Home | Meeting Your Match: The importance of finding an IT Systems Consultant

You wouldn’t build a house without consulting an architect—so why would you lay the foundations for your business’ computing structure without expert advice?

In our technologically-driven world, it is essential that your company’s IT operations are running at peak capacity; otherwise, you’ll be rendered obsolete. This is where an IT Systems Consultant comes in: with their industry experience, they can ensure that your data storage, network function, and computer-based client services are functioning optimally.

Why hire an IT Consultant?

As mentioned, IT Consultants can provide the specialized knowledge you need to enhance your technological capabilities—and improve your overall functionality.

When you hire an IT Consultant, they’ll:
• Teach you how to best achieve your business objectives via your IT systems. This can boost your efficiency, performance, and bottom line;
• Provide exclusive, objective expertise backed by years of industry experience;
• And eliminate the need to hire a permanent employee—their services can be used temporarily, allowing you to save money in the long run.

What can an IT Consultant do for my business?

Through their work, IT consultants can augment your business’ offerings in a number of arenas.

IT Consultants can:
• Improve your productivity. By upgrading your IT systems, they can enhance your ability to effectively service your clients, securely manage your data, and remain agile in an increasingly fluid environment;
• Enable the full potential of your current IT infrastructure by identifying areas for improvement, critical function, and value;
• Help your business scale its IT infrastructure throughout growth, implement cutting-edge tech as it is released, and plan the long-term IT strategy of your business;
• And provide a sound IT governance framework for security and compliance.

At ERP Advisers, we are fully equipped to help you derive the highest value from your IT investments. With 30 years of expertise in this sector, we can assist you with the deployment and administration of new apps and platforms, optimize your current landscape, and ensure your IT infrastructure meets your unique needs.

What are you waiting for? Click here to get started.

Home | The ABC’s of open-source ERPs

The ABCs of open-source ERPs

Let’s face it: implementing a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system can be a costly endeavour, especially if you’re paying for custom-built services. However, this monetary load can be lessened via the use of open-source ERP software—without having to sacrifice quality or customizability.

What is an open-source ERP?

Simply put, an open-source ERP is an ERP software system whose source code is readily available to the public. This code can then be freely tailored by your internal IT department or by an outside consultant, without you having to pay extra for licensing or vendor customization services. Generally, open-source ERPs are web-based applications, and be installed onto your server or hosted remotely.

Who should use an open-source ERP?

Open-source ERPs are practical for businesses of all shapes and sizes, with some providers catering to the needs of small-to-medium-sized companies (such as ADempiere, Dolibarr, and ERPNext), and others servicing larger corporations (including Apache OFBiz and Opentaps).

Due to their highly adaptable nature, these ERPs are wonderful for a variety of reasons. If your business’s needs are simple, they allow you to access the basic tools needed for your operations at a minimal cost. Alternatively, if you require a highly personalized ERP system, open-source models are a less expensive—and highly effective—alternative to costly closed-source software options.

What should I look for in an open-source ERP?

When choosing an open-source ERP, pick a system with proper documentation and support. Whether the application offers paid assistance or has an active user base, this will help to ensure that you’re receiving a high-quality option.

Above all, your open-source ERP of choice has to meet your specific needs—and continue to support these needs as they change. As such, it may be beneficial to find a system with additional modules, add-ons, and support plugins for later use.

What are the benefits of these systems?

A major benefit of the open-source ERP model is its cost-effectiveness. Typically, no licensing or maintenance fees are required for these systems, and external consultant fees are generally lower. Additionally, when you implement an open-source ERP, you own the entire system and its full-source content—without any vendor lock-in. This gives you the freedom to install the system however you wish, whether that’s on your own or with a service provider. Finally, open-source ERPs are easier to upgrade than commercial systems. This means that updates can be performed more frequently, keeping your ERP from becoming antiquated or obsolete.

If you’d like to learn more about open-source ERP programs or you require assistance in customizing one, feel free to contact us. Our experts will help you to find the solutions your business needs—with nothing but ease.

