Do You Have Moxie?

Do You Have Moxie? John Baldoni, Leadership Now Grit, guts, and fortitude are all synonyms of the word “moxie,” which author John Baldoni describes in his new book, Moxie: The Secret to Bold and Gutsy Leadership as a key quality for business leadership.  Leaders with moxie have been proven to lead people during tough circumstances, and they possess several important attributes including, fire, drive, resilience, and street smarts.  Learn five characteristics that you can practice and develop and incorporate into your life and your business read more

Friends Don’t Let Friends Hire Their Friends

Friends Don’t Let Friends Hire Their Friends Jeff Hyman, Forbes  Balancing relationships in and outside of the workplace can be a difficult juggling act; however, when a friend is hired in the workplace, that makes the juggling even more difficult.  This new co-worker who is seen as an emotional confidant outside of work, might receive office favoritism and act as a person to confide in.  Northwestern Business School professor Jeff Hyman believes that mixing friendships and work isn’t the best practice, but gives several steps/things to consider if you are going to hire a friend.     read more

Surveys Are No Substitute for Actually Talking to Customers

Surveys Are No Substitute for Actually Talking to Customers  Graham Kenny, Harvard Business Review Traditional online surveys and questionnaires have been popular for customer feedback, but they may not be the most effective.   Learn from a top consultant about why talking to customers online and in person, often in a one-on-one setting, is the best method for feedback because of the amount and the quality of information you would never get from a typical questionnaire.    read more

Why Googling Yourself Is Not Just for Fun Anymore

Why Googling Yourself Is Not Just for Fun Anymore Yoav Vilner, Entrepreneur Google searching our own names isn’t just a game anymore.  This is a common practice for millions of individuals, but there are higher stakes involved now.  20% of people find outdated info about themselves and 12% are unpleasantly surprised about what they find when they do a simple Google search.  This inaccurate or embarrassing information can hinder a job application or your business from growing.  Removing personal content from Google searches can be a complicated process; nevertheless, it is vital to protect ourselves from cyber criminals who can finely tune a personalized scam. read more

The Green Bean Casserole Guide to Good Communication

The Green Bean Casserole Guide to Good Communication Alison Davis, Inc. The green bean casserole is a staple dish, especially during the holiday season; and the casserole shows that a dish doesn’t have to be complex to be good.  In the same vein, when we communicate with our client and co-workers, we need to resist the urge to use complex verbiage.  Simple, effective, clear communication works better in the end.  Learn how you can use the casserole as a role model for rejecting complex communications in favor of simplicity.   read more

How to Email Someone You Haven’t Talked to in Forever

How to Email Someone You Haven’t Talked to in Forever Rebecca Zucker, Harvard Business Review Although communication is more accessible than ever with today’s technology and instant access to multiple platforms, we sometimes lose touch with people who we’d like to be in our business or personal network.  Check out these useful tips on how to reach out to lost connections over a simple email that can effectively rebuild those connections.   read more

VAI Provides Sync-ed Marketing and CRM

The contact database in S2K Marketing Cloud Powered by ActiveCampaign and S2K Sales Force CRM are always in sync, so marketing can pass leads to sales and sales can pass customer information to marketing, without any manual entry.

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An all inclusive, integrated database is a key ingredient to successful and competitive business operations.

Retail Software – Achieving Effective Integration

New technology available today allows Enterprise Resource Management (ERP) solution providers to more economically provide integrated solutions that actually drive efficiency.  There is only so much overhead costs that can be cut.  Product, personnel and overhead cost inevitably increase over time.  Add business growth to the overhead increase and you end up needing a solution that can grow with your needs.

Companies are typically growing or shrinking and those cycles alternate.  Long term we hope the trend is upward.  If so, then that company will need a solution that meets their current demand and will provide the tools and resources to match and facilitate growth.

