A day in a small company
At 9am, the finance team sends an invoice. At 10am, a salesperson updates a customer record. At 11am, a manager joins a video call.
At noon, the Wi-Fi drops. Every person in the building asks for help. Nobody can work without the tools.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Dashboard | one screen that shows the main numbers of a system |
| Invoice | a bill that asks a customer to pay |
| Expense | money a worker spends and claims back |
| CRM | customer relationship management: a system that stores customer records |
| HR | human resources: the team that looks after staff |
| CAD | computer-aided design: software for drawing parts and buildings |
| IDE | integrated development environment: a program for writing code |
| Platform | an online space where people work on shared files |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can name six key areas of a business and the digital tools each one uses.
Starter
Have a go
Starter
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Six key areas
A business splits its work into areas. Each area uses digital tools.
Finance looks after money. Sales and marketing find and keep customers. Operations run the daily work. Human resources look after staff. Communications keep people in touch. Research and development make new things.
Tools in each area
| Area | Digital tools | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Finance | Budget dashboards, invoicing, online expense tracking | Show money in and out, bill customers, log claims |
| Sales and marketing | CRM systems, social media management tools | Store customer records, plan social posts |
| Operations | Performance dashboards, online ticket systems | Show how work is going, log help requests |
| Human resources | Staff record systems, digital training | Keep staff records, train staff online |
| Communications | Video calls, email, shared platforms | Meet, write and share files |
| Research and development | Access to information, CAD, IDE | Find facts, design things and write code |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check: tools and areas
Have a go
Check: tools and areas
4 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.