Home | Is an antiquated ERP bogging down your business?

As it turns out, the oldies aren’t always golden—especially when it comes to antiquated enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. Whether your business is still using a legacy ERP or is simply behind on updates, out-dated operating systems could be holding you back from success.

How do I know if my ERP system is out-dated?

If your ERP system has gone years without an upgrade, you’re likely well behind the times. However, you’re not alone: a study from Forrester revealed that about half of ERP customers are using software that is two to three releases (or about four years) behind the latest version. Unfortunately, this lack of enhancement is putting you squarely behind 50% of your competition—an immense disadvantage.

Alternatively, your business could be running on a highly-customized, obsolete legacy ERP. Created in the eighties and nineties, these systems were generally built on older technologies (including Progress Software, Sage MAS, Microsoft Dynamics GP, DOS, and IBM AS/400), and were tailored to a business’s specific needs. While they were once highly effective, their need for the continued writing of application code made them non-transferrable to modern technologies, leading to their eventual retirement.

Why should I upgrade my old ERP software?

Today’s business landscape is incredibly fluid. Because of this, relying on an old, unadaptable ERP system could be a fatal mistake for your company.

Here’s why you should ditch your old-school ERP software:

1. They are resistant to change

Older ERP solutions (especially those which have been customized) can be inflexible, creating “version locking.” With this, making any updates to the system becomes very difficult. Whether your internal operations have changed or industry regulations are amended, your antiquated ERP will remain unable to adapt to your needs, leaving you in the dust.

2. They could impede your overall growth

What’s more, an out-dated ERP can obstruct your expansion at the global level. This is especially true for businesses with on-site software: these systems can be difficult—and incredibly expensive—to replicate and mobilize across different countries.

3. They could cause major internal discord

Finally, customized legacy ERPs could cause unwanted siloes across your corporation. Certain departments (which may not have existed at the time of the software’s creation) could be overlooked by your legacy system, causing them to turn to stand-alone, disconnected applications. This can cause breaks in the inter-organizational flow of data, leading to a serious decrease in efficiency.

So, what’s the solution?

As the old adage goes, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. If your ERP system has lost its bite, it’s time for you to upgrade to a modern, easily adaptable alternative. While this may sound like a frightening, costly endeavor, ERP Advisers is here to help: with our decades of industry experience, we’re well-equipped to provide you with the best fit for your business.

Home | These 3 “gotcha” moments could ruin your ERP implementation

The “gotcha” moment. We’ve all experienced it before: you’re working on a project and everything’s going smoothly—until some seemingly benign error renders your work redundant.

Lucky for you, we know how to avoid dreaded “gotcha” moments during Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementations. Here’s a look into three key issues that may arise, and essential ways to steer clear of them.
“Gotcha” #1: Mismanaged Team Members

In order for your project to flow smoothly, your staff must be properly equipped to manage each step of the process.

Key problems:
• Placing too much pressure on IT staff. Because ERP projects often involve upgrades to computing infrastructure, IT Managers are assigned as their sponsors. However, undertakings of this sort require managers with more organizational influence.
• Relying too heavily on outside consultants. While our expertise is beneficial, weak inclusion of inside staff can result in a lack of much-needed organizational knowledge.

Key Solutions:
• Assign a full-time Senior VP (or other business expert) to each ERP implementation. During this time, their other positions should be back-filled to reduce stress.
• Find the right set of outside consultants for your needs. At ERP Advisers, we’ll work in tandem with your employees, ensuring they have the tools needed for long-term success.

“Gotcha” #2: Poor Project Planning

When it comes to ERP implementations, improper planning can take an incredible financial toll on your business.

Key Problems:
• Underestimating the complexity and speed of ERP implementations. By miscalculating the time and effort required to complete these projects, schedules may become stretched out—and deadlines missed. This can result in exceeded budgets, missed deliverables, and an overall loss of organizational interest.