Some key features of a capable solution would (should) include:

• Automatically calculate restocking orders.  Regardless of how your products are ordered, you solution needs to track inventory movement and balance reorder availability and timelines to ensure you have enough stock to meet future demands and not too much that your overhead and handling costs increase.
• Timely reporting on sales.  Up to the minute, real-time reporting is a necessity for management to make informed decisions.
• Speed up customer check-out.  No one likes waiting in lines and they expect the prices to ring correctly.
• Integrated credit card processing.  Not only do retailers need to process credit cards, but they need to do so quickly, accurately, and safely.  Key benefits are when the credit card processing is fully integrated with the order fulfillment system. 
• Reward your customers.  Loyalty tracking allows you to recognize and cater to the needs of your customers as well as attract new customers that have similar needs.
• A single solution.  A single integrated solution that links retail stores, Ecommerce, inventory and warehousing will inevitably drive efficiency and fulfill the other objectives listed hear.
• Timely reporting.  Management needs access to real-time information, but also sales history from all sources and inventory movement for better planning.
• Procurement tools.  Purchasing needs access to all sales information to gauge trends on ordering and resupply decisions.
• Easy customer enrollment.  Online solutions need to be customer friendly.  If you make it easy for your customers to business with you, they are likely to return and do more business with you.
• Integrated marketing tools.  Your business needs integrated and easy to use tools to stay in touch with your customers.  Customer relationships need constant nurturing.
• Provide tools for your customers.  Customers need access to their information as well including sales history regardless of their point of purchase.  This helps with common questions and reordering. 
• On account customer service.  Your account customer need the same tools as retail customers.  They also need to review their credit line, reprint invoices and check order status.

Final thoughts:

Customer service is important.  Serve your customers well and they will return.  Remember if you do not service them, someone else will.  A key sign your customer value your relationship is when they refer others to do business with you.

Integration is key.  Every time people have to touch information and manual processing, you are increasing the likelihood of errors and inefficiency.

Information is key.  Real-time and accurate information is critically important to manage and run your operations.

Information and integration help to drive efficiency in your operations, reduce costs and deliver great customer service.  This cycle will repeat itself if you are using the right ERP solution. 

Performance and up-time are critical in Retail operations.  Make sure your solution runs on systems that can ensure you meet your customer’s needs first and foremost.  Kiosks are another customer service tool that generates repeat business.

Whether you have a single location with many terminals or many locations, a few part numbers or many SKU’s, the right solution should be helpful in managing operations.  Faster replenishment and minimized outages that result from new solutions help move you towards a Just-In-Time (JIT) inventory management solution.

Contact Dolvin Consulting to find out how our industry expertise and relationships can help your organization improve the way you deliver to your customers.  We are here to help.

Please share your thoughts and experiences with our readers.  What applications and tools have you implemented that have helped?  What are you looking for in a future update or system?

Customer Self Service Matters

Most organizations understand that if you treat your customers fairly, they will return.  If you treat them really well they will refer others to your business.  What is equally true is if you treat your customers poorly, they will tell everyone they know whenever they can.

A positive customer experience should be at the heart of any system improvement, upgrade, or replacement.  Efficiency matters when it ultimately drives customer needs.  Automation matters when it means products are ordered, stocked, picked and delivered to meet your customer’s needs.

In what way can you serve your customer’s needs without significantly increasing your overhead?  What is your competition doing to serve their customers and attract your customers away?

Many Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions have an integrated web or Ecommerce module.  Fully integrated is preferable, because of the efficiency, reduced errors and time delays in processing and updating. 

Less overhead is a good thing.

But what about the thought that your products do not fit the standard perception of what people purchase online?

As it turns out when you provide your customers and users with self-serve capabilities they feel empowered.  They feel like you trust them. They feel like you value them.

Adding this capability may not be where you would think you can increase productivity, especially when you look at the upfront costs.  However, by adding or upgrading Ecommerce, Sales force automation, and Contact Relationship Management (CRM) solutions to your system, you are removing roadblocks to growth. 

Customers know when you value them and are providing them tools to access what they need when they need it at a time when it is convenient to them.  Employees know when you are trying to help them do their job better by providing better access.  Management knows the satisfaction of being able to get the information they need when they need it.

