Tailor Your ERP Experience to Suit Your Business

4/6/2011 at 3:55 pm by The Sage ERP Team

If you’ve ever bought a new business suit, you know that it often takes a little bit of tailoring before something fits just right. We often have to take our pants, skirts, tops and dresses in to be hemmed or let out, because store sizing isn’t made to fit every body type. We’re all unique – some of us are a little taller, shorter, wider or thinner than others – and “one-size-fits-all” just doesn’t cut it when it comes to professional clothing. A great tailor can take even the most ill-fitting outfit and make it red carpet-worthy.

Enterprise resource planning is a little bit like your business’ own suit: If you want it to fit properly, you might need to alter it a little bit. Luckily, most ERP vendors and ERP systems offer customization options that will ensure you get the system that’s right for your unique business structure.

A study conducted by UK-based research firm The Butler Group in March 2006 revealed the astounding realities of ERP system use amongst business leaders: most of them are using very little of their systems’ actual functionality. In fact, none of the businesses surveyed for the study were using more than 50 percent of their ERP package’s capabilities. Not only does this mean that these companies wasted money on assets and abilities they didn’t need, they’re likely missing out on alternate functionalities that could have been truly valuable to their operations.

If you already have an ERP system in place, take the time to research its features and check to make sure you’re not missing out on any valuable capabilities that you were previously unaware of.

“In order to ensure that their systems really pay off, ERP customers need to understand what their applications can do, and how all the robust functionality can be applied to enhance their back office operations and achieve their most important business goals,” explains Business-Software.com.

If you’re getting ready to invest in an ERP system or upgrade an existing one, be sure to consider your customization options before you commit to a system.

“Most of today’s popular ERP packages offer extensive customization capabilities,” the site continues. “This enables businesses to tailor their solution specifically to meet their individual objectives.”