You all know that here, at EXRM, Excel is in our DNA. We believe in the power of spreadsheets, the sheer versatility they offer, and the familiar comfort they provide. With over 750 million users worldwide, Excel’s ubiquity speaks for itself. It’s a tool that’s deeply ingrained in business and personal use – and for good reason. It’s cost-effective (most of us already have it!), highly customizable, and a staple for data management.
However, even the most devoted Excel experts acknowledge that sometimes, other tools might offer enhanced capabilities, better scalability and improved efficiency.
This realization came to the forefront during our recent project with August Point Advisors (APA), a food and beverage sector consultancy that works in strategic planning, project management, and talent recruitment. They were facing a common challenge: their business was booming and they needed to make their recruiting process more efficient. Their data was scattered across numerous Excel workbooks, each representing a different hiring process. This meant:
- Decentralized Data: Finding historical candidate information was a time-consuming, frustrating experience.
- Data Duplication: Redundant entries across multiple files led to inconsistencies and errors.
- Inefficient Queries: Extracting meaningful insights from the data was a laborious task.
We could have, of course, architected a cool and sophisticated Excel solution. But was it the optimal solution?
A team member at August Point Advisors had been exploring Airtable and believed it could be a game-changer for their recruiting process. And you know what? We agree that the user often knows their needs best. So, we did our due diligence. We researched other similar tools, comparing features, costs, and scalability. After careful analysis, we concluded that Airtable was indeed the right fit for their specific requirements.
Airtable Implementation: A Smooth Transition
The process was simple and straightforward. We began with a thorough consultation to understand the Client’s precise needs and desired outcomes. We then:
The results were immediate and impactful. APA’s recruiting process became more organized, efficient, and data-driven. They can now:
- Quickly access and analyze candidate data.
- Generate insightful reports on hiring metrics.
- Collaborate seamlessly across teams.
- Reduce the time spent on administrative tasks.
Watch Demo Video:
The Takeaway:
We’ll always champion Excel’s incredible capabilities, namely its ability for quick solutions and customization. But we also recognize the value of specialized Off-the-Shelf solutions like Airtable. It’s about finding the right tool for the job. At EXRM, we’re committed to providing our clients with the best possible solutions, leveraging our adaptability and continuous learning to ensure optimal outcomes.
If you’re looking to optimize your data management and workflow, contact us today. We can help you determine the best tool for your needs and implement a solution that drives results.
How does the client feel about it?
“Airtable has been fantastic, thanks. For a situation like that where I had multiple databases to keep track of simultaneously and new ones to create and use at regular intervals— Airtable is just a game changer for efficiency and getting all data into one place.
My feeling is that when the data is more informational/textual than numeric, when it exists in a variety of formats (names, contact info, dates, drop-down menus, text notes, etc.), and when you’re also tracking work process, this is a more nimble and quickly editable tool. It’s 2/3 excel and 1/3 post-it notes, which is a great blend for me.”
*Please note that for confidentiality reasons, we are unable to directly showcase the custom database developed for APA. Instead, this demo utilizes an Airtable template to demonstrate the primary features and strategic approaches we applied in our work for them.