Have you outgrown your current software?
I’m often approached by people who are using outdated software system and urgently need to change because their current system is now holding their business back. For too long they’ve been distracted by other aspects of their business and finally, something has happened which has caused them to take action.
It might be the system is falling over several times a day, or they’ve discovered a big hole in the stock valuation, largely due to the stock sitting in a spreadsheet because the system can’t manage it properly.
It’s a bit like buying a server and working on the basis that until it fails you don’t need to worry about it. And then as it approaches its 7th, 8th, 9th or even 10th birthday you start to think, you’d better do something about it before it does fall over. Hardware is generally replaced every 3 – 5 years, software perhaps every 5 – 8 years.
Modern ERP systems are so flexible and sophisticated, if you haven’t purchased one in the last 10 years you probably have very little understanding of just how hard you’re unnecessarily working. The right ERP system can easily deliver an additional 10% or more of productivity when compared to something you bought 10 or more years ago, or a spreadsheet-based system.
One of the biggest challenges I encounter with companies that have used the same software for at least 10 years, is they can struggle to even imagine some of what is now possible with a modern system. So, if yours is past its sell-by date what might you be missing out on?
Open APIs – this means your ERP can connect easily to a host of other systems including your website. Just think, no more hand entering of sales orders arriving from your eCommerce shop
Integration with office productivity software – want to connect to your email, calendar or contact list? Modern ERP systems can synchronise data with your existing tools, giving everyone a much better view of what is going on.
Bank integration – say goodbye to manual bank payments – first in your finance system and then secondly keyed into the banking system, or how about full integration with your bank statement and automatic bank reconciliations?
Running multiple companies with trading between them? You no longer have to manually post transactions in each company, and ensure that they all reconcile, these can be posted across companies in a single step, or transactions in one can automatically trigger transactions in another.
AI – it’s a bit of a buzzword, and artificial intelligence is beginning to help companies understand trends, exceptions and provide insight into analytics that are brought to life rather than you having to go looking for them.
There are so many benefits to a modern ERP and I’m sure my contacts who sell ERP systems will be horrified by the ones I’ve picked out – knowing there are lots of other amazing things they can do.
If you’re not sure whether your software is past its sell-by date? Check-in with these questions.
You are struggling with an on-premise system that can only be accessed via VPN or a Terminal server now that many of your team are working remotely
Getting your software to talk to other systems is either impossible or requires specialist developers and lots of money
The only time you speak to your software support company is when something has gone wrong
Your system is unavailable more than once every couple of months
Every time you ask the question ‘is it possible to….’ You are told “No”, “not easily” or “yes and it will cost several thousand pounds”.
Training new staff is time-consuming because you have adapted the software to “your” way of doing things and no standard help is useful any longer
Software doesn’t come with a date stamped use-by date. Although software companies do eventually ‘retire’ their software they rarely force you to upgrade or prevent you from using it. They are much more likely to allow you to continue ‘unsupported’ at your own risk. If software was something we stored in the fridge, we’d be much more likely to throw it out as the sell-by date passes than hang on to it for any length of time thereafter. Many of us are so conditioned to checking food use-by dates that some years ago an Australian pillow manufacturer decided to print use-by dates on its pillows to remind its customers to change their pillows regularly. If software had an equivalent I’m sure that UK productivity would be far higher than it has been since 2008.
When companies start to take action, they can quickly become overwhelmed or end up going round in circles in their quest to find a new system. A process that should be done and dusted in 4 – 5 months can take years to finalise, often meaning the business has changed fundamentally and the decision is no longer valid.
If you’ve hit the overwhelm or you’re seeing confusion or conflict in your process you might want to take advantage of a Selection Sense Check. Send me your requirements and during a 90-minute mentoring call, I’ll help you to identify what else you might want to ask the vendors and highlight any potential gaps in your process. You’ll also receive a diagnostic tool to speed up your decision making, a copy of my book on data migration and as much email support as you need for up to 2 months or until you make a decision.