Key Solutions:
• Contain the scope of your project. Review your plans with highly-experienced outside consultants, like ERP Advisers, to ensure that they are realistic and achievable.
• Follow a long-term multiple-release strategy. By implementing ERP modules in palatable portions, your team can stay abreast of all changes.

“Gotcha” #3: Ignoring the Aftermath

ERP implementation causes a variety of changes to occur within any business. As a result, it is integral that your staff are prepared to manage any and all adjustments to your business processes.

Key Problem:
• Overlooking change management efforts. ERP implementation may eliminate, automate, or integrate certain processes, all of which must be planned for.

Key Solution:
• Foresee necessary changes. As we’ve stated, planning is incredibly important. By recognizing the potential for significant changes, you can ensure that your team has the resources needed to carry them out.

With our individualized approach to all ERP implementation, we’ll keep these “gotcha” moments from getting you down. Click here (https://erpadvisers.com/erp-project-management/) to learn more about our services.

Home | CRM System Selection

Customers are an integral part of every business; however most organization find it challenging to meet their customers need and ensure they are satisfied. This can be attributed to the reliance on rudimentary tracking mechanisms like the mind, pen, or paper.
In today’s distracted world, the only solution through which businesses can meet customers need is through technology. Technologies like CRM can make life easier for employees and increase productivity.

What is CRM and why is it essential for my business?
CRM stands for the word Customer Relationship Management; it is a one-stop software solution for marketing, sales, and customer support. It helps organizations maintain a positive and healthy relationship with their customers and also improves profitability.
CRM also enables businesses understand their customers’ buying behavior, including recent trends in customers’ purchase history.

Some of the business benefits of CRM include the following:
• Scales up your business: CRM helps to scale up a business by handling larger set of data about customer’s behaviors while expanding business sales operations.
• Organizes your data: CRM software also helps organize your data into a central database where all information, sales record, and company transactions are stored. This implies that with CRM software, customer’s information can be retrieved be employees in just a click.
• Improves customer service: One significant benefit of CRM software is that it helps to improve customer’s service and make your sales more persuasive.
• Analyzes sales data: CRM software also helps to analyze sales data; with this information, businesses can track marketing campaign and adjust their strategies accordingly.

Benefits of working with CRM Consultant
If you have deployed a CRM system and yet to get the right Return on investment, then you need to seek the services of a CRM consultant. CRM Consultants like ERP Advisers are more vast and knowledgeable; they can help you utilize the full benefit of your CRM system.

Some of the benefits of working with a CRM consultant include:
• Exposure to best practices: CRM consultants have accumulated knowledge of different CRM best practices. These are people who are exposed to real-world situations, and also have the right strategies that can make your CRM system work well.
• Optimized system design: Today’s CRM system is becoming more complicated; therefore, it must not be handled by untrained and inexperienced employees. CRM consultants can ensure that you generate a meaningful result while using your CRM systems.
• Pre-developed code: CRM consultants often have pre-developed code libraries for advanced functionality and integrations; it also helps to accelerate the pace of CRM development.
• Takes advantage of experience to solve similar problems: CRM consultants have years of experience in solving various problems. Therefore they have proven approaches to solving your business issues using CRM solutions.
• Training: CRM consultants have more effective end-user training than most In-house IT staffs.

How to best determine the right system for my business
Before choosing a CRM system, it is vital to provide answers to the following questions:
• What type of CRM deployment do I want to have?
• What are the features and functionalities needed for my business
• Can the system integrate well with other supplications?
• Can I request for a demonstration and free trial?
• Are the customization and training available?
• What is the user experience like?
• Does it have GDPR features?

Finally, providing answers to the questions listed above will help you pick the right CRM system for your business. If you are still confused, you can seek the services of ERP Advisers who can help you choose the right CRM system for your business and ensure you are using it to its full capacity and getting the best return on your investment.

Home | How to improve your business operations and bottom line

All small and large scale business owners are constantly presented with various opportunities to improve their business processes, get more customers, become more visible, and increase productivity. Improving your business processes also helps you save a lot of money and run your business more effectively.

