A company’s success depends mainly on its tools, and Business software or ERP is undoubtedly one of its central gears. When choosing and implementing software of this type for a business, it’s not always easy to know what to prioritize.
Do you want to make the management of your business more efficient or improve your ERP system? ERP systems are the best technological allies for this, but before choosing one, evaluate which solution is the most suitable for your business. This article will show you how a good ERP choice can turn your business around!
Key Features of Business Software
If you’re evaluating different ERP solutions for your business, it’s time to look at the core features or critical aspects that shouldn’t be missing.
It is not trivial that your ERP has the essential features that allow you to achieve the desired results. There is no point in investing effort and money in something that doesn’t meet all your professional needs.
Think of buying an ERP as designing a home you’ll live in for many years. You will need a good structure. Otherwise, you will not be able to build anything solid. Value everything you might need to scale, automate, and integrate your business in the future. This will ensure that the IT foundations on which your entire business rests are strong enough.
1. Business Software Automation
Whether you are a self-employed entrepreneur, an SME, or a large company, the ERP you choose must be able to automate all the different areas of your activity: finance, supply chain, operations, invoicing, etc…
Its function should be to facilitate your work, reduce costs, optimize processes, and integrate all the daily jobs by professionals.
This does not mean that you will not need your employees, but the idea is to increase productivity by avoiding many processes that can be entirely delegated to technology.
Thanks to ERP software that automates your company’s processes, you will be able to achieve a good capacity for evolution. Otherwise, your business would encounter bottlenecks in some places and, therefore, would not be able to evolve.
2. Integration capacity
There’s no point in making a significant investment in ERP software if it doesn’t integrate with other programs you use. The primary function of this software is precisely to make the different departments work together.
For example, if you have an e-commerce site, the ERP you choose should integrate payment platforms like Stripe or PayPal and CMS like Shopify, PrestaShop, or WooCommerce.
You’ll need it to be able to integrate with the programs you’re already using, but also consider point 7 below. It is possible that, in some cases, you want to integrate it into different programs or that you prefer that the software itself already has the modules that your company needs.
In addition, many business software in Bangladesh of all sizes and prices include the option of integration with the bank or even integration with tools such as Zapier, which allows third-party integrations.
3. Real-time operation
Some enterprise resource planning systems can perform operations synchronously, making a big difference in efficiency, speed of response, agility, and software robustness.
Integrating all information will be decisive for the most efficient, organized, cost-effective, and complete management of projects, resources, and operational processes.
In this way, the company can identify problems quickly, giving the team time to react and solve them with agility and minor damage to the company.
4. A common database
There are business management systems that divide the database into different departments. This is done primarily in large companies to improve performance.
The problem is that this generates duplicate information errors and inconsistencies and potential incidents and malfunctions. Therefore, the ERP software should have a familiar and unique database. This will allow you to manage all IT processes and systems from the same shared data.
So, for example, you can prevent an invoice from being accounted for twice or a product from appearing as unavailable in stock while it is available.
5. An intuitive interface
When choosing management software for your business, you should not forget that people will use it daily. The ERP must be intuitive enough to facilitate their work.
Listen to your team to feel comfortable with the chosen software because they will have to be trained in its use, and they will have to be motivated to make it their daily tool.
In addition, if it is intuitive enough, the training period should not be extended. This aspect is essential for the return on investment, as it will reduce the costs of implementing the management system and avoid problems when new employees join your company.
6. Adaptability
Think that hardware is constantly evolving, as is software with constant updates.
For example, some ERP systems from twenty years ago were obsolete. At the time, there were ERPs designed for Windows 95 computers, for example.
As soon as the user changed versions of Windows or wanted to use a Mac, they could no longer access their program. Of course, he couldn’t access it from home either, and the idea of telecommuting was almost science fiction at the time.
ERP programs on the cloud can be used from any device, including computers of any operating system (Windows, Apple, Linux) and even tablets and smartphones. They allow multi-device use by the user himself, at work, at home, or even on his smartphone.
7. Modularity
It is sometimes thought that an ERP is a computer program, but strictly speaking, it is a set of programs, a global solution to centralize all the information systems.
In other words, one of the main advantages of ERP is that they allow you to include different tools/modules connected. Each of these tools is called a module, and therefore modularity is considered an essential feature of an ERP.
8. Data analysis
One of the characteristics of an ERP is that it improves decision-making. Having a table that provides a comprehensive and intuitive view of all aspects of the business is one of the essential aspects that you need to value.
This is achieved through a business intelligence module that reveals the company’s key figures. If you don’t have charts and reports for data analysis, it will be tough to plan company resources, regardless of the integration and storage of information.
9. Possibility of modifications
Another feature of an ERP that you should not overlook is that you can modify it according to the needs of your business. Imagine making a significant investment and then discovering that you can’t adopt some critical aspects you need to run your business.
In some cases, it is advisable to choose open-source software to have access to a programmer to adapt the program to your business.
10. Easy maintenance
When we buy a product, we wonder if its maintenance will be expensive or cheap, for example, a computer or a car. The same thing happens with all SaaS, including Business Software, unless you’re picking the wrong ERP.
You need to consider the initial cost of its acquisition, implementation, staff training, and the cost of maintenance.
Beyond what this may mean for you in economic terms, evaluate whether it will be straightforward to get your ERP up and running in the future. You will not only have to consider what it will cost you to adapt to the updates but also their compatibility with your devices.
For example, suppose you choose an ERP on the cloud. Even if the software evolves, you can access it, unlike management programs that run locally on a particular operating system and end up no longer being compatible.
Conclusion
There are many types of business software, and it is not easy to decide which one is best for you. However, when evaluating the different software, do not forget that the choice of an ERP must be linked to the achievement of its main objectives:
- Optimize all resources and operational processes
- Sharing information among members of the organization
- Eliminate unnecessary activities and costs
To guarantee each of these points, it is crucial to choose an ERP that is complete, modular, adaptable, automated, intuitive, and easy to maintain.
You will see that making this decision can radically change the future of your business. Good luck, and may commercial success is with you.
