Many SMEs are investing in Business Intelligence tools today to finally gain more insight into their figures. But what happens in practice?
After implementation, beautiful dashboards appear, only to start collecting dust after a few months. Managers occasionally click through monthly revenue figures, but the real decision making? It still happens by gut feeling.
The reason is not that BI “does not work”. It's that many companies reduce BI to reporting, a static snapshot, while the real value is in interaction.
BI is not supposed to be a photo album about the past, but a compass that points the way forward.
From reporting to reasoning
A report tells you what happened.
A BI app helps you understand why it happened and what to do next.
That is exactly the difference between seeing data and using data.
Where traditional reporting stops at numbers, an interactive BI environment invites you to explore, reason and ask follow-up questions.
An example
You notice that your margin has dropped in Q3. That’s odd. Why?
One click later, you see it’s mainly in your transport segment.
Another click, and you find that one specific customer group has been receiving structurally lower prices.
Was this just this quarter, or has it been going on for longer?
A further click shows it started three quarters ago, but only now has a significant impact.
To-do: ask the account manager why.
Next question. Does this pattern occur with other customers too?
Click, and you see margin erosion across the entire transport segment.
What about transport costs?
You change your view from “margin” to “% cost”, and there it is: a supplier has quietly increased prices, and those costs were never passed through.
You no longer need a report.
You have an answer, and often even an action plan.
BI as a dialogue with your business
Good, truly usable BI apps are built for this kind of dynamics.
They’re not a collection of charts, but a tool to have a conversation with your business data.
Each visualization becomes the starting point for a new question:
- Why is my revenue growing, but my margin flat?
- Which customers contribute most to profit, not just volume?
- Where do hidden costs occur in transport, projects, or production?
A strong BI system doesn’t make you wait for an analyst or an Excel refresh. It lets you answer questions in real time, interactively, intuitively, and visually.
That’s the essence of modern BI. A platform that thinks, asks, and evolves along with your business.
The real ROI of Business Intelligence
Research confirms what many business owners already feel. Companies that actively use BI, not just implement it, perform significantly better.
Multiple studies show that organizations using BI proactively achieve 10–15% higher operational efficiency and profitability (Popovič et al., 2019; Helmy, 2025; Ragazou et al., 2023; Gartner, 2018).
The return on BI doesn’t come from the software itself. It comes from the use.
Not from dashboards, but from the conversations they trigger.
BI only delivers when it’s alive, when teams use it as a compass, not a rear-view mirror.
How InsightData makes that difference
Our modular BI apps (Finance, Sales, Operations, Transport, Project, etc.) are built with that philosophy at their core.
- From data to action: every click brings you closer to an answer.
- User-friendly: no IT skills required, designed for business users.
- Dynamic: insights adapt to your questions, not the other way around.
Whether it’s margins, sales channels, or transport efficiency, InsightData makes your data think with you.
We don’t just deliver reports. We provide tools to decide better.
Ready to See It in Action?
Plan a short demo and discover how our BI apps go far beyond reporting, they help you decide with confidence.
Sources:
- Popovič, A., Puklavec, B. & Oliveira, T. (2019). Justifying Business Intelligence Systems Adoption InSMES: Impact of Systems Use on Firm Performance. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 119(1).
- Helmy, H. (2025). Exploring the Link Between Business Intelligence and Financial Performance in SMEs. Investment Management and Financial Innovations, 22(1).
- Ragazou, K., Tsigkas, A. & Koumpouros, Y. (2023). Business Intelligence Model Empowering SMEs to Make Better Decisions. Informationen, 14(2).
- Gartner (2018). BusinessIntelligence Adoption and ROI Report.
