Critical ERP Dashboard Functions

We all know the purpose of a car’s dashboard. Without it, we risk running out of gas in the middle of the highway or speeding our way to a pricey ticket. Now, think of having this same access to crucial information for your business. Up-to-date insights into business processes at your fingertips ensure nothing gets past you throughout your daily tasks. This is the power of ERP dashboards. Equipped with essential metrics, KPIs and BI tools, ERP dashboards drive manufacturers and distributors to greater success.  

But not all dashboards are the same. When users wind up on a system with tricky interfaces, they can’t find the data they need and often abandon the software for outdated technology. To help you avoid this dilemma, we’ve put together some of the essential ERP dashboard functions to look for to become a data-driven enterprise.  

Flexibility

Sure, ERP software should encourage company-wide transparency and collaboration. However, that doesn’t mean everybody should track the same data and processes day in and day out. That’s why dashboards should be flexible and role-based. By this, we mean that shipping managers can design their dashboards to display the reports and graphs they need to execute tasks, while accountants choose completely different metrics relevant to their positions. ERP dashboards should be adaptable to each user’s specific roles. 

Epicor ERP takes dashboard flexibility to the next level. With Epicor 10.2, they introduced an all-new active home page that each user can completely personalize. Everything from the types of graphs and metrics to the color scheme and style can be easily chosen by your individual employees, optimizing the user experience. This degree of personalization encourages widespread user adoption and ensures the right data is in the right hands. Whether employees want to see easy-to-read summaries or drill into specific datasets, ERP dashboards should make it simple for your workforce to gain necessary insight.  

Usability

A widespread problem with ERP dashboards is usability. Vendors don’t always make it easy for users to define their KPIs or drill into metrics. Businesses with limited system usability are forced to invest in costly customizations or add-ons to view data necessary for solving pain points. Furthermore, users might struggle to search for critical metrics or modify their dashboards to respond to new business challenges or job tasks. Your ERP instance should allow users to find what they need, when they need it without hassle. 

Epicor dashboards make it easy to navigate data and reports. The solution comes equipped with charts and KPIs designed for specific organizational roles, but it also gives users the ability to easily define new metrics to perform their unique activities. As we demonstrated in our tutorial of adding new BAQ tiles to the Epicor Active Home Page, dashboards can be modified in just a few clicks. That means users can locate information quickly to make your workforce more responsive.  

Comprehensive Insights

Your enterprise is generating massive amounts of data each day, but it only adds value to your business if it provides relevant insights about your customers and performance. Therefore, dashboards should be working overtime, using business intelligence to transform big data into analytics and predictions relevant for each user. By providing comprehensive insights in a user-friendly interface, ERP dashboards promote a widespread view of enterprise processes. 

With 1000 out-of-the-box analytics choices and 40 available chart types, Epicor offers a variety of tools to help you keep up with industry demands. Predefined dashboards designed for common business roles and contexts cover the most important metrics to give you deep insights into your operations. You can even track processes and data across multiple locations.  

Wrap Up

Becoming a successful, data-driven enterprise means possessing critical insights at your fingertips. ERP dashboards serve as the gateway to a wealth of information, but only if they are optimally designed to provide comprehensive data in a flexible, user-friendly format. Epicor took all this to heart, including powerful enhancements to their dashboards for the version 10.2 release.  

Datix, a certified Epicor partner, has provided ERP services and solutions for over 20 years. Our consultants understand how to help manufacturing and distribution clients take full advantage of the robust Epicor dashboards. From start to finish, we ensure each business has the ideal solution to deepen their understanding of their processes and make smart decisions.  

Maximize the value of your data with sophisticated Epicor ERP dashboards. Learn more about transforming your business with software by contacting our ERP experts today! 

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