ERP’s won’t do it all in the Future … The Technologies for Today / Tomorrow
David Gordon
Posted On July 24, 2013
The revolution has begun…look at it in your hand…it started out as a mobile phone. It is now a cell phone that exchanges data from different platforms and allows you to make decisions while on the move.
From years back, distributors of all flavors sought Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP software) that first started out:
- Just Printing invoices
- Then some type of inventory system was added on..maybe
- That evolved into some sort of Purchasing system that eventually led to electronic communications back and forth between their manufacturers and some of their customers. Distributors wanted a better way to figure their inventory. So some ERP software companies offered a warehouse management system even to the point of wireless systems and scanning guns. But there were better system available from other vendors.
- Distributors asked for Accounting packages and they got added to the basic ERP system. Mind you there were varying degrees of Accounting and Financial packages
- Distributors wanted to look at their sales activity by customer by sales person by location, so Reporting packages became optional or part of the basic ERP. But there were other companies that offered more of a targeted solution for reports.
- If you got a later model of ERP software you had the ability to send and receive EDI files.
And now consider your needs … Look around your office and look at all the different computer programs that exchange files. Virtually every distributor I have met over the years has Excel somewhere in their business. It does not exchange files with your ERP system automatically unless you paid for some custom coding.
- a CRM (customer relationship management) system
- a SFA (sales force automation) system (and are they one and the same?)
- Marketing automation software
- Partner relationship management software
- Storefront / e-commerce capabilities
- storeroom management software (for on-site customer locations as well as to manage vending machines)
- smartphone applications (supplier apps, business productivity apps, etc)
- mobility for your business (your app, your storefront?)
- eLearning / training
- integration with HR systems
- online invoicing / billing systems
- more advanced EDI and VMI technology
- social media tracking software
- website analytics
- requests for dashboards to better manage the business
- analysis tools such as www.tableausoftware.com and others
- VoIP phone systems that allow for call centers, “follow-me” numbers and much more
and this doesn’t include software to track cell phones / laptops, catalog management software, price optimization tools, marketing automation, e-newsletters and much more. And we haven’t mentioned social media, the need to measure activity let alone a critical component … product data including pictures, weight and size.
Is your heard hurting yet? Technology has made the business more complex than ever before. Is your IT “partner” prepared to help, provide insight or guidance?
To move ahead you need a strong technology department/partner that can validate needs and qualify different technology partners based upon their core competency as well as their product roadmap. Technology can be a differentiator in helping reduce costs, target opportunities to drive growth and gain a better handle on your business. Is it realistic to think your ERP provider can be a one-stop shop or should “best of breed” prevail and ERP systems advocate open platforms and easy interoperability?
And on this issue, look for an upcoming survey asking you about what technologies you’re using and could conceivable consider.
6 Comments
never thought of it this way
my IT department / manager doesn’t think like this or about this stuff. the department thinks about the erp system, our network and our email. my erp company says they can do it all, but no one believes it (or at least they haven’t delivered on what they say).
I don’t know how to approach this aspect of the business but i do know that we keep spending more money in the name of technology. Any ideas on how to better manage this? Any best practices out there or recommendations for partners?
I sign the checks, but get a sales pitch about how busy the IT staff is and they never have enough budget.
Getting my arms around just exactly why they are always so busy is a challenge. So trying to look forward is a challenge.
My ERP software supplier makes me really wary in trusting what they are doing and saying about the future. And couple this with my IT staff apparently having their conflicts with all the various software issues….
I obviously don’t have the answers.
Not many PAR reports are being filed. IMARK at one time believed in the concept.
Thanks for providing me with a list for thought.
My grand kids can do more with a smart phone than I ever thought about. Times have changed…..and they will continue to change.
I really hate being is a reactive mode…..but we will till someone can ID where we need to go.
In LA
I am hearing that I can keep my current ERP buy some middleware of some type and possibly be able to plug in/attach/bolton other packages such customer relations or a incentive program and I don’t have to change my current business software.
Surely there must be some type of limiting factor? You know even if there is a age factor associated with it….it is a way forward.
Right now my old software is limiting what a computer can do.
Cool possibilities.
NAED has sponsored a Technology Task Force for the last 2 years – their output is posted on the NAED site:
http://www.naed.org/strategictechnology/
The focus hasn’t been on ERP, but several other technologies are included, especially E-Commerce.
For those of you that use an Epicor product and think these two guys don’t know what they are talking about, take a look at http://www.spiceworks.com and type in your Epicor product name.
These fellows have been hitting the nail on the head about Epicor problems. Other verticals have some of the same problems as we have.
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