Posts
During the years of experience in software implementation, we have met business leaders that have various points of view on the use of IT technology such as ERP system, CRM software, as well as software implementation and software Integration in general. Perhaps you recognize yourself as one who:
Currently, do not have a software management system. You put a system implementation on hold and keep using Microsoft Word and Excel to store your sensitive data until you really have no choice but to upgrade to an ERP/CRM system
Currently, use a legacy system. You keep using your legacy system for a few more years and continue making minor fixes here and there to accommodate the changes in your industry/business
Go through with a software upgrade anyways. No matter what you’ve heard or what you’ve previously been through during previous IT projects implementations, you still go ahead with a software upgrade because you know in the long run this will be best for your company’s prosperity and employees.
Software Implementation: Fear of Change
Why Software Implementations are known to be so painful to Business Executives? Among the most commonly called causes are price, time-consuming, and fear of big change. It’s an actual fact because often the final price is so expensive. Normally, implementations take more time than expected, while staff are resisting to the change in business processes. New systems seems too complex, so they pretend they were better off with Excel Spreadsheets and Word Documents, or their old legacy system.
Helpful Reading:
- Magic xpi Integration Platform: The Best Fit for Enterprise Data Integration
- The ERP Experience: ERP for Small Businesses
- Systems integration platform to improve business performance
Achieving the Easiest Software Implementation Ever
Here are some pointers that will allow you to have a smooth implementation and avoid major problems, as listed above.
1. Put together a small internal team to oversee & manage Implementation Project. 
An internal team, made up of 5 employees or less, is critical for a successful software implementation. This group should be continuously interacting with all the departments and top management as well. They work hand in hand with the ERP Service Provider.
On top of this, it is best if these employees are not distracted by their normal daily tasks as they should fully commit their time to the software implementation project. This will ensure everything is running smoothly and everyone’s needs are met.
2. Hire a qualified IT/ERP Provider
Many Small and Medium size Enterprises do not always have an in- house IT team. Nowadays, an in-house IT team is not even necessary due to the emergence of cloud computing and Software as a Service.
However, it is highly important to hire the right Software Provider that can act as your IT Consultant and ERP implementation team for your SaaS ERP project. A qualified ERP Consultant/Provider should have:
- the necessary IT experience and knowledge
- a solid business understanding
- great communication skills, as they will be working hand in hand with your internal team (as mentioned in #1)
- provide a detailed analysis of the different costs upfront (including any potential fees for unexpected situations during implementation)
3. Get the full support from Management
Management should remain unified in supporting the project. They should continuously encourage and motivate their teams not give up.
The support of top management is not only the financial backing but more for encouragement, as this may be a difficult time for employees to get accustomed to a new system and potentially new processes.
On top of this, as there will be a lots of end user training, it can be very helpful if management can alleviate certain team members from regular responsibilities – especially the internal implementation team during that short period of time.
4. Make the Right ‘IT Budget’ Decisions
Management must define the role of IT before any decision can be made. IT can play a major role in meeting the company’s objectives, which is why the Accounting department should fully understand the IT strategy in order to make the right decisions regarding software investments.
It’s about seeing IT not as a cost but rather as an investment.
5. Introduce staff to new processes & standards PRIOR to Implementation
Usually, SMEs have informal, undisciplined types of environments and processes.
The big problem is that ERP systems and other software solutions bring in procedural rigidity and discipline. This is when user resistance and conflicts are likely to arise.
Leaders need to bring in some process consistency & standardized procedures before software implementation begins. It’s all about easing employees into this new work environment.
6. Train your whole team on how to use the new system
Investing in end-user training is not optional if you want to have a successful, smooth software implementation. If your employees do not know how to use the system the right way, they will begin to resist and your team still won’t be working as efficiently as possible.
For successful training, begin this process during implementation and continue after the Go-Live date as well. Follow these steps:
- establish goals
- have the internal team assess each user’s needs and training requirements
- create a training program and schedule
- have the IT Consultant/ERP Provide educate and train the users
Let’s summarize: to achieve an easy software implementation you should:
- Put together a small team at the company to manage the Implementation Project
- Hire a qualified IT Provider
- Get full support from top Management
- Define the role of IT to make better budget decisions
- Introduce staff to new processes & standards early on
- Thoroughly train end-users on the new software
Not sure if your business is running as efficiently as possible? Request a FREE one-on-one 1-hour consultation session with our in-house experts.
