Let’s start with the honest truth…..
If your team is still manually re-entering data into Infor VISUAL, you’re not alone — but you are paying for it every single day.
We see it constantly in VISUAL environments:
Orders keyed in from CRM
Inventory updates copied from spreadsheets
Shipping details retyped from third-party systems
Finance reconciling numbers that “should match but don’t”
None of this means VISUAL is failing you.
It means your ERP is doing exactly what it’s told — and nothing more.
Where Manual Data Entry Sneaks In (Without Anyone Noticing)
Manual re-entry rarely starts as a “bad decision.” It usually shows up quietly:
A customer portal launches before ERP integration is planned
A CRM is added to improve sales visibility
A shipping or EDI tool is implemented “temporarily”
Someone builds a spreadsheet to fill a reporting gap
Fast forward a year, and suddenly:
The same data lives in 3–5 places
Teams don’t trust which number is right
Fixing errors becomes part of the daily routine
At that point, manual entry isn’t just annoying — it’s operational debt.
The Real Cost Isn’t Time — It’s Trust
Yes, manual entry wastes time. But the bigger cost is what it does to confidence.
When data is re-entered:
Errors are inevitable
Timeliness disappears
Audit trails get fuzzy
Reporting becomes a debate instead of a decision tool
Eventually, teams stop trusting the ERP and start trusting “their version” of the data instead.
That’s when VISUAL becomes a system of record… but not a system of truth.
Why This Happens in Otherwise Solid VISUAL Environments
Infor VISUAL is stable, powerful, and proven — but it doesn’t automatically integrate with every system around it.
Most manufacturers add:
CRM
Shipping platforms
EDI
Quality systems
BI tools
And if integrations aren’t addressed intentionally, people fill the gaps manually.
That’s not a VISUAL problem.
That’s an integration strategy problem.
What Fixing This Actually Looks Like (Spoiler: It’s Not a Rip-and-Replace)
Eliminating manual entry doesn’t mean:
Replacing VISUAL
Launching a massive ERP project
Disrupting your operations
It does mean:
Mapping where data is being touched manually
Identifying which system should be the source of truth
Using integrations to move data automatically and consistently
When done right:
Data flows once, not five times
Errors drop dramatically
Reporting becomes reliable
Teams stop “fixing” and start working
A Simple Question to Ask Your Team This Week
Ask each department one question:
“What data do you enter manually that already exists somewhere else?”
The answers to that question usually uncover:
Hidden inefficiencies
Integration opportunities
Quick wins that deliver immediate ROI
Final Thought
Manual data entry is often treated like “just part of the job.”
It doesn’t have to be.
Infor VISUAL works best when it’s surrounded by systems that talk to it, not humans acting as the middleware.
If you’re tired of re-keying, reconciling, and second-guessing your data, it might be time to stop patching the problem — and start fixing it.