Real-time access to information is the heart of your ERP system.

Increased sales as a result of these improvements is a natural result.  Increase customer satisfaction is priceless.  Customers like the ability to research products, view transaction history, place orders, get hard copies of invoices, check balances and yes of course pay balances online.  Customer self-service reduces employee resources needed to service the inquiries.

Automation allows a business to use their people where they can do the most good.  Sales force personnel need quick access to stock and balance information for their customer service needs.

Serve your customers and grow your business.

Providing web services will improve customer retention and capture business that might go to your competitors.  Even if your products are not something that ships easily or at all, providing the capability for your customers to browse, research and collect information will benefit your business. 

Take a look at how and where you do business.  Don’t you think your customers want the same thing? 

Not all solutions are created equal.  Integration with your ERP solution is key.  Some businesses build interfaces to integrate separate systems that have the functionality their customers need.  Keep in mind that the more pieces the greater the chance of a break down. 

Regardless of how your solution is built, the solution must address your customer’s needs and not yours.

With the potential return on investment (ROI) and the general movement towards a connected world, Ecommerce, Sales Force, and CRM solutions are prime areas for update, upgrade or replacement.

In what ways are you serving your customers?  What solutions are you considering or have implemented?  What returns are you expecting or received? 

Please share your thoughts with our readers.

At Dolvin Consulting we work with your team to find solutions that drive efficiency and automation in your operations.  Working solutions that are just-right for you, your business and your customers.  Contact us today to see how we can help.

Customer Service Matters

Through hardware, software and service offerings, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems can provide a portfolio of solutions to help manufacturers and distributors streamline production, operate more efficiently, improve planning and scheduling and implement more fine-grained and flexible decision-making processes.  Solution providers are helping businesses optimize their technology and make the most of their ERP and supply chain applications by extending analytic capabilities, making better decisions, improving order management and purchasing, plus many other capabilities.

 

The driving factor for many organizations often starts with “there ought to be a better way”, “our overhead is too high”, “we have too many errors”, “there is no observability”, “it takes too long” to name but a few.  There are also some that rationalize not addressing the issues by saying “that’s the way we have always done ‘it’”.  Find any challenge and add “too much” or “too little” to it and it will become the seed to change when someone tacks a price tag on it.

 

What type of benefits should a solution have?

 

Ultimately manufacturers, distributors, retailers and others need to make better, quicker decisions and act faster in complex markets. They need solutions that deliver powerful advantages which includes the ability to find the right information, from the right place, at the right time.  This includes workflow tools and notifications. 

 

Higher productivity. 

 

When you can help your employees avoid the clutter and overload of increasingly complex solutions to be able to focus on the information they need to make decisions and move their workload forward.  You empower your employees to attend to more important tasks first.

 

Easy Access to systems.

 

The definition of mobility has evolved in recent years to mean any device, any time, any where.  While this is the evolving definition for the mobile sales force, many companies are single location based and their devices are desktop computers.  What they find with newer solutions is that they can take advantage of mobile solutions at client meetings or when they count, receive, or pick-pack-ship inventory.  The theme of the ivory tower and dished-out information no longer works in competitive industries.  Businesses must improve the efficiency of the way they collect and deliver information to their employees, suppliers and customers.

 

Collaboration.
 

Newer solutions must increasingly bridge the gap between the traditional ERP solution and other web based solutions such as social media.  This integration creates new opportunities for employees to collaborate in real time with colleagues, suppliers, and most importantly customers.  Empowering employees to answer questions more quickly is a key component in customer service.  Meetings can be planned and coordinated more quickly.  Complex tasks can be divided and delegated with greater efficiency.

 

Customer Service.

 

Overall we should be investing a lot more time and energy in solutions that drive customer service.  Whether that is an updated ERP solution, integration with social media, contact management, or other solution.   It does not matter if the solutions are on premise or hosted in the cloud as long as the integration is tight and does not increase errors.  ERP Vendor integrated solutions potentially have the greatest Return on Investment (ROI).  Sometimes the upfront costs seem higher, but when you look at the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) fully integrated solutions, that you did not have to integrate, are the best buy.

