You may be all set to invest in that ERP you have always dreamed about. You have shortlisted the vendor, you have done your calculations and decided to go ahead with your decisions. After all, who wouldn’t be excited about streamlining their business processes and enhancing productivity by automating things up?
It may come to you as a surprise but your dreams can go awfully wrong. More than 60% of ERP implementations fail. This is not to scare you but these are the cold and hard statistics. If you do not want your ERP implementation to fail as well, read on.
There are sure shot ways to avoid falling into the pit that many have unwittingly fallen into. It is not difficult to make your ERP implementation a success. You just need to take care of certain things to avoid unpleasant ERP surprises.
- Know your requirements
As an ERP client, you should know what you are seeking to solve with it. Do not buy ERP just because it is the hot thing right now. You need to clearly assess what your requirements are and then take the plunge. Make a list of all the problems that are affecting you in your business. Most probably, these are related to workflow and business processes. Imagine how an ERP will probably help you so that you can discuss these hopes and aspirations with an ERP consultant.
- Choose the right vendor
Choose your vendor very carefully. If you choose the wrong one, you may be in for some unpleasant surprises. You need to shortlist your ERP vendors from many and interview them well. You must also consult with each of them and see if they understand your requirements. One of the best ways to see if your vendor is the right one is to ask them to explain how an ERP will solve your problems. If they truly understand your requirements, they will tell you whether you need an ERP or not.
- Always choose training
One of the biggest mistakes that companies do is, they avoid signing up for training. Staff training is very important when it comes to ERP implementation. Your vendor will probably offer you that along with the package or maybe not. It depends on many circumstances. You should speak to your vendor about this. If they do not offer free training, opt for paid training. Whatever you do, ensure that your employees know how to use your shiny new ERP!
Conclusion
Always make sure that you know what to expect from ERP and how best to use it to solve your problems. Ensure that you choose your ERP vendor wisely and always choose training even if it costs a little more.
Finally, seek continuous support and development for your ERP as you will need add-ons and third party software programs, especially if you need customizations. These may cost extra but they will be required if your business is a niche one. When you make a well informed decision about ERP, and when you have a plan in place, you will not have any unpleasant surprises.
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