Growing a business requires you to be in many places at once. From tracking manufacturing and distribution to inventory management and eCommerce to overseeing administrative efforts and payroll, it’s your responsibility to ensure all these components flow together in harmony. And so, you employ a software application to reduce the burden and help streamline a specific aspect of your business for better efficiency. As more sales come in and business takes off, you’re incorporating additional software platforms to keep up with the demand.
But that’s when the trouble starts. Customer orders are going unfulfilled because of inaccuracies with inventory. Sales forecasts are being assumed rather than calculated. Finances are taking longer to accommodate your growing staff. Why is this happening? While your business software applications are improving specific facets of the overall operation, they unfortunately are not communicating with each other, creating a “hair ball” effect as we call it in the industry. No two businesses are alike. However, there are similarities when it comes to issues of growing an organization, in which an ERP solution can ease these concerns. Read on to discover the top five indicators that it’s time for your company to upgrade to ERP.
1. You’re Utilizing Multiple Software Applications for Different Processes
Is your team continuously jumping from platform to platform? Are they using separate applications for all facets of your business? If you’re housing resources in different locations, this can cause a ripple effect on everything from your marketing efforts to payroll.
“Before you know it, you could have five, six, seven, or even eight different applications running together, and it becomes what we call in the industry a ‘hairball’, or a mess.” - Jim Rosenberg, President & CEO, neo3
Picking a cloud-based software will help alleviate these concerns by providing a seamless experience to tracking data from sales, inventory management, as well as dismantling information logjams. Your employees will have the newfound opportunity to make quality decisions quickly with an application they trust.
2. Your Team Relies on Manual Processes
Having your employees manually input business data is tedious, mundane and can be quite pricey, especially if the wrong data point is entered into the system. By transitioning to a modern manufacturing software solution that automates data collection and analysis into a streamlined process, you can eliminate wasted time and redundant data entry. Upgrading to ERP software means you’re empowering your staff with the tools they need to stay on task and efficiently do their jobs.
3. It’s Difficult to Access Information About Your Business
How fast do you have access to vital business information? Are performance metrics and inventory readily available? If you’re still depending on spreadsheets and dated systems, it’s going to take some time to get the information you need. Because of our fast-paced, business-savvy world, things seem to move at the speed of light, meaning your employees need immediate access to company information and data. Using an ERP software solution will provide staff the overall views of the business they need at any time.
4. Your Software is Not Supported
When was the last time your business upgraded its on-premise solution? Organizations may be reluctant in transitioning software on a yearly basis due to costs and downtime necessary for IT professionals to deploy an upgraded strategy. As a result, you create version-lock, meaning your existing hardware does not support the newest version of software. Even workarounds are not feasible. You may find yourself spending way more than originally anticipated on new servers and workstations.
5. Your Software Isn’t Running in the Cloud
When running a true cloud application, remote servers are used to store, manage and process data. The ability to see your business’s data in real time is highly critical when using a software. Not only is it convenient to view the data, but it provides mobility and flexibility when communicating within the business.
ERP Software allows for scalability, efficiency and forward-thinking as the most advanced manufacturing software solution to date. Your employees deserve to spend their time working efficiently on tasks that will push your company forward. Finding a system that meets the need, speed and availability your business demands is the first step to success for your manufacturing company
