If you find your business floundering at the end of each month, the time could be right for a change. If you’re having more and more difficulty making forecasts regarding sales, an ERP system may be right up your alley. You could take a risk and just deal with business failure afterwards but it’s much better not to let that happen. If you’re still unsure as to whether or not your business is ready for one, here are some helpful clues that will let you know if an ERP system will work for you.
Declining Sales
A business with tanking sales should be worried and if your company is suffering from exactly that, an ERP system should be a priority. One of the reasons behind a decline in sales could be that you don’t have enough of a particular product on hand. When customer information and inventory are in sync, you increase the odds of having more satisfied customers because they will always find what they need from your business. Happy customers can lead to word-of-mouth marketing and this will give you more exposure and ultimately benefit your company’s bottom-line.
Lagging Employees
Are your employees lagging behind? They can use up considerable amounts of time looking for files and by using an effective ERP system, you free them from that burden. They will be able to do their jobs better and get more done in the same amount of time.
Costly Operating Expenses
Does your business need to cut a few costs? An ERP system will be able to do multiple functions, reducing the number of servers and other programs required, leading to less operating expenses. Your personnel will also benefit from their added freedom because they will be able to focus on more meaningful work while your ERP system does the rest.
Difficult Data Retrieval
If someone were to ask you a quantifiable question about your company, how much time would it take for you to answer? With traditional methods, it could take you some time and with business moving at a pace faster than ever before, you cannot afford to take that long. ERP systems allow you and other key employees to have valuable data within easy reach. What’s more, other employees will also be able to know key facts and figures, allowing them to do their jobs better.
Manual Accounting Processes
While it’s good to have hard copies of accounting statements, the process is time-consuming and tedious. This is where ERP technology can come in and make business run smoothly, automating tasks that would ordinarily take hours to do. When it comes to finances, ERP software can do wonders to ensure that data is correct and accounted for. This will give your accounting team more time to do other tasks that could benefit the company.
An ERP system can do so much but you must remember that if you do decide to implement it, you should take the time to give employees all the information they need to make sure you optimize your system. With so many advances in the field of enterprise resource planning, you can be sure that your system will always be able to keep up with the times no matter how long it’s been in place.
Melanie Hickman is a professional blogger that shares the latest information on software and applications that can help your business improve performance and productivity. She writes for Ecount Inc., which provides ERP software that offers easy setup and customization capabilities.