Fresh Produce Complexity Solved

Africa
Written By

The Value of an Integrated System Environment

By: Charl van Loggerenberg, Prophet SA General Manager

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A typical Prophet client uses more than one system to run their business, and with good reason – the fresh produce industry is experiencing a flurry of technology growth that is steadily absorbing legacy and manual operational processes. Also, the appetite for system solutions by industry stakeholders provides justification for new technology players to address niche requirements throughout the broader fresh produce spectrum therefore, it is not uncommon for a fruit exporter to have multiple systems or platforms that provide operational coverage throughout the business. This approach allows you to use fit-for-purpose technology for each functional area of your business. 

However, despite a careful and well thought-through process preceding the choice of tools, oftentimes the forgotten element is the integration between these systems. When it comes to efficiency, system integration can be as important as the system itself and the way in which these systems work together is where the real value lies. Says Charl “we’ve seen a significant increase of integration opportunities throughout the client spectrum and every success contributes to our arsenal of tools that make the next integration project quicker and easier to execute. Our clients continue to position their Prophet system as the central pivot that ties together a range of systems.”

Businesses struggle when it comes to managing the ever-expanding data collected from their people, clients and suppliers. An integrated ecosystem solves this problem by offering the following:

  • Efficiency: An integrated system environment will streamline your processes, reduce costs, ensure efficiency and reduce the disruption caused by having all your data in different places.

  • Fewer system errors: As the data will not have to be exported, imported or replicated there is less chance for human error. This will provide you with more accurate and trustworthy data.

  • Improved Data and Reporting: The wealth of information that is collected within this integrated ecosystem is easier to access, which leads to improved decision making. This holistic view of your data allows users to easily see patterns that would previously have been difficult when working with multiple tools and datasets. Real-time visibility is important in making accurate and timely decisions.

  • Easier system on-boarding: This allows the user to work from a single system instead of having multiple systems and processes running simultaneously. This will reduce the time spent on training your users on multiple tools and shift the focus on learning a single integrated environment.

  • Increase security: By using one system, you can easily build in the security tools necessary to prevent access by unauthorised users.

  • Create focus and innovation: An integrated system will free up more time for your users and empower them to create innovative strategies and initiatives that will improve business and generate income.

Prophet can help drive your business’s system integrations as:

  • Our team of Implementation Specialists are essential in designing a blueprint for your integrated system environment via proven technical workflow investigations;

  • Our fit-for-purpose API and Integration Tools allow for scalable solutions specifically designed for complex fresh produce datasets;

  • Our Business Intelligence teams build centralised data warehouses for fresh produce clients aiming for unified BI and Reporting solutions across your entire system landscape;

  • Our Product Specialist teams actively engage with existing clients to showcase the value of existing integration channels with industry systems;

  • The above measures all contribute towards an integrated system environment with a Prophet system acting as the central pivot for your complex fresh produce operations.