Enterprise resource planning frees up companies’ most valuable assets

1/16/2012 at 2:29 pm by The Sage ERP Team

Organizations that are looking to streamline themselves may find their planners wondering about how to slim down and become more agile. Of course, this requires a detailed cost-benefit analysis that can study anything from resource use to communications systems to technology. However, the most important thing to understand is which assets and tools are most valuable to companies in the manufacturing and distribution industries.

While many tools and machines might be the most expensive resources that businesses possess, there is a strong argument to be made for people who constitute the most important sets of assets that an organization has. That’s because as technology and software becomes cheaper, the things that only people can do become that much more worthy of praise and reward. After all, a computer program or tablet PC can’t exactly calm clients or make sales.

Consequently, companies should look at enterprise resource planning and other kinds of business software less as technological leaps forward and more as means toward allowing their employees to dedicate themselves to more important work. Here are some of the things that executives and managers will certainly be happy to let their staffs perform in a post-ERP world.

Planning
While enterprise resource planning software might sound like its perfect for doing the planning itself, it is only a tool. The actual task of planning for the future will entirely fall upon the shoulders of human workers who are able to consciously understand industry currents and the humans that define them. Naturally there can’t be too many managers and supervisors around to make decisions simpler, but those that stick around should be given more time and reward for their efforts.

Organization
It may seem like machines and programs are better at organizing things, but in reality they can only do what they’ve been programmed to. This means that people are going to do the bulk of organizing, from meetings and commercial structures to projects that require creativity. In fact, creativity becomes the preeminent asset that humans possess that software programs won’t be able to replicate.

Customer service
If the processes and products that a company is responsible for are top-notch, it would seem easy enough to gain additional business. However, someone still needs to contact potential clients and customers and pitch their methods and goods. Consequently, sales and support agents need to be held in higher esteem as their work rises in importance.