In today’s business world, the right technology can make a world of difference. IT experts are always pushing to install the best hardware, software, IT services and cloud applications to simplify the lives of business people. This year has been another big year for IT advancements and we couldn’t be more excited about that. We love seeing businesses leverage technology with the right solutions for them, in order to benefit from efficiencies and cost savings.
Here are our most popular and most requested management software solutions and services.
EDI2XML Translation Service
Year after year, we keep seeing an increase in demand for EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) services. Business executives don’t want to hire a full-time in-house EDI specialist anymore to handle their EDI transactions. Nor do they want to hire more customer service reps to manually enter all incoming purchase orders anymore. Many retailers and suppliers are now requiring that any company they do business with must send and receive documents, like Purchase Orders Invoices and Advance Shipping Notices, via EDI.
Companies today are looking not only to implement EDI but to automate this entire process with an outsourced EDI provider. This is why our EDI2XML Translation Service has been one of our most popular services this year. We handle our customers’ EDI requirements from A to Z; we convert their incoming EDI documents into their preferred file format, such as XML (and convert their outgoing XML documents into EDI), as well as handle all new Partner and document setups and manage their continuous communication with their Trading Partners. Our service is affordable, our setup phase is quick and our EDI support team is easily accessible and available; making it the perfect EDI service for any business.
QBR Business Continuity
With ransomware cyberattacks increasing worldwide, it’s not unusual for business executives to come running, asking about our QBR solution. Using the latest technology on the market, this Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery solution is THE best way to protect your data from hardware/software failures, human error, natural disasters, ransomware, computer viruses and more.
No matter the disaster, QBR allows you to recover your data quickly and easily. Businesses can no longer afford to incur downtime that lasts days or weeks, only to later realize that their old, dusty backup tapes haven’t been working for months! With on-site and off-site virtualization, ransomware detection, advanced screenshot verification emails, infinite cloud retention, unlimited agent licensing, instant recovery of entire servers/workstations and more, a company’s data is well protected!
Learn more about QBR here.
Management Software Solutions – The ErpWizard Suite
We are definitely still seeing a demand for complete Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in the business world. The demand comes from companies that either don’t currently use IT systems to manage their business operations, but instead still use Microsoft Office tools like Excel and Word, as well as companies looking to update their outdated, complex, expensive ERP software.
The transition to a simple, modern ERP system, like our homegrown system – The ErpWizard Suite, has allowed companies to increase visibility into their operations, improve data quality, reduce manual data entry, improve customer service and increase productivity. At the end of the day, when a company has found the right ERP system and Software Provider for their business, they can automate and streamline their processes and improve business agility and performance. That’s the goal of any ERP system. Unfortunately, not many companies realize these benefits at the end of their software implementation (you’d be surprised how many companies don’t even successfully make it to the end of their implementation!).
Technology in the workplace is meant to make business people’s lives a whole lot easier, which is why executives are realizing the importance of a helpful, available, and accessible support team, a flexible, easy-to-use system, and affordable IT costs.
ERP system qualities
Here are some of the main qualities of an ERP system that business executives are looking for:
- Flexibility
- Can easily integrate with other systems
- Is effortlessly accessible from anywhere, at any time to allow users to stay in touch with business operations, even while on vacation or on a business trip
- Easy to use, with a simple, modern interface
- Is continuously updated to accommodate to the ever-changing business environment
- Is well supported by an available and accessible IT support team
- Is affordable !!
This year we have been especially excited about our newly improved ErpWizard Suite. Now, with its new modern, sleek interface, end users will actually enjoy using an ERP system. It’s about time companies moved away from those complex, boring looking, out-dated systems and towards simple, visually appealing management applications, that won’t break the bank.
What do you think of ErpWizard’s new look?