Here are 6 ways to improve business operations and bottom line:

Plan your day: Before stepping to your business premises on a daily basis, it is imperative to create a time when you could jot down your plans for the day and review what your activities will look like. Write down your marketing strategies, product lines, new projects that you intend to embark on, details on how to expand your business, names of your competitors are and strategize on how to stay ahead.
Review your business plan: It is also vital to review your business plan monthly. So many business owners tend to forget about their business plans a few months after establishing their firm, some even digress towards other areas. That is why it is essential to find your business plan, review it, and get it updated. Look at the changes you must have introduced into your business since its inception and get them included in your business plan.
Make use of the latest technologies: At present, there are so many technologies that can help improve your internal systems and communications. Making use of various technologies in your firms helps to automate tasks, simplify processes, and make things easy for your employees.
Engage with your customers: What keeps businesses running are the customers, quality of products, and customer satisfaction. Therefore you must engage with your customers on a daily basis: get their phone numbers, emails, contact information from your database and send them messages reminding them that your business is ready to serve them better. Remember to ask them to leave feedback about your business.
Get your employees involved: Employees are an essential element in every business. You must make your employees part of your business; help them understand their role, review your relationship with them, and find new ways of getting them motivated to avoid any form of friction.
Review your business performance and pricing: It is also vital to set up new metrics that can be used in reviewing your business performance at least twice in a year. Take stock of all aspects of your business operation and write down the areas you will like to initiate some positive changes. In addition, try to know the prices of goods set by your competitors and ensure that yours isn’t too low or high; before increasing your prices, ensure that you get your customers informed ahead of time.

Finally, as a small or medium scale business owner improving your business operations and bottom line can help increase productivity, save you lots of money, get you more customers, make your business visible and keep your employees motivated. Using the steps listed above can help you stay ahead of your competitors while improving your business processes.

Home | What makes an excellent leader? About the trillion dollar coach – the late Bill Campbell

For decades, Bill Campbell, a former football coach turned C-suit executive counseled the biggest leaders like Jonathan Rosenberg, Eric Schmidt, Sheryl Sandberg and Steve Jobs in Silicon Valley.
Campbell was interested in raising leaders who produce better results and builds an ethical culture in the workplace.
Years after his death, three of his mentees Jonathan Rosenberg, Eric Schmidt, and Alan Eagle wrote the Trillion Dollar Coach: the Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell, to pass his message across to future generations.

Here are 7 leadership lessons from the book :
• Coach only the coachable: Campbell understood that it was irrelevant and a waste of time and energy to coach someone who isn’t interested and that is why he admonishes good leaders to coach people who have bigger dreams and work towards realizing those dreams. According to him, good leaders grow with time and look for candidates who are willing to work, honest and continuously open to learning new things.
• Listen actively to your employees: Campbell believes that the primary key to being an effective leader is being an active listener. Every leader must be present when talking to people at work, and not just replying their emails or speaking to them through the window. In addition, effective leaders must adopt the Socratic approach of asking important questions after carefully listening to what his employees have to say.
• Never tell people what to do: Campbell believes that good leaders are not supposed to tell their staffs what to do. Instead, they listen carefully, ask questions and develop stories that relate to the topic while allowing employees to draw conclusions from such stories. He believes that once people can understand where you are coming from, they connect the dots and figure out what to do.
• Adopt performance oriented goals: Campbell agrees that teams which adopt performance oriented techniques like targeting, incentives, and monitoring perform better than those that don’t.
• Do not demand respect: Campbell believes that respect should be accrued and not demanded. Effective leaders accrue respect by projecting humble behaviors. He also agrees that employees dislike working with a dictator who does not care about their welfare, work culture, and future outcome.
• Honesty is key: Campbell believes that every good leader must be honest. According to him, good leaders allow employees to air out their opinion even when it is conflicting and heating the environment. He also agrees that complex problems at the workplace must be dealt with honestly and openly before it degenerates.
• Care about your employees: Campbell believes that every good leader must establish a deep level of connection with his or her employees. There is nothing wrong with showing up for them, caring about them, getting to know their families and showing them true love.
Finally, it is vital for people in leadership positions to imbibe all the qualities listed above if they want to create a great work environment where employees are allowed to air their opinion and put in the best in producing the right result.

