What Every Admin Should Know About: Trends in Software

Microsoft Office 2010 is the most commonly used version of the suite of products. Proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite is critical for any administrative professional who wants to be successful in this field. If you’re running on an older version, we highly recommend beginning the transition over to 2010; the icons may look different, and you may even have trouble finding some of your tools at first, but with practice comes mastery. We’ve created two lists of shortcuts that are compatible with Microsoft Office products: Microsoft Office Shortcuts That Will Maximize Your Efficiency and Reduce Errors, and Microsoft Office Shortcuts Part Two.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software manages internal and external resources, analyzes P&L and facilitates the flow of information inside and outside of the organization, streamlining business processes. For small businesses—which includes Family Offices and Executive Management Operations, QuickBooks holds a whopping 85% of the market share which means it’s not a bad idea to brush up on your skills and add this proficiency to your resume.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software manages a company’s current and future client interactions. CRM software synchronizes sales, marketing, customer service, and support functions to organize and automate on-going communications. Cloud-based CRM systems are on the rise with Salesforce, a SaaS-based program leading the pack at 14% market share. Because the difference between 1st place and 2nd place with regard to market share is so small, we also recommend getting your hands on SAP’s Ariba (MS of 13%) and learning their user interface as well. Generally when you learn one CRM, you can navigate your way easily through others, but it’s always a good idea to practice as much as you can. Oracle’s Siebel is the third most popular CRM with 11% of the market share.

Most industries utilize some sort of CRM, but 2012 saw an increase in spending for CRM for these industries:

1. Communications, Media, and IT

2. Manufacturing, including Consumer Goods

3. Banking and Securities

If these are the industries you currently work in, or want to break into, introducing yourself to CRM software is a great start.

Keeping up with software trends including the newest, latest and greatest helps maintain your relevance and marketability. What programs do you use in your day-to-day?