 

Your organization needs the tools and applications that empower them.  Solutions that give them access to the information that your customers need, like how long until I receive my order, or being confident when you tell them what they want is in stock and doubly sure they will actually receive what they ordered.

 

Your customers have questions.  They want to know you care. 

Your suppliers need information.  They want to serve you better.

Your employees need to bridge the gap between the internal and external worlds.

 

What is your organization doing to empower your employees?  Our readers would like to know.  Please share your ideas and what changes you have or are in the process of implementing.  Are you considering a new or upgrade to your ERP solution?  What new modules are you considering?  What third party solutions would you like to integrate and why?  Are you planning on small incremental steps or a major overhaul?

 

At Dolvin Consulting we work with industry experts to find the right solutions that will fulfill your goals to drive your efficiency in your operations.  Share your ideas here with our readers and then contact us to see how we can help you serve your customers better.

 

Pace yourself with ERP selection and implementation

Most of us know the story of the hare and tortoise.  The story concerns a Hare who ridicules a slow-moving Tortoise and challenges the tortoise to a race.  The hare soon leaves the tortoise behind and, confident of winning, takes a nap midway through the course.  When the Hare awakes however, he finds that his competitor, crawling slowly but steadily, has arrived before him. 

 

The account of a race between unequal partners in which ingenuity and trickery are employed to overcome a stronger opponent.  The over ambitious and overconfident, start and stop versus the steady consistent and persistent effort.  Haste makes waste and the race is not to the swift.  There are a number of lessons in this story which apply to life in general as well as selecting and implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution.

 

Thousands of businesses arrive at a similar crossroads every year.  As it turns out timing really does play an important role.  If you replace your existing solution too early, you may end up with more software than you need.  If you wait too long, you could end up struggling with inefficient business processes that damage your business performance and prospects for future profitability and growth.

 

At what point do the costs of maintaining your existing system outweigh the benefits of keeping it in place?  When is the right time to make the move?  All businesses at one point or another will struggle with the same issues.  The impact varies, but the challenges are similar.

Has your workforce growth outpaced your infrastructure?  Have you added locations and mobile workers?  Is your information contained in multiple systems?  Do you have separate customer relationship management (CRM) system, customer service processing, inventory control, warehouse management (WMS)?  Are you overburdened by spreadsheet sprawl? 

 

 

Is there a single dashboard where all information is summarized with drill-down to the details?  How long does it take to get consolidated financial information?

 

What is the cost of inefficiency to your organization?

 

How well are your customers served?  Do they get different information from different sources?  Are your deliveries accurate?  How much better does your competition reach their customers (or your customers)?  How much guess work goes into forecasting?  Customers expect you to have stock levels, order status and delivery tracking at any time they contact you and they expect it to be accurate.  Sales people need to have all the latest information on hand even when they’re out on the road when they are in front of customers and prospects.

 

Does it take too long, how long does it take, to share information and is it correct?

 

Where actually is that inventory?  Did you reorder what you already have, because you could not find it?  Can your customers self serve their information needs?  How much work goes into filtering and analyzing your information into meaningful sales campaigns?

 

How many systems are you using to deliver information?

 

Have you reached the limits of your existing solution(s)?  Have those limits limited your ability to serve your customers and grow?  Are you adding more people to your workforce and still are not producing more?  Do your struggles drive the need to add more and more disconnected systems?  Are your people resourceful and just want to get their jobs done individually instead of raising the productivity of your entire organization?

 

Do you dream of adding more products or services, but dread the overhead of implementation in your current solution?  Not if, but how big are the challenges to adapting to new business trends?  How much time and energy go into the technology of your business versus working on your business?  Do you have budget for technology or are you fixing and patching? 

