One size doesn’t fit all: how to get the most value from your ERP

A good ERP system can save you time and costs, while improving operational efficiency and decision-making. Around 47% of companies worldwide use an ERP application, but 44.8% of them implement the software without any customisation.

How much you decide to customise your software depends on your business. You might work in a highly-specialist business where customisation is essential for meeting your requirements. Or you might be able to work with a standard solution. There are advantages and disadvantages to customising your software. One of the drawbacks is that it can be expensive and time-consuming to maintain it.

But industry-specific ERP software can provide the best of both worlds, giving you the flexibility to choose your own features and functionalities, and scale it in line with business needs.

Industry-specific ERP solutions

An ERP system is made up of modules which each focus on a specific business function – for instance, a manufacturing model will include production scheduling to reduce lead times and improve efficiency. Each module serves a different purpose and all form part of the ERP system to enable data sharing, planning and communication between departments.

Industry-specific ERP software has been designed by experts with knowledge of your sector, so it should already fit your businesses needs.

For example, ECI’s Ridder IQ software, is specifically designed for small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) that are looking to reduce lead times, and increase revenue with automatically generated orders, procurement, bill of materials and CRM.

Scalability with the cloud

Cloud-based ERP software has also been a gamechanger, with 97% of ERP buyers considering it.

The biggest benefit of cloud-based ERP software is that it can be easily scaled up depending on the business needs. It also enables you to easily add new modules – or remove them – giving better control over your system and ensuring it scales as the business does.

You don’t need to invest money into expensive hardware or IT costs like updates, security, support or maintenance because the ERP vendor takes care of it. It also offers real-time access to the software from any location, so employees can work from home or access information at a project.

Choosing the right ERP

When it comes to choosing an ERP system or new module, there’s a lot to consider. It needs to be optimised for your business to ensure you get the best value for money and results.

Start by having a look at the different modules an ERP consists of like finance, ecommerce, marketing or procurement. Identify which ones align with your business processes and then calculate whether they will benefit you.

Ask yourself which areas of the business are already efficient, and those that could improve. For example, reporting could be taking you weeks, but ERP software can instantly generate reports with accurate data and in-depth analysis.

It’s also worth defining your goals at this stage. If you want increased revenue or efficiency, choose an ERP with the modules to support that. For example a small manufacturing company may get the best value out of a manufacturing module that supports production planning and quality control, along with supply chain management that offers inventory and order management.

Before introducing a new ERP or module, consult with the team it affects to get their opinion and demonstrate the benefits. If you are looking to automate processes, ERP can support this in a number of ways. It can eliminate manual repetitive tasks like generating invoices and new orders.

It’s also important that the ERP system supports existing processes in the business. Manufacturers need to identify their strategy, whether that’s assemble-to-order (ATO), make-to-order (MTO), engineer to order (ETO) or configure-to-order (CTO), because each one will require different ERP functions. For example, an MTO manufacturer will need an ERP that streamlines customisation, whereas an ETO manufacturer will require greater collaboration as the product is customised from the early design stages.

The bottom line

An ERP is not one size fits all. You need to make sure you have all the features you need to grow your business, without paying for ones you don’t use. If your company is very niche or you want something tailored, you can work with your provider on customisations to meet your business needs. An industry-specific ERP is designed with businesses like yours in mind, and you can add or remove modules to suit.

Choose an ERP provider with experience in your industry. ECI is trusted by over 25,000 businesses globally and the software is designed by experts who know businesses like yours inside and out.