Enterprise resource planning software is an application that integrates all key business activities in one software. The business processes that an ERP software can handle include but are not limited to:
- Product planning and purchase
- Service delivery
- Manufacturing
- Sales and marketing
- Management of inventory
- Finance and payments
- Shipping
Depending on the ERP software you will use, they could be offering more applications and features than what is mentioned above. If you want to know more about other ERP tools and their features, you can check out reviews of enterprise management software at review sites like CrowdReviews.com.
After reading reviews, here are eight other tips to help you with selecting an enterprise resource planning software.
Identify Your Needs
Try to assess what processes and activities your business often does. Is your company into manufacturing? Or do you do product planning? You have to know what your business needs before you can proceed with searching for ERP tools. When you know what you need, it will be easier to locate a software that will fit your needs. Here are some questions to help you with identifying your needs.
- Do you have a current system to handle all your enterprise needs? Is this your first time to get a software like this?
- Are you planning to just upgrade your current system?
- Do you have very specific requirements that your current system is not able to handle? If your current software can handle manufacturing and product planning, why do you need to get a new one?
- What processes are you always doing in your business? Is your current separate software not handling them effectively anymore?
- Will your employees be amenable to new systems and are they willing to undergo training for the new system?
- Is a new system in the budget? How much is the allotted budget for a new top enterprise resource planning software?
Make a List
After you have identified the company’s needs, you need to make an extensive and specific list of what you will require in your software. Here are some tips for making your list.
- Clearly define the business processes that you will let the ERP handle and the corresponding feature that can handle them. For example, if you plan to transfer your customer support to the ERP software, then the software you will be getting should have a help desk or customer support application.
- List what you expect from that feature. If you want a help desk feature, what should it accomplish? Do you want a help desk with an effective ticketing system? Here are the top features of a help desk that should be present when you are considering it in your ERP software. The more specific you are, the easier it is for the software vendor to make their proposals.
- Ask your employees what business processes they need to be solved with the software. Ask them also what specific features they are looking for when using a software.
Consider Those Who Use Mobile Devices
More and more companies are encouraging BYOD or bring your own device for their employees. According to Tech Pro, 74% of companies have adopted BYOD. It has been found to reduce costs for the company and increase the productivity of the employees. You should keep this in mind when looking for an enterprise resource planning tool.
There are ERP tools that still do not offer mobile use and that would be counterproductive. So as much as possible, choose a software that will allow its users to be productive even if they are on their smartphones or mobile devices. One thing that should be considered when using mobile is the security of the information that is stored in the database. Even if users are on their mobile devices, security should still be a top priority.
To know what others are saying about an ERP tool and its mobile capabilities, try to read ERP software reviews.
Features That Should Be Present in Your ERP Software
You have already made a list of what you need from your software. But these are the top features that you should consider in your software.
- Mobile functionality. As was mentioned above, your enterprise resource planning should take into consideration those who are more comfortable using their devices at work. With the mobile functionality, workers do not need to be in the office to work. This will save you money on office spaces if all your workers feel better working at home or at some remote location.
- This application of the ERP software is one of the most needed. This will help align the inventory and manufacturing process of the company. Its benefits include:
- Reduced costs because management of inventory becomes much more efficient;
- More comprehensive reports made by the software for information regarding inventory;
- Streamlining of the production process; and
- Acceleration of production cycles.
- Financial Management. This application will ensure that you will not miss any payments or overlook any details in your accounting. This will allow your company to handle all financial, banking, payment and tax requirements in just one software. The real-time availability of information will also let the managers enhance the company’s financial performance.
- Human Resource. This application in the ERP software will not only handle employee administration, legal reporting, and payroll. It also offers capabilities such as attendance, scheduling, performance support, employee performance, recruitment and competency management. This application offers more features than a typical HR software. You can check this article about HR software so you can compare it with the application in the top enterprise resource planning software.
- Customer Relationship Management. Every business has customers and you should take care of them. You could do that with a CRM application in your ERP software. This will allow your marketers to better handle the needs of customers. They will also be able to identify the buying patterns and preferences of customers.
Evaluate Your Options
After doing the above tips, you probably have a short list of the software providers that you are considering. The next thing to do is to take those software providers and carefully examine them. Here are some things to consider when evaluating your software options.
- Get input from the actual people who will use the applications. If your job is to just look for a software, then you might not really know if the software you will be getting will be usable to those who will actually use it. Get the opinions of the stakeholders and employees.
- Check the metrics and reporting of the software. One thing that companies fail to examine is the metrics system of the software. Will the software already have pre-existing metrics or do you have to custom build it?
- Integration is also another thing to look into. It should work well and seamlessly with what you already have. This will save time in the integration process and ensures that your software will be used.
Get References
Before signing on any dotted lines, you have to get at least three references from your software provider. This will let you know the honest opinions of other users. Here are some questions that you should ask them.
- What went right in the software?
- Is there anything that went wrong in the software?
- What should they have done differently?
- What business problems did the software solve?
- Do you have any concerns or problems with your current software? How did the software vendor address them?
- Do you use all the applications and functionalities that you paid for?
- Did the integration of the old and new systems go well?
- How much customization did you do with the software?
- Is the software scalable?
- Is this software a good investment?
- How much training is needed? Is the user interface easy to use?
Other than references, you could also try looking for reviews and ratings of the software. The questions above should also be asked of the software vendor and you can compare the answers from the vendor and their references.
Customer Support
Choose a software that puts importance in their customer support. Customer support is who you will call whenever you encounter problems or questions. So you should definitely pick a software with an effective customer support. Read here to know why customer service is essential for good business. Here are some questions to ask about customer support.
- Are they available after hours?
- What customer service channels do they offer?
- What kind of on-going services will you expect from the vendor?
- What are the usual response times of the customer service agents?
Training
Using a new system will always require training or orientation. What you should consider is a company that will offer free training to your employees. There are vendors that offer free training, so you should take advantage of that and put that as an additional score for the software vendor.
Looking for a software to replace all your applications? Try reading some reviews and ratings of enterprise resource planning software at CrowdReviews.com. It might be what you are looking for.
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