Implementing the right ERP will be the best business decision you ever make
July 26, 2018 10:25 amHave you got ERP in place?
Any forward-thinking organisation worth its salt will have taken the time and energy to invest in a tried and trusted system to take care of its departments and business functions. There’ll be a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) programme to help manage your customers, their life cycles and experiences. The accounts department couldn’t operate without all-embracing financial software to ensure the right budgetary decisions are being made and controls over finances optimised. The same applies to project managers and their productivity, and IT departments and their handling of data and its processes, not to mention the logistics and supply chain management teams… Well, considering the cost of commissioning the best-fit business systems you researched so thoroughly and implemented so painstakingly, you’d assume these were the applications to answer every call. Truth is, employing multiple business systems to manage, track, report and process will never be the best approach or, crucially, the best use of your resources, your data – or your budget. It takes a powerful ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software solution to bring together your processes and people and to integrate the data that’s likely to be held on a myriad disparate systems. Quite simply, an ERP system has the capacity to be the best business decision you’ll ever make.What is ERP software and what can it do for my business?

ERP brings everyone together
Nothing harmonises an organisation and brings its departments and people together like a robust ERP solution. From accounting, sales and purchasing, to HR, project management, the supply chain and customer service departments, a unified ERP application enables everyone to communicate, collaborate, convey and make decisions based on real-time information that’s accessible to all.No more data silos
Data collected from every sales, accounting, purchasing, inventory and supply chain interaction is stored in a single location ensuring your data will instantly become meaningful, consistent and accurate – plus you’ll have a world of actionable insights, analytics and relevant reporting at your fingertips. Integrated information means avoiding the curse of data duplication, manual data entry and error and ensuring the real-time information that’s so critical to decision making and productivity is available to everyone.Staying compliant
Effective ERP software will ensure you remain compliant. , not just with regard to your financials, but industry-specific regulations can also be monitored and effected, leaving you up to date, legit and covered as every change is made.Room to evolve and grow with your business

Enjoy cloud-based collaboration
When your ERP system takes you to the cloud, you’ll not only enjoy more integration with other cloud services, you’ll be giving your people instant access to a centralised business resource – wherever they’re working, whatever device they are using, regardless of time zone boundaries. Research also shows that migrating to the cloud can help organisations boost performance and encourage growth too.Put the customer first
When you’ve got instant access to every customer’s journey, their data and their transactional history, you’re well on the way to offering an experience they’ll remember for all the right reasons and a brand they’ll remain loyal to. A sophisticated ERP solution will be stacked with client-critical features to help you deliver value to your customers at every touchpoint. The result: prioritised tasks, better sales lead identification, more opportunities to upsell, cross-sell and renew – and an exceptional customer service resource that works harder to strengthen relationships.A reporting and forecasting dream
ERP gives everyone the tools they need to forecast accurately based on relevant, real-time data and actionable insights. This applies to reporting too; the ability to create customised reports that make complex data requests a seamless exercise without having to rely on IT departments is an invaluable resource.Stay safe with powerful data security
Data breaches and losses are the scourge of any IT department and the ramifications of being insufficiently protected can be catastrophic. Your ERP should give you complete peace of mind when it comes to data security; built in security safeguards and firewalls mean the accuracy, consistency and protection of your data will never be compromised.Meet and exceed efficiency and productivity goals
Your ERP system should be designed to deliver new levels of efficiency, productivity and agility. You’ll get streamlined business processes that eliminate the duplication of tasks and data entry, make it easy to collect, share and exploit data and, thanks to newly slick processes and automated workflows, you’ll increase productivity too.Overtake your rivals to unlock your competitive edge
Just because you might not have bitten the ERP bullet yet, don’t assume the rivals in your industry are playing the waiting game and sticking to their trusty, but antiquated business systems until cashflow improves or a catastrophe occurs. There’s invaluable ROI to be achieved with a tailored ERP implementation that can deliver transformational change and a marked improvement to your bottom line, not to mention a competitive edge that could see your performance exceed your business strategy objectives.What ERP solution is right for my business?
Your first step is to talk to an implementation consultant who has the requisite expertise in world-class ERP software and a highly qualified team with the skill sets and experience your industry demands. Since you’ll be embarking on a long-term relationship with your ERP implementation consultant, you’ll want the reassurance of a responsive team of specialists who’ll be onside throughout your deployment and beyond with tangible support that’ll help you get the best from your solution.