For business and technology tips continue to follow ERP Advisers on linkedin and our website blog.

Home | Top Six Key Success Factors for A Successful ERP Implementation

In our earlier article we talked about the importance of ERP systems for organizations, and how to know if your company is ready for an ERP system. Now we turn the focus towards how to implement such systems. Even if an organization chooses the right ERP system, the process would fail project without effective implementation. Research shows that failed implementation of ERP systems has been a recurring decimal in different organizations. The PSSI Blog reports that Gartner Research shows a nearly 100% failure rate for cloud ERP implementations: https://pssiusa.blog/2017/09/05/gartner-research-predicts-near-100-failure-rate-for-cloud-erp-projects-by-2018/ So here are six factors that can improve a company’s odds of a successful ERP implementation:

Project preparation: ERP implementation largely depends on the preparation made beforehand and how well the created strategies cater to the needs of the organization. To ensure the success of ERP implementation, it is thus essential for the proper preparations to be made towards the business strategy, the strategy of the ERP as well as IT strategy. Proper efforts should also be made towards preparing members of the organization for the changes that may be associated with ERP implementation.
Budget: The budget for ERP implementation has been identified as a key success factor. As the implementation process unfolds, budget cuts and adjustments tend to be affected by organizations. These modifications typically affect the success of ERP implementation. It is thus advised that proper budgeting is carried out and modification avoided jeopardizing successful ERP implementation.
Management commitment: The level of commitment of the management of an organization to the implementation of ERP has also been identified as a key success factor largely because the involvement of the management of an organization conveys the importance of the process to the employees. Management involvement in ERP implementation is thus largely encouraged at different levels, from project inception to resolution of arising issues.
Project scope: The identification of the scope of the project as well as the design of an efficient strategy for ERP implementation is essential for successful implementation. The scope of the project will define activities that will be coordinated by the system. When these activities are identified, appropriate plans can also be made for activities not integrated into the ERP system.
Project team: The effective implementation of ERP is also determined by the team that is in charge of the process. The team should comprise full-time members such as a project manager for proper implementation. The core team and consultants should also be able to establish an excellent working relationship. It is also necessary to emphasize the importance of proper communication between the implementation team and the employees of the organization.
Post-implementation activities: The implementation of ERP systems results in changes in the general operations of the organization. Thus, it is essential for provisions to be made for change management as ERP systems are implemented. Employees should be trained on managing these change that would be associated with the ERP, and this training could come from an in-house team that could be trained by consultants.

Successful ERP implementation requires the efforts of all involved parties, from the core team to consultants and the management of the organization towards the incorporation of the processes and acceptance of necessary change.

ERP Advisers will work closely with you to ensure a winning strategy and outcome to help your business grow. Please call us at 905.332.5469.

Home | HOW DO I KNOW MY COMPANY NEEDS AN ERP SYSTEM?

As organizations expand and offer products and services to thousands of clients all over the world, technology also plays a major role in coordinating, automating and simplifying of different processes that takes place in every business. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) technology helps companies effectively navigate their ever-changing business operations.

An ERP system is a software that integrates activities across different sectors and departments within an organization, acting as a master software where different activities can be performed in a coordinated way. For example, an ERP system brings together the customer orders, manufacturing, shipping and accounting functions into a functional whole.

However, many fast growing organizations that could benefit from such well-coordinated systems are yet to deploy ERP systems in their day to day operations because they aren’t sure if the investment is necessary. Here are way 5 ways to know when your organization needs an ERP system:
1. You’re using multiple software packages for different operations: Complex activities spread across different departments calls for an ERP system. Typically, we consult for clients who are using different spreadsheets and document templates across their departments, leading to reduced productivity. When productivity becomes negatively impacted by the lag from coordinating the different software, it’s time to get an ERP system. An ERP system provides that platform that ensures centralized activity and efficiency.

