Event software integrating with your internal business systems

Event software integrating with your internal business systems

by kk+

Event software integrating with your internal business systems

Article by Kate Oxton

How many event managers can say with confidence that their event data is precise, clean and up to date. Having the capacity to target the right delegate to the right event is becoming tough. For some businesses implementing a system to assist them with managing their events is enough; however for other organisations the need to incorporate their event management processes with their internal systems is becoming a greater need. Having the ability to connect with your CRM solution can help ensure your data remains as clean as possible, so all event marketing efforts are as successful as they can be. The events industry is a hard market and event managers are starting to understand that the need to plan, manage and run efficient and streamlined events, as well as keeping up with this competitive market, is becoming more difficult.

Whether you organise events or not, it is very important, as an organisation, that all your internal business applications integrate seamlessly with each other, ensuring you have a streamlined, flawless business (and event) process. Any event manager will tell you, having accurate data is important, but having the ability to view and analyse this information from a single location is vital. Integrating your event software with your CRM and finance package means that all data relating to delegate attendance, payment and other activities is automatically sent to the CRM system from the event system ensuring the CRM is always kept up to date with real time data. In turn ensuring you reduce the impact on your organisation and your businesses technological infrastructure but still ensuring you target your delegates simply and efficiently.

Selecting the Right Event Software Solution
As an organisation it is important that when you select an event management software solution you need to choose the system that has the ability to develop and adapt as your business grows and technology develops. Business systems such as CRM solutions, finance packages and HR solutions all include data that will need to be updated with every event you manage. The customer data on your CRM application will need to be updated with their most recent activity, the finance system will need to process any payments and the HR solution will need to update employee records if the event involves staff attendance.

By automating this process through the integration with your internal business systems, will help you get rid of any errors and will make the process of updating other systems much more efficient. Comprehensive event software solutions will include a flexible technical architecture, allowing them to integrate with all your existing and prospective systems.

Integration into Back office applications
Setting up an event requires information from all parts of your organisation, from inviting the applicable attendees, to them registering online, to receipt of payment; everything needs to be recorded not only in the event system but also within the appropriate internal systems. By integrating your online event software into your internal back office systems it will guarantee you offer critical and relevant statistics on all areas of the event, meaning event organisers can make better strategic and financial decisions when planning future events.

Some transparent benefits to event managers if they were to integrate their event management software and processes with their internal business model and infrastructure are:

Instant access to up to date event information

Full control over all aspects of your event

All event data can be located, viewed and analysed from a single location

Minimise administration through automation of many event processes
Creates a comprehensive event CRM system

Ensures you have accurate, clean & up to date information on your delegates/customers

Integrates with back office system for authentication on costs/discounts/prices etc and all delegate data

CRM
Integrating your in-house CRM with your event software you are able to control customer/delegate data more efficiently. This means that the contact and company details, alongside your event booking and attendance records would be shared between the two applications. The CRM will allow for event bookings and event alterations to be made straight from its own contacts records and allow the CRM user absolute control of customer event interactions.

Finance
If your event is a paying event and payment is required managing the finances behind this can be difficult. An event solution that is integrated into your business finance application will let payment information and details to be passed, seamlessly between the two systems (and into your CRM solution if required). Invoices and credit notes relating to events can be created and distributed in either the event solution or in your internal finance application, ensuring a seamless and secure payment journey for you and for your delegates.

As event managers juggle more and more tasks, your job role is becoming increasingly more difficult and demanding. Event managers are recognising that through the integration of their online event software into all their other back office systems, they are able to access critical and relevant statistics on all areas of the event, making it that much simpler for them to make improved strategic and financial decisions when planning prospective events.

For more information on our online event solution, talk to evocos. In the past year alone evocos event management solution has created over 7000 events/workshops & training courses and managed approximately 75,000 delegates/members and has taken over 50,000 online bookings.

Incorporating integrated reporting and analysis tools as well as social media, email marketing, website integration, registration, online payment, badge production, resource management and event surveys, evocos is one of the most comprehensive online event CPD management software solutions on the market today.

The evocos event software team ensures you are able to seamlessly manage your events; gaining huge cost and efficiency benefits.