Software Automation refers to setting up a programme or package to automatically complete a task with little human input. By setting up software to transfer and arrange information for you, you can streamline your workflow at the tap of a button.
Excel Automation is a powerful ally when it comes to improving the productivity of any business. A workforce can never truly achieve their full potential as long as they’re spending endless hours on mundane or time-consume tasks. Luckily, many features of Microsoft Excel can be automated, making laborious processes a thing of the past.
With your employees freed up to tackle more constructive activities, you’re likely to save both time and money, as well as noticing an upturn in productivity. Here’s a look at just a few examples provided by our Excel specialists.
Data formatting
With the correct commands and formulas, you can arrange for Excel to automatically work through your data to display the information you need instantly. This can have a range of practical uses, such as the property portfolio workbook we recently built for a well-known estate agent.
Using Excel Dashboards, their employees were able to input the necessary data, which the workbook then used to calculate the desired figures, such as POI and net annual returns. This allowed the company to keep track of their clients’ property portfolios and investments with added efficiency.
Data Validation
Data validation restricts the type of information or value that can be inputted into each individual cell on a spreadsheet. This can refer to restricting individual data entry, or calculating an allowed value from elsewhere in a workbook. This is useful when multiple users have access to a shared system and you want the information entered to be consistent.
With automated validation, you can set templated dropdown menus for the information you wish to receive, as well as arrange automatic calculations that populate your spreadsheet in the exact format you need. You can configure Excel so this is done automatically before you save and exit using VBA and Excel Macros.
Importing Information
You company may have its own systems or databases, from which you’d like to export information into Excel. There’s no need to waste time and resources on manual data entry when it’s possible to export this information automatically.
An example of this is the recent work we undertook for a film processing agency. By exporting and storing data from scanned packages which passed through their factory, they were able to easily keep track of clients’ orders, to provide fast and efficient service. With numerous other practical applications for this system, the possibilities really are endless and can be tailored to fit the specific needs of your own business.
Merging Spreadsheets and Workbooks
Most companies have numerous databases and spreadsheets. It can be useful to merge spreadsheets in instances where data overlaps, or you require a top-line overview drawn from numerous sources.
Whether you want import information from a sales tracker, a revenue breakdown, a budget forecast, or any other type of workbook, Excel can select individual tabs or whole areas to be exported into a different database. Further arrangements and calculations can also be automated for a truly time-saving set-up.
Other Applications
Excel Automation has many other applications, such as saving expense reports for summary and analysis, or exporting reports into other Microsoft Office programmes such as Word and Power Point. With numerous ways to streamline your data, you can discover functions and features that you may not have known Excel was capable of.
If you’d like help, advice, and an expert hand in setting up your Excel Automation, contact us at The Excel Experts, to discover how we can help to improve your business’ data efficiency today.
