Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software was once the exclusive property of large businesses because of its cost and complexity. Now, ERP vendors such as Epicor have simplified enterprise software, creating configurable, out-of-the-box solutions that are accessible to businesses of all sizes. Still, SMBs continue to look at ERP as untenable for their company. An Aberdeen Group study found that the number one reason organizations went without ERP was that they thought they were too small for the technology.
As more and more vendors provide critical software functionality for businesses of all sizes, going without ERP is the biggest mistake your small business can make. We’re drilling down into the specific advantages ERP software brings to SMBs.
Startups and smaller companies have the hardest workers. Employees perform multiple tasks in and out of their departments as they work to get their business off the ground. The truth is that small businesses must be smarter and faster than their large counterparts in order to climb into the upper ranks of their industry. Without ERP, their efforts are futile. The workforce struggles to forecast sales, calculate inventory or keep track of orders and data among disparate spreadsheets or even sticky notes. As Aberdeen has established, delaying an implementation is a tremendous detriment on a company’s bottom line.
ERP software eradicates these major inefficiencies that prevent SMBs from going up against their competition. By serving as a hub for enterprise data, ERP automates workflows, streamlines processes and instantly updates data. This enables users to easily access data and gain a comprehensive overview of their company. Furthermore, this cuts out the hours wasted everyday by employees manually entering data. User-friendly dashboards, especially those in Epicor ERP, enable your workforce to find the data they need in an instant, fueling collaboration and insight. When SMBs can perform on the level of large, established businesses, they gain an edge in the competition.
For small businesses to grow into powerhouses, they need to have a window into the future. Disjointed systems, data silos and poor analytics and forecasting technology make it impossible for companies to determine their next move. Epicor ERP enables smart decision making by utilizing data analytics and forecasting tools to predict future demand and discover opportunities for expansion. Epicor Data Discovery is embedded in the Epicor 10.2 home page to provide robust business intelligence (BI) capabilities right at your fingertips, giving you constant insights to develop effective strategies.
As you work to expand your organization, it’s also important to prepare for the changes that will inevitably occur in your business models. Though freemium ERP packages might entice you with their low price tags, they don’t offer the scalability or flexibility of vendors like Epicor. Epicor ERP 10 offers unparalleled scalability because of its simplified technology stack. That means you can add applications, modify workflows and perform configurations and customizations without undergoing tedious, costly projects. Changes can be made quickly to adapt your software to your growing business.
Though a fledgling manufacturer or distributor might be able to make due with QuickBooks or Excel for a short period of time, it won’t be long until it requires an enterprise resource planning system. An SMB will find itself struggling to push its products and make a mark in its industry without advanced ERP features. But small businesses still fear that ERP software is out of reach.
Our Datix consultants will prove those businesses wrong. Epicor is designed for businesses of all sizes and offers functionality designed particularly for SMBs. An Epicor Gold Partner, we’re not just Epicor experts but consultants experienced in working with an array of manufacturing and distribution clients. We built our fixed fee ERP implementations for both manufacturers and distributors to be deployed quickly by our premier consultants. The scalable, cloud-hosted Epicor platform is monitored by our ERP experts after go live, making our fixed fee implementation a smart choice for SMBs ready to take their business to the next level.
For businesses of any size looking to grow and improve, reach out to Datix to learn about our robust ERP, CRM, eCommerce and integration solutions.
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