Essential features of report automation software
According to the GRIT Supplier Benchmarking Report, most data, analytics, and technology providers of all sizes believe that automation does or will play a key role in charting and infographics. And with technology developing faster than ever, businesses are compelled to keep up with the latest innovations just to remain competitive.
In today’s fast paced climate, clients are demanding faster turnaround on projects and will not accept errors or late deliverables. Manual generation of reports is not only time consuming, but is also highly prone to errors due to simple human error and deadline pressures. The amount of data and information requiring analysis and interpretation is becoming overwhelming, in addition, there is a constant pressure to accomplish more, in less time! With today’s market, the use of chart automation software to generate automatic reports is not just a luxury, but a necessity.
When deciding on a chart automation software to use, you must be aware that not all software is made equal, and some are more advanced than others. Before deciding on which software to move forward with, your automated charting software must provide the following features:
Market Research Friendly: Ensure your software can read in any industry standard tabulation file such as Excel, SPSS, Google Sheets, Dimensions, Quantum, Wincross, Uncle, Decipher, Qualtrics, Q, and more. Also, the software that you use should be able to pull in data from an unlimited number of source files at the same time.
Editable Outputs: It is important to be able to edit the output post automation. Make sure that you have the capability to edit charts in order to present the data in the most effective way.
Flexibility: It is imperative that your automation software is robust and allows for flexibility such as varying markets and brand lists.
Powerful calculation capabilities: The reporting software must be able to calculate nets, trends, indices, percentages and significance on any table or chart, even if they aren’t present in the original tables.
Ability to set formatting rules: To dynamically highlight significant or unexpected values, your software must allow you to set your own formatting rules based on the data.
It’s no longer a question of whether your MR firm should invest in automation software or not, but simply a question of which software you decide to use.