantages Through Real-Time Data

The benefits of real-time data are multipronged, and by using them to achieve improved operations and positive growth, you also gain advantages over competitors who are not effectively using insights to their best advantage. If it is your business that may not be doing so, below are some key things that should make you consider the worth of real-time data:

• Market Trends: When using real-time data, businesses can stay aware of market trends through the monitoring of product and service sales, as well as consumer feedback and retention. By analysing numerous metrics, such as social media feedback and changing market conditions, companies can adapt their strategies to suit. This might involve altering their product development or services, or even changing supply chains in order to meet consumer demands. Wherever the data takes you, your business should be ready to make quick, decisive decisions that will keep it ahead of the competition.
• Operational Efficiency: Operational efficiency can be improved dramatically by dissecting real-time data and taking actionable insights from it. Regardless of the industry, data can be used to monitor and optimise anything from production schedules to staff allocation. Retailers, for example, might shift staff numbers around based on a department’s sales data, depending on if it is over or understaffed, or a manufacturing firm may aim to reduce downtime by shifting machinery schedules. Data can be collected on any metric, and once insights become available, action that would otherwise have been missed can be taken.
• Competitor Analysis: Possibly one of the most crucial things a business can do to remain afloat is to stay informed about their competitors’ strategies. By collecting real-time data from sources like market reports and competitor websites, businesses can keep track of their competition’s actions and respond quickly to any changes in products or pricing strategies that they can see are effective. Remember, it is highly likely that your competitors are doing the same to you, too, so do not shy away from any edge you can get!

Challenges and Considerations with Financial Data

By putting in the effort to obtain, understand, and then use real-time financial data, business owners can work to bring about significant changes in their organisation. The main goal of data utilisation is overcoming obstacles and achieving success; however, there are some obstacles that excessive amounts of data can also present, especially when that data involves finances:

• Data Overload: In our blog about presenting financial data, we discuss how easy it is to lose important insights from the vast incoming waves of data. It is easy to become overwhelmed and not gain anything if the data is misrepresented or misunderstood. For financial data, software like Pulse is the perfect example of a tool that can take enormous amounts of data and filter out the noise, presenting metrics like profit and loss ratios or liquidity numbers in easy-to-understand visual formats.
• Privacy and Security issues: Handling vast amounts of real-time financial data can be a cause for concern amongst users unfamiliar with the robust security measures that are involved in making platforms like Open Banking and Open Accounting safe. However, if a firm actually decides to begin using financial tools, there should also be regulatory compliance with bodies such as GDPR, which is an abbreviation for General Data Protection Regulation. The firm will also retain the need to maintain the trust of customers with strong cybersecurity measures and privacy policies, safeguarding sensitive information from any potential breaches.

Parting Thoughts

While the influence of real-time data has effectively transformed how modern businesses build and act upon their strategies, if not taken seriously, or the actionable insights gleaned from it not used properly, the data can become a proverbial double-edged sword, which is why business owners should take it seriously.

By accelerating their decision-making processes and honing risk management using the data, enterprises can quickly gain an edge over their competitors. Looking forward, it is clear that the role of real-time data will become even more valuable, especially as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) capabilities progress — which seems to be at a scarily fast rate currently!

Understanding Financial Data with Pulse

Our innovative data analytical tool – Pulse, will break down your business’s profit and loss, turnover, margin, and liquidity metrics into easily understandable insights. Our service integrates with Open Accounting and Open Banking platforms to pull and aggregate all of your financial data into a single bespoke dashboard.

Key metrics are displayed through useful mediums like bar charts and line graphs to produce valuable financial insights for the user. Visualising data for accountants and business owners has never been easier. Book a free demo and start experiencing the benefits of our cutting-edge financial software. Contact us today at info@mypulse.io.