Business software: Is your ERP clock ticking?

ERP software can be a central part of a wholesaler’s business growth strategy but knowing when to update your system can be tricky. Stuart Hall, Sales Director for Epicor BisTrack UK and Ireland, explains what to look out for.

It is no exaggeration to say that making the right ERP (enterprise resource planning) choice can transform your business. Bringing together the whole business operation of a wholesaler, from sales and purchasing to quality control and warehouse operations, ERP software, such as the Epicor BisTrack solution, allows all departments to collaborate more easily.

Gone are the days of simple order entry systems. ERP software can now touch and often manage, the entire wholesale business, making operations extremely efficient and all processes simple and unified. Modern ERP solutions help wholesalers with customer interactions and relationship management, rebate management and claim support, warehouse management and stock control and mobile working.

ERP should support an organisation’s business strategy. This may be to meet growth expectations, to become leaner, or to better support or collaborate with customers and suppliers. The right solution for your business should be based on a number of factors, such as the ERP solution’s flexibility and its scalability so it grows only when you grow and not the other way around.

But knowing when the time is right to replace your ERP system isn’t always easy. Wholesalers should look closely at the software they are running to help increase business efficiency—it may have been fit for purpose when you first implemented it, but your business may have moved on considerably since then. Wholesalers often only consider changing their software when they are forced to, perhaps when the system becomes too slow to operate, the current version is out of support or the current system is proving too costly.

Warning signs

Those on the look out can spot the signs that indicate it is time to consider a new ERP solution. These warning signs may include:

• You perform certain business processes outside of the core system in spreadsheets, other databases or manually.
• You struggle to access real time information, whether this is reporting or details of live transactions.
• Your customer service is suffering due to navigating your current system. Traditional systems were not designed for multi-location, multi-user, multi-mode access.
• You cannot access your system when and where you need to.
• You cannot upgrade your current software due to modifications or changes you have made to get round process issues.
• You use your system as a pure transactional engine and cannot utilise the reporting and business intelligence available from your data to improve your profitability.

The right support

An ERP replacement project can be a large undertaking financially and operationally so wholesalers must make sure that when their current ERP clock runs out the next system has a longer lifespan. That’s where partnering with the right vendor comes in. The software provider must understand the wholesaler marketplace and offer the right support.

ERP software is not a ‘one size fits all’ solution and key to any decision is the focus that the software vendor has. It is important that the software vendor you choose, and their staff, understand the nuances of the market and that the software itself has the right functionality. They should have a deep understanding of your business and your objectives and then tailor the system accordingly. As an objective third party, they can even shed new light on business challenges that you may not have realised even exist.

Choose a provider who makes the right investment in technology. ERP systems that are designed to embrace new technologies as they emerge provide the right foundation on which to build your ERP strategy. Modern ERP providers anticipate change and offer innovative solutions to not just meet functionality requirements but also to meet the changing ways that users will need to work to continually improve productivity and ultimately the speed at which you can do business.

If your business is in a position where its ERP clock is ticking and it’s time to make a change, take a careful look at your business objectives and how your next ERP system will need to facilitate your success through its capabilities. Choosing the right ERP system for your business can be a game changer.

http://www.epicor.com/uk