Planning, Changing and Growing with ERP Software

Use Epicor® ERP to Grow Your Business

Constant change and strategic planning tend to be viewed as antithetical. Think of the people in your life: I’m sure you know someone who plans everything carefully, maintaining tight schedules and frequently checking a calendar, in order to follow a strict routine. You likely know someone else who undergoes constant changes and lacks any sort of routine, recklessly following his/her whims and experiencing no shortage of surprises. We know the pitfalls that both slip into. The schedule-fanatic has a mundane lifestyle and loses control at the slightest change, whereas the reckless friend lacks stability and sometimes finds that surprises aren’t so pleasant.

Rarely do we look at constant change and strategic planning as working in tandem, but the greatest success actually results when this is the case. This is especially true for high-growth businesses. Businesses that embrace growth must embrace change, for an expanding company inevitably experiences increased demands. But change should come about carefully as a result of strategic planning. Strategic planning enables businesses to keep basic processes afloat and make smart choices about how they can evolve. High-growth companies realize that in order to plan strategically and constantly change, they must implement a robust ERP system that can develop as their company expands. Here’s the rundown on how Epicor® ERP empowers businesses to grow through strategic planning and constant change.

Strategic Planning

Low-growth companies are twice as likely to find expansion stressful rather than rewarding whereas high-growth companies are three times more likely to find expansion rewarding rather than stressful. These different experiences result from different approaches to planning. High-growth companies are two times more likely than low-growth companies to see strategic planning as important, and only a third of manufacturers place a high value on strategic planning. When you have a plan in place, your business can face new demands head-on without severely interrupting daily business practices.

But how do you put such a plan in place? You need the scheduling and planning features of an agile ERP system to build a plan based on insight and analysis. With Epicor®’s forecasting and MRP solutions, manufacturers and distributors can generate forecasts from multiple historical sources to enable long-range planning and decision making. A variety of forecasting methods, customizable views and automated features provide the flexibility and the precision that empowers businesses to control day-to-day functions and prepare for future development.

A strong, comprehensive plan for the year ahead gives businesses the confidence to continuously expand. Take a cue from the rewarding experiences of high-growth companies and invest in enterprise software solutions that enable strategic planning.

Constant Change

Strategic planning also eliminates the fear of change that holds back low-growth companies. Change is inevitable for expanding businesses, but many companies find it challenging or stressful. Rather than react to unexpected situations or developments, a method which stirs panic in so many low-growth companies, high-growth companies embrace change with a proactive, well-prepared strategy. This approach to change is key for expansion. High-growth companies seize changes as opportunities for even more development. So how are these high-growth companies avoiding the stress often experienced during periods of change?

The answer is simple: they invest in robust software. ERP solutions equip companies with the visibility and agility needed to quickly respond to changing market demands and rise above the competition. A functional interface makes it fast and easy to create, modify and view forecasts and schedules. We live in an increasingly fast-paced economy, meaning your ERP must work quickly if you want your business to stay ahead.

But growth isn’t just about anticipating changes in the marketplace; it’s about internal changes for the purpose of improvement. Of course, change isn’t something any business should undergo lightly. Another benefit of Epicor®’s strategic planning functionality is the power to create unlimited what-if scenarios to analyze the effect of potential changes on your shop floor or for cost and throughput. Change should never be treated as synonymous with recklessness; ERP enables businesses to use their data wisely to implement changes that will advance their businesses. By mitigating risk, ERP transforms constant change from a nightmare into an opportunity for continuous expansion.

Wrap Up

High-growth companies place a high value on investing in technology, understanding that robust, innovative systems streamline business processes and enable expansion. However, manufacturers and low-growth companies continue to underestimate the importance of a robust ERP system and delegate investments to other areas, but they are missing out on the progress, efficiency and ROI that comes with Epicor® ERP.

With 25 years of experience, Datix is a trusted source for providing the ERP solution that best complies with your company’s needs. Furthermore, we have also built Unity, an integration platform that connects ERP with CRM and/or eCommerce to allow for streamlined business processes and increased ROI. Contact us today to learn how to advance your business with enterprise software!