3 Things Your ERP System Should Do

As a firm that specializes in helping businesses optimize processes to produce dynamic and innovative business outcomes, we have exposure to a lot of great ideas and projects that enterprises are interested in implementing. There are few technology implementations that provide more value or produce greater results to businesses than integrating enterprise software. More specifically, it’s what — or how — businesses choose to integrate their ERP with other systems that really seems to transform processes, save time, and produce the greatest ROI.

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The most successful ERP’s integrate with other systems

So what are some of the most successful types of ERP integration that we see? Primarily, it’s the projects that start with the end in mind. There is usually a process or way that a company does business that is either cumbersome or costly. With the right amount of ingenuity these challenges can almost always be overcome. What we often see is that businesses have trouble recognizing what processes are really slowing them down, and what solutions might be available to them to solve these issues. Below we’ve compiled our top 3 ERP innovations that have proven to save companies time and money.

Top 3 ERP integrations to consider

Example of how the integration works

 

1. ERP and CRM Data Connection

   Why integrate?: This one is really a no-brainer, the problem is that many companies don’t realize the benefits; nor do they understand how easy it can be to integrate these two solutions. Integration of your CRM and ERP systems allows you to get complete front-to-back-end office visibility. It provides businesses with a single source of the truth for all account, contact, shipping, invoice, and other important data.

   Why businesses benefit with this integration: Companies can eliminate dual-entries into systems and ensure all records are sync’d and accurate. This saves valuable time and can prevent sales and service issues from falling through the cracks. Additionally, it provides new sales opportunities for sales people in the field. They can check stock and inventory status from their mobile device, then place an order and have it immediately sync with the back office. This has directly increased sales and sped up shipping times for many of our clients that have implemented this type of integration.

2. Parent Company ERP to Manufacturing Plant ERP Integration

   Why integrate?: Connecting two ERP systems together seems kind of redundant, right? Wrong. We’ve found that many businesses with a large parent  — like SAP or Oracle  — will often let their manufacturing plants run an ERP system inside of their plant that better fits their process (Epicor, for example). It’s important to share and transfer financial information between these two systems. Typically this is done by sharing logs and database or spreadsheet files; something that is both risky and time consuming. By creating an integrated map between both financial systems companies can ensure that correct data is available at all times.

   Why businesses benefit: Not only is valuable time saved by eliminating the need for logs or spreadsheets to be exported and imported, it mitigates the significant risk that data goes through when it is placed into an outside transfer file when it exists one system; prior to entering the other. Quite simply, with that kind of significant data, it makes more sense for it to be transferred digitally via sync, than through manual logs.

3. ERP data Sync’d with Marketing Automation Software

   Why integrate?: Why would marketing need to have access to the back-end data that exists inside of an ERP? We’ve learned that business that often don’t have access to their end-customer, or end user, have difficulty capturing the valuable marketing data that their distributors or brokers often possess. However, in many cases the company itself will still perform service, warranty, and other product registration information with the end customer. In this case, all the valuable marketing data that was once missed could now be captured and sync’d directly with the marketing automation software.

   Why businesses benefit: With a sync between ERP and marketing automation software, marketers can realize access to customers and prospects that were previously inaccessible through existing channels. It only makes sense that a business would want to take advantage of the marketing gold that already exists inside of the organization. This info can be strategically used to launch new projects, offer new promotions, or issue special messages. We’ve seen this increase product demand and improve sales; while offering further value to distributors and brokers as well.

Interested in integrating your ERP with one of the systems above. Datix Inc. specializes in a a pre-built integration product that can allows any business to connect their ERP to any of the systems listed above. Contact us today to learn more.

For additional insights, check out the video below..

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