2. Outdated critical information: Fast moving organizations, with large sales volumes need accurate, timely information at their fingertips. When critical operational information such as the number of orders, production data, and financial information within a specific period isn’t immediately available, the organization needs an ERP system. ERP systems are specially adapted towards putting essential pieces of information together in a comprehensive manner.

3. Increased operational costs: When it’s costing your business more and more to run operations the increased operational costs will lead to lower profits. An ERP system ensures the efficiency of operations, reduce working capital, and improve the bottom line of the organization.

4. Reduced customer service: Customer satisfaction is bound to decline when the organization doesn’t have critical information readily available to answer customer queries and respond to complaints. When customers are not satisfied with the quality of services, they receive, sales are bound to. An ERP system provides the ability to deliver efficient customer service and avoid complaints.

5. Your competitors all have ERP systems: If all other organization in your industry or business segment have ERP systems, it is a good indication that your organization would benefit from one as well. Ask what your competitors are doing well and don’t be left behind.

In all, ERP systems provides the efficient coordination needed for the organization to scale up successfully. We have covered the basic pointers that should indicate if your organization needs an ERP system. In summary, if coordination and integration of activities become problematic within an organization, the organization needs an ERP system. ERP Advisers provides a complimentary business assessment. Give us a call today to schedule yours with a goal of making your business more efficient and as a result more profitable.

Home | Improving Business Processes

At present, various companies are in search of new ways of making their businesses more efficient due to the recent advancement in technology all over the globe.
One of the primary ways that have been adopted by most businesses is conducting regular business process improvements. Business processes are a series of steps deployed by a group of stakeholders to achieve a common goal; these steps can be manual or automated.

Steps to improving business processes
For a business process to achieve an objective, it requires a series of action. Some of the steps to improving business processes include:
Mapping out the process: The first step to improving business processes is to determine the process you would like to improve, document each step using a flow chart and explore the steps in detail. Note that some processes may involve sub-steps you are unaware of.
Analyze the Process: After determining the processes, it is vital to use your flow chart in determining what the bottlenecks are in the process. Some of the critical questions to consider when doing this include:
• Which of these steps creates a problem in the organization?
• Are team members frustrated by any of these steps?
• Which of these steps causes a delay in the organization?
Also, remember to speak to people who are affected by the processes and listen to their suggestions on how to make an improvement.
Redesign the process: After identifying the problems, it is vital to redesign the processes in order to eliminate the problem. One way of doing this is to work with people involved in the process, get their ideas, and ensure that everyone understands what the process is meant to do. Then narrow down your list of possible solutions by considering how the ideas made by your team members will affect the process in real life.
Get the required Resources: The next step is to secure the right resources needed in implementing the new process. Start by listing out all you need to do this; this may include seeking for advice from colleagues, senior managers, IT and HR department, ensure that your properly communicate with everyone involved in the processes and that they understand how this new process benefits the organization as a whole.
Implement the redesigned process: While implementing the redesigned process, it is vital to note that improving business processes may also involve changing some existing systems, protocols, and teams members. For instance, you may have to hire new staff, retrain your colleagues or even purchase new software; therefore it is vital to plan and manage this carefully, also allocate time to deal with challenges that may arise while implementing the processes.
Evaluate the process: After rolling out the new process, ensure that you evaluate it and monitor how things are going in the weeks or months that follow. Doing this will enable you to know if the redesigned processes are meeting up with the required expectation.

Finally, remember that making changes in a business is not always easy; some employees may resist the redesigned processes, and other challenges may occur. However, small changes made regularly will ensure that the process remains efficient and relevant to the organization.
If you’d like to improve the current processes in your organization, seeking a professional help is a way to go. ERP Advisers has many years of experience in helping improve processes and technology with small to large businesses. We would love to work with you. Give us a call to get started!