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ERP partner- When it comes to choosing an ERP partner, it’s vital that the capabilities that it delivers complements the way that the company operates. With such platforms covering a range of areas, from finance to production, a wrong fit can cause operations to unravel, and be costly to revenue, so this decision needs to be thoroughly thought out.
“Selecting a modern cloud-based ERP partner is a total change from purchasing traditional on-premise solutions,” said Andy Campbell, global solution evangelist at FinancialForce. “You are no longer making a one-off acquisition, you are entering a term contract, effectively renting a service from a delivery partner for a period of years.
“For this reason, the selection method and decision-making criteria that you use will need to reflect this new approach.”
With this in mind, here are some aspects to consider when choosing the right ERP partner for your business.
Consider evaluation of functionality
Campbell went on to explain how examining the operations that the ERP solution covers in the cloud can put you in good stead for making the right choice.
He said: “An important consideration is the way in which functionality is evaluated, and this is for two key reasons.
“First, the expectation in deploying a cloud solution is that you do not customise the solution. Instead, you adopt pre-configured business processes, perhaps tweak them slightly, and then modify your working practises accordingly. The extent to which your chosen solution is flexible enough to accommodate ongoing business change is vital.
“Second, the cloud model implies that regular software updates take place throughout the year. In reality, the likelihood is that the solution that is originally demonstrated and upon which a decision has been taken is likely to have been superseded by a later version with even better functionality by the time it’s due to go live. It is important that the vendor demonstrates a future roadmap with commitment to your industry and their products, a willingness for you to actively engage with the product development team and strong executive engagement.”
Check staff and training credentials
While software technologies continue to evolve, the skill sets of human employees are set to remain important to product development as well as customer service. Indeed, this would be an ideal talking point when choosing an ERP partner.
“It almost goes without saying but it’s important to ensure that you are happy with the calibre of the delivery team,” said Nicky Cox, global services director at Sapphire Systems.
