Effective Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems automate and streamline processes to improve productivity, seamlessly linking different parts of a business. But failing to maintain, update, or optimize your ERP could mean you’re not getting the best out of the system.

Businesses evolve – and so too should their ERP configurations. “You’d never buy a vehicle and just keep putting fuel in it without having it serviced and detailed from time to time,” says Tiffany Cressionnie, VP Service and Support at Datacor.

A proficient ERP vendor, she continues, will help managers stop looking in the rear-view mirror to manage their business, turn them around, and steer them towards the future.

Although it can be quite a task setting up an ERP system from scratch, regular tune-ups are nothing like as disruptive or challenging as the initial installation. If done properly – with the support of your software provider – hassle-free ERP tune-ups can help your business become even more efficient and effective.

So, how do you know when a tune up is needed?

Signs Your ERP Needs a Tune-Up

When setting up an ERP system for their business, most users make the mistake of thinking only about how their business will be operating on the day the system goes live. They don’t always consider how the business may develop or how their reporting and business control needs will look in the future.

Typically, as companies grow and take on new business or product lines, additional ERP modules are bolted on to old parts of the system. “The system’s growth may certainly be organic, but it is not efficient and there are a number of issues to look out for,” points out Cressionnie.

If there’s a lag in processing data through your system, whether it’s milliseconds or seconds, this could be a sign that the system is far too complex and needs to be optimized.

A second telltale sign is apparent when your teams are having to use a number of manual workarounds to get the job done – maybe relying on separate spreadsheets, notes, or physical paperwork to track progress.

Thirdly, ask yourself whether it’s taking far longer to process orders? This could indicate that your software is running increasingly slowly and needs an overhaul!

Lastly – and perhaps most significantly – staff might only be using the ERP to record what happens during the production process after it is completed. If you find this is the case, then you definitely have a system which needs to be made more user friendly.

Getting the Right Support for ERP Success

So, it’s worth speaking with your software support team if you’re suffering any of the following:

• Data processing is noticeably slower.
• Users are relying on manual data processing.
• Staff are avoiding using the ERP system altogether.
• Rather than using the ERP properly, they’re using workarounds.
• There’s too much reliance on physical paperwork.
• Missed business opportunities because of data holes or staff spending too much time on inefficient processes.

“Whenever we come to see one of our customers,” says Cressionnie, “we like to know what their pain points are and what they find difficult to do.”

“It’s then helpful to have an idea of where the company plans to be in the next 3-5 years or over the medium term. We also like to know if there are any information silos that should be connected together. We’ll then work with our clients to remove those blocks and pain points.”

“It’s not about fitting a square peg in a round hole, it’s about finding the right solution for each customer. They may produce the same products and use very similar processes, but they’re all very different,” she says.

The Power of a Purpose-Built Delivery Team

Fortunately, Datacor has a dedicated Delivery Team of business experts to help customers learn and understand their unique business needs and assist with ERP tune-ups.

Our team contains specialists who have previously held senior managerial positions at leading global companies, in areas such as transportation and logistics, cost accounting and control, compliance, and regulation–all the key business functions that companies, regardless of size, need to operate.

What a Well-Tuned ERP Can Do for You

Once an ERP is fully optimized, it provides accurate real-time information about almost any part of a business – from production and warehousing through logistics, distribution, costs and processing. This invaluable data is supplied to managers’ pockets through Datacor’s ERP mobile app – and depending on the level of granularity required, this can drilled down to individual production lines.

All data can be aggregated or grouped in multiple ways, similar to pivot tables in proprietary spreadsheet views so that many different variables can be explored easily.

As a well-tuned ERP system will produce management data in real time automatically, an added benefit is staff will no longer have to waste time working around system holdups, collate and check information between different sources, correct mistakes, or develop their own systems to ensure the right product gets to the right customers.

Instead, they can do more meaningful activities like talking to existing customers or looking for new prospects, suppliers, and business opportunities. And that potentially means more revenue and greater profitability.

But this only happens if the ERP system you operate is running as efficiently as possible, with regular tune ups. So, don’t delay, contact your Datacor Customer Success Manager today.