Top 10 tips to help choose the right ERP system

Implementing an enterprise resource planning system (ERP) will help you reduce your costs and make your business run smoother but it can be a costly exercise and of course you want to see a rapid return on your investment.  To help choose the right ERP system, consider this list of 10 things when you begin your search:

• Focus on what makes your business different, and the functions you need to support it rather than a checklist of every possible standard function. Consider your users and what they want to get out of the system and how to engage with them in the process.
• Think about not only the initial cost of buying the licences but also about the potential costs of upgrading.
• Consider how to deploy your ERP system be it through a hosted, on-premise or hybrid delivery model. Weigh up the advantages and disadvantages and work out what is best for your business.
• Consider the manpower to put the system in. Do you need additional resource or are you going to use existing resource? If you’re using existing resource – where does their current workload go?
• Think about the functionality you need, not just now but also for the future – does the ERP system provide it? How easy is it to realise?
• Find out how the system (and the supplier) keeps up with new regulatory requirements?
• Does the supplier understand your industry and have case studies to prove it? Ask for references and check out the supplier’s capabilities.
• Make sure you understand how easily the system can adapt to changes in your business. Can the system cope with re-organisation and restructuring? Will it manage your growth/acquisition plans?
• Be sure to ask what level of support and training is available from potential suppliers.
• Consider how dependent you will be on the technology platform in the future. Does it have a clear future roadmap? Is there continued investment in research and development? Are you comfortable with that level of technology dependence?

CPiO helps organisations make the right decisions about business management software and the underlying technical infrastructure they rely on everyday to help run their day to day operations. We advise, sell, implement, train and support a wide range of software, offer up to date deployment solutions and support over 400 clients in major industry sectors including manufacturing, distribution, automotive, plastics and rubber, and the service sector, as well as in niche markets.