Suffering in Silos: Why Your Company Needs an ERP System
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You received a new message through your customer support software. A client is asking for a special service, but you’re not sure if it’s included under their license. You ask your manager where the client’s license information is stored.
It’s in the CRM.
How do I get into the CRM?
You need to talk to Kelly.
So you hop onto Slack and send Kelly a message
Kelly is on holiday this week. You can see her availability on the HR system.
So you log onto the HR system…
You get the point. If you’re a part of a growing company that’s rapidly building out its processes, this scenario may have given you flashbacks. Sorry. The truth is that process pains are inevitable for growing businesses, but silo-ing software systems by department is often a cause of the pain, not a solution. For many businesses, the solution is to implement a great ERP system.
What’s an ERP?
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a system that integrates and automates many processes within an organization. ERPs reduce manual inputs, which saves time, decreases the risk of errors, and ultimately builds operational efficiencies. ERPs are usually composed of modules, each of which is dedicated to a specific department or task. ERP modules are commonly used for human resources, inventory, accounting, marketing and sales, and supply chains. These modules are highly customizable to a particular department’s needs, and can communicate with other modules to send and receive information about other modules.
You’re probably familiar with ERPs, and the term alone may beckon an image of a Windows 98-esque interface with the speed of a dial-up connection. But the advent of cloud computing has reinvigorated ERPs in recent years.
Forecast: Cloudier
Before the days of cloud computing were the dark ages of self-hosting. Back then it took 2 years to even implement an ERP, and by the time it was up and running, your company had changed its business model from selling pineapples to pineapple support. Now with cloud-based ERP, setup time could be just a few months, and even less time to create a new support module for your customers.
Way Cheaper
Self-hosted ERPs were also ridiculously expensive. Aside from the hardware costs, you also needed a whole team of installers, maintainers, and complainers to keep the system running. Cloud-based systems alleviate both hardware and labor costs substantially — most ERP providers charge a flat monthly fee.
Way Mobile-ier
Cloud-based ERPs are also far more mobile-friendly. ERP’s biggest value-add is providing real-time visibility over business activities, which makes small-screen compatibility a must-have. Cloud ERPs can easily integrate with other mobile APIs to deliver reporting and analytics.
An ERP can feed and be fed data from every aspect of your business. Processes can be quickly updated by changing the data passed between modules, which means less errors and fewer headaches. So instead of bothering Kelly on her holiday to find out if this client’s license covers pineapple repairs, you can simply fetch that data from the CRM module with the click of a button.
Need Some ERP in Your Life?
Faba Technology is a top-notch software development and staff augmentation firm in Vietnam. We’re good at making software that help businesses to optimize their processes, which includes modules often found in ERP systems, like project management, logistics, inventory, and human resources. If you’re interested in learning more, shoot me an email at evan@fabatechnology.com.
