ERP for Businesses | MicroChannel

ERP for Businesses

What is ERP?

An ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning is a software that automates business processes and workflows, improves control, and provides insights from a centralised database that seamlessly integrates finance, inventory, supply chain, production, warehousing, sales, marketing, and human resources management. Team members can use the information in a centralised database to analyse different scenarios, uncover new opportunities, suggest improvements that translate to cost savings, better productivity, and ultimately improved profitability.

erp for businesses

Modern ERP software systems are built to cater to businesses of all verticals with embedded best practices and thus have become a critical tool for businesses across different industries. Businesses rely on ERPs for their day-to-day business activities, enabling access to real-time data across different geographical locations and departments. Human errors can be minimized as there would be less need for manual data entry by employees and queries & reports can be generated easily and quickly without IT intervention. In a nutshell, ERP helps to unify resources, processes, and technology across any business.

Definition of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

As per Wikipedia, Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is the integrated management of main business processes, often in real-time and mediated by software and technology. Enterprise resource planning is categorised as business software that contains a few modules to address specific business requirements. The software fulfills different functionalities, for example, accounting, inventory management, customer relationship management (CRM), warehouse management, project management, and more. All these are fully integrated within the same database, thus minimizing data corruption or human errors from manual data entry.

ERP Fundamentals

Most ERP systems are built on a single common database. This means that the data for each company’s business processes is stored in one place. This makes it easy to share data across the company. Information flow through different business functions, departments, geographical locations so there is seamless sharing of information throughout the organization. ERP is the enabler for resources (people), processes, and technology in modern companies.

ERP makes it easy to collect, organise, analyse and distribute information throughout organizations so that every team member can perform their role in the most efficient manner. Instead of spreadsheets and multiple disparate standalone systems, ERP can bring all resources together and create a better order.

How ERP can help businesses?

An ERP system can help businesses of all sizes to identify new opportunities for expansion and also identify areas for improvement. A high adoption rate can maximize the use of ERP to fulfill the specific needs of each business. Whether it is a spike in demand, delay in shipments, low cash flow due to overstocking – an ERP solution allows you to drill down to the specific issue so that you can proactively mitigate the issue.

  • Using It On The Move – Modern ERPs are available as cloud applications so that users can use them anytime anywhere, even while on mobile devices. This flexibility allows users to avail the needed data from the central database irrespective of location.
  • Business Insights Fast – No longer is there a need to spend hours or days to get a report. Query tools enable users to quickly analyse data and generate needed reports without the need for IT intervention. These tools are user-friendly and do not require any special training or knowledge to use, thus making it very easy for normal users to get the information they require.
  • Lower Operational Cost – Businesses do not need to perform multiple data entries to different disparate systems and/or spreadsheets, which eliminates human error and improves data reliability. At the same time, the free flow of information throughout the businesses gives businesses the ability to avail real-time information – which improves productivity, lowers cost, and increases profitability.
  • Fulfil Current and Future Needs – Using a modern system fulfills most modern business needs, unlike legacy systems which may not be able to meet your specific business requirements. So if it is a new marketplace that you need integration with or a new logistic app that can help improve deliverability, you can be sure that your modern ERP system has the capability for that.
  • Information is always up-to-date – The ERP system is continually receiving information from various sources and thus is updated immediately at all times. This is a major plus point because all information in real-time, and it will help decision-makers to analyse data for decision making.
  • Everyone is on the same page – With a central database, all decision making will be done based on the same information. There are no duplicate or conflicting sources of information unlike offline spreadsheets or disconnected standalone systems that may have non-updated information.
  • The Business Value of ERP

    More companies are implementing ERP solutions because there are obvious benefits across various departments. Besides a lower operational cost as the main value of implementing an ERP system, below are some of the business values an ERP offer businesses:

    • Real-time visibility
    • Instant access to business data
    • Ability to uncover new opportunities
    • Ability to identify issues
    • Ability to make faster decisions based on real-time data
    • Automation of tedious and redundant tasks
    • Access from anywhere (not confined to business premises)
    • Enable better collaboration between team members & third party
    • Improve forecasting to improve cash flow, minimize overstocking & achieve optimal inventory
    • Reporting capabilities
    • Lower operational costs
    • Better risk management
    • Predictive insights with build-in artificial intelligence
    • Single source of truth with data integrity

    How Does an ERP work?

    An ERP system is a way for a company to manage all of its operations. The system is made up to automate and digitize business processes so that they can be monitored, controlled, and audited. An ERP system integrates every department in a company and collects data from them such as inventory, production, sales& marketing. The data are then processed and converted into information that will help the leadership.

    ERP systems help businesses to adopt new technology faster by providing access to data that was not available before. By implementing a business management system, you can now connect your processes in real-time and get updates on what inventories are available. Employees will be more productive and customer service can be improved. Decision-making becomes easier thanks to data analysis that you’ll have at your disposal.

    ERP Integration

    The integration of an ERP system with other software systems is a process that will provide a number of benefits to the company. Integrating an ERP system with other software such as CRM, warehouse management, logistic, production management, and more will help the company to have better visibility and control on their cross-functional processes. ERP reduces waste of time, increases efficiency, improves customer management, saves money, makes employees more productive, enables better decision-making and delivers a more accurate representation of your company’s overall health.

    • erp buyers guide

      Build up your knowledge of ERP functionality, emerging technology and industry insights with the 2022 ERP Buyers’ Guide. Save time and effort by getting things right the first itme with trusted ERP advice.

      Read Now

    • SAP Business One is an affordable Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software designed for small to midsize businesses. As a business management solution, SAP B1 streamlines business processes, provides real-time information, and help boost overall business performance. The solution covers finance, sales, customer relationship, purchasing, procurement, inventory and manufacturing in one centralised system, enabling accurate and precise information retrieval that assist in reporting, forecasting and analysis.

      sap business one modules

      SAP B1 Modules:

      • Accounting
      • Sales
      • Warehouse & Production
      • Purchasing & Procurement
      • Inventory & Distribution
      • Reporting & Admin

      Read More on SAP Business One

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