WIMS 2.0 – Warehouse Management
Warehouse Management is another popular software solution, usually integrated within a company’s ERP system. This system allows for better visibility and control of all warehouse activity, which is an absolute must today. A Warehouse Management system allows businesses to know;
-
What’s been delivered and when
-
Where all items are stored in the warehouse facility
-
Which items to pick and how much to pick for delivery
-
The right items to pack using the right shipping cartons and materials
-
What items to ship and where to ship them
All of this is exceptionally important in order to reduce operating expenditures, increase data accuracy, shorten fulfillment lead times, move inventory faster and increase data accessibility. By using wireless scanners, this inventory data collection system is truly bringing better control and insight into warehouse processes. If a company’s warehouse is in order, customers are better served and happy!
Business Intelligence & Analytics
A big favourite among our customers is our Business Intelligence offering. Our Business Intelligence experts are integrating Tableau Software’s BI solution into our customer’s management system in order to provide detailed analyses with customized drillable dashboards, using all real-time data. Our customers are now able to identify hidden trends and strategic information, turn raw data into visual graphs and tables, identify new business opportunities, spot areas of weakness and avoid problems. The insights that our customers are getting from this Business Intelligence solution is giving them the ability to stay ahead of competition.
Contact us to see how our Business Intelligence experts can help you!
The Best Management Software Solutions
We are certain that demand for these management solutions will only increase, as executives are actively looking to transform their businesses using the latest technologies on the market. We predict that mobile business applications will make this list next year, as business owners are looking to supply their on-site teams with access to their management system to input and review real-time data. Modern, visually appealing, easy to use applications don’t just have to be for personal use; companies should be benefiting from these types of applications as well! One thing is for certain; businesses are looking beyond the brand name when it comes to software systems and taking the time to ensure that the Software Provider and offerings are a good fit for their company.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help YOU.
We know that many of you probably stick with your current IT Provider, even if you aren’t truly satisfied with them and their software solutions. What should you do then when they mention that it’s time to upgrade your existing on-premises ERP system? Should you go ahead with it or should you look into perhaps upgrading to a cloud-based SaaS ERP solution? Read more
This post was updated to reflect current trends and information.
We love eCommerce Stores and we love EDI services. Who knew that we’d love them both even more by integrating the two! Read more
Analytics and Business Intelligence (BI) are some of the latest trends in today’s business world. You may be wondering why all of a sudden analytics is such a big deal, since analyzing data, to gain valuable information, has been around for many, many years. Here’s why
We’ve compiled a list of our most read and shared blog posts in 2015. These posts cover tons of different topics ranging from EDI communication to Productivity Apps to ERP Implementations to IT Business Tools.
False Advertisement: The Truth about ERP Implementations
This article really touched upon the negative experiences of ERP implementations at businesses. It goes on to answer the question: “Why do companies have such terrible software implementation experiences?” Our experts’ conclusion was that either their ERP Provider is only providing them with half-truths about implementations to sell their own products OR business executives make their own assumptions and do not do the proper research required beforehand. Getting the RIGHT and TRUTHFUL information from IT Providers as well as doing your own research on implementations is absolutely critical. Read more to get the real story behind those false statements about ERP Implementations. Read more
There comes a point in time when you’ve finally chosen the right ERP management system for your business but the IT provider asks you whether you also want a BI & Analytics solution as an add-on to the system. What should you do?
Many out-of-the-box ERP software suites do have its own analytics & reporting features but they are not as specialized and complete as a separate Business Intelligence add-on solution. What I always suggest to customers is to properly distinguish between the two – what is your ERP system used for and what is your BI solution used for? Read more
Back in September, we published an article called “False Advertisement: The Truth about ERP Implementations” listing the false statements about ERP implementation projects that business executives were told by others or simply just assumed. The last false statement listed in the article was the following: “You should always customize the new ERP system to your current business processes”.
We see this with Small and Medium business owners far too often, which is why today’s article will go on to explain why changing your newly upgraded ERP system to fit with your old business processes may not ALWAYS be the best way to go. Read more
It’s unfortunate that most business people we encounter today have a story to share about their previous ERP software implementation experience and it’s almost never a positive one. Why does this keep happening? Read more
