ERP Solutions
For an ERP solution to do you the most good, it has to be tailored to the specific needs of your industry—and your company. Your current software—or some of the software that you're considering—might need to be modified to align with your company's processes. Here are examples of instances in which a system may need modifications so that it works the way your people do:
- System forms for invoices, pick lists and packing slips don't match you company or customer needs
- Data-entry screens don't correspond to your shipping methods, product categories, and currency codes
- Financial reports may not reflect the categories and measures that may be uniquely important to you
Customizing your ERP software solution can maximize its benefits to you—but, sometimes, at the cost of locking you into software and vendor relationships that don't meet your long-term needs. So, how can you get ERP solutions that can deliver superb value and is flexible enough to grow with you over time?
ERP Software Integration
Can the ERP solution be integrated easily with your existing software to take advantage of the investments you’ve already made? You already have software—a lot of software—working for you. And you should be able to take advantage of that investment as you add an ERP solution.
If you’re like the vast majority of businesses today, you’re using Microsoft Office System software to communicate with people inside and outside of your company, to analyze information, and to create documents and presentations. How easy is it for your employees to use Microsoft Office products together with the ERP solution to get their jobs done in the most effective way?
The Simplest Way Forward
The simplest way forward is to adopt a solution that provides the same look-and-feel as the software with which employees are already familiar. This will minimize the need for additional training and will make employees more productive every time they can perform the same action the same way, regardless of the application they’re using.
A much higher level of integration automatically integrates functionality in Microsoft Office and the ERP solution, eliminating the need for employees to move data manually between the two. For example, is a meeting that’s scheduled through the ERP solution automatically reflected in an employee’s Microsoft Office Outlook calendar? Does updating a customer contact in the ERP solution automatically update the Office Outlook address book?
It's important to find out how an ERP solution integrates to the other applications you use. It's equally important to learn whether you can modify the integration without resorting to middleware or other additional software that can be costly and difficult to use, and that can limit your upgrade options later.
Learn more about the services SwaimBrown Consulting offers:
• Distribution Management including Software for Distribution business
• Manufacturing Management including manufacturing inventory management software
• Financial Management including financial management software
• Business Management Software and Business Software Solutions
• Enterprise Resource Planning and ERP Solutions
• Accounting Software Solutions
• Supply Chain Management
• Sales Order Processing
• Banking Reconciliation
• Receivables Management
• Microsoft Dynamics
• And More...
