Is your business ready for an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system? An ERP software system can give your organization the flexibility and knowledge you need at all levels of your organization to make the right decisions at the right time.
By integrating key business processes – financial management, supply chain, operations, project management and customer relationship management – the right ERP solution can bring together your team in new ways to maximize productivity and profitability.
Integrated resource planning is the future of business – and the future is now. It gives businesses the organizational knowledge and resource management needed to respond quickly to new challenges, and to take advantage of new opportunities.
The right ERP software can give your business the edge it needs to dominate your competition. However, choosing the right ERP system can be a time-consuming, expensive proposition. Choose wisely, and your ERP implementation can reshape your organization and grow your bottom line in ways you never thought possible. Choose poorly, and you may squander time, resources, and employee goodwill in ways that can create considerable hardship for your business.
Here are five tips on how to choose the right ERP system for your business:
Research your business needs: ERP software is not a one-size-fits all solution. The most important step you can take before looking at any ERP systems ,or talking to any vendors, is to do a full and thorough top-to-bottom review of your current business needs and processes. ERP software solution providers, like CompuData, can help you best when they have a clear picture and a full accounting of exactly what your needs are, what your existing business processes are, and what you hope to gain by using an ERP system. This information also allows vendors an opportunity to showcase exactly how their ERP solution can fit your organization – and what advantages or solutions their product can provide for your specific organization.
Look beyond the obvious: The world of ERP software is dominated by a handful of major vendors: Epicor, Intacct, Sage, SAP, Oracle and more. However, market domination does not mean their product is necessarily the best fit for your organization or that their product is automatically better than those available from smaller vendors. Don’t be content to just talk to the ‘safe’ vendors and instead seek out solution providers who will work with you to develop a solution based on your business needs and infrastructure. In addition, many industries have niche vendors that offer ERP solutions specific to their industries.
Plan for the future: An ERP solution represents a major commitment of both time and money for any organization. Before settling on any ERP system, you need to make sure the system is both scalable and built on technology that can grow to meet your changing needs as an organization. And, while it is tempting to go with a system built on older, proven technology and infrastructure, you may want to consider a system build on more modern technology in order to maximize the lifespan of the system.
Don’t forget your mobile workforce: Business is increasingly getting done on the go and out of the office. Make sure any ERP solution you consider takes into account the needs of your mobile workforce and allows data to be shared both ways, from the enterprise to the worker and from the worker to the enterprise. Incorporating mobile workers and smart devices into your ERP solution can provide a major advantage over the competition.
Avoid common mistakes in choosing your ERP solution: ERP systems can be intimidating for the uninitiated. Vendors realize this fact, and will try to exploit it to their advantage with flashy demos and technobabble. Vendor demos always showcase their product under best-case scenarios. Ask vendors for explanations of how their systems work under less-than-ideal conditions, and how they can help your business deal with common business crises. Another common mistake that is made in choosing an ERP solution is allowing one department to dominate the selection process. Since the entire purpose of ERP is to promote your business as an organizational whole, it will not work unless the system you choose addresses the needs and issues of the entire business, not just the business unit that talks the loudest. Finally, make sure you fully understand what the vendor is offering and never assume anything about a solution or its capabilities.
A first-time ERP implementation can be a challenging proposition. However, with the right due diligence, you can put the right ERP system in place for your organization and help build a better future for your company.
Contact us for more information on how your business can benefit from an ERP software solution.