 

What Return on Investment (ROI) can you expect and how long will it take to get there, if you do invest in a new solution?  How will you bridge the gap from where you are now and your vision of the future?

 

Well defined goals and a trusted advisor can help to pave the way.  Where do you want to be in the future and when?  With an advisor you can document and map processes and match them to the right ERP solution.  While there may not be an exact match, a good fit between challenge and resource will help to define your processes and roadmap to solution implementation. 

 

Compare the starting and stopping, heading in wrong directions, not getting key functions working in a timely manner causing cost overruns and failed implementations with what a strong and steady tortoise-like approach can bring. 

 

Are you a rabbit or tortoise? 

 

Which yields better results? 

 

What happens if you do nothing?

 

Dolvin Consulting works with your team to define a roadmap and develop a clearly defined project plan for the future.  We work with industry experts to match challenge with solution.  We cannot guarantee you will fix all of your problems, but we do know that an organization that selects a solution that integrates the entire business process tends to yield great returns.  Why not contact us today to see how we can help. 

 

Customer Commitment

Customer commitment is often associated with customer service and vice versa.  Whatever business service or product your company provides, whatever product or service your company purchases, customer service and the relationships surrounding those offerings are paramount to success. 

 

How do you like to be treated?  Many organizations make statements on their web sites and brochures about customer service being their priority.  They most certainly expect equal or better service on their purchases.  But, how well do they actually deliver? 

 

Does your organization give as well as it gets?

 

Customers and those serving them need access to accurate real-time information.

Product and stock status availability.

Delivery time frames.

Invoice status.

Sales history.

Buying patterns.

Sales force automation toolset.

Contact Relationship Management (CRM) database.

 

In regards to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions, what tools are in place to track and measure service levels?  Is your organization investing in your own infrastructure so that your staff will have the tools and resources necessary to answer customer inquiries and solve issues?

 

Are you getting the following from your ERP supplier?

 

Totally committed to your needs.

Providing the best possible support.

Maintaining technological superiority.

Will work to keep your company on the leading edge with the latest advancements.

Continue to offer real value, now and for the future.

Offer each client personalized, world-class service.

 

ERP solutions work when they are embraced and allowed to work. 

 

ERP software is organized into modules.  These modules are designed around departmental and/or functional company roles.  For example, Finance department consisting of General Ledger, Accounts Payable, and Accounts Receivable.  A functional role might include Procurement which overlaps Purchasing, Inventory, Warehouse Management and Sales Analysis.

 

All ERP application modules are designed to work together to enable better customer service.  Not all departments have direct customer contact, but all contribute to the overall operational efficiency of the organization. The customer service department and sales force are examples of two departments that do have direct customer contact and highlight the need for real time information.  Purchasing and procurement also have direct contact with the supply chain and also need quick access to accurate information.

 

ERP solutions work better when you trust them to do the jobs they are intended to do. 

 

Trouble can creep in a number of different ways, like when too many modifications are made.  Modifications can be an indication that the particular solution selected is not the right solution.  It does not mean that it is not a good solution, it just means that it is not a good fit for a particular business model.

 

Different business types need different solutions. 

 

Businesses need solutions that are tailored for their particular method of operation.  Just like automobiles, some need a fuel efficient model, some need luxury and comfort, while others need the ability to haul big loads.  They are all good vehicles, it is just each is designed and optimized for a different primary purpose. 

 

Whatever solution your company utilizes now or is considering, the one underlying principal that must be considered is how well will the solution enables your organization to deliver great customer service.  In what way will that improve with a replacement or upgrade?  A lot of effort goes into selecting and implementing a new solution.  Customer service and the tools associated with the collection, analysis and delivery of that information in a useful format must be first and foremost.

 

What changes are you considering?  What features and functions are important to your organization?  How are you preparing for change?  In what way do you measure improvement and success?

 

We would like you to share your thoughts and suggestions.  For additional help, contact Dolvin Consulting.  We team with industry experts to provide you with great customer service.

 

ERP Help for Customer Service

Sales Force automation provides an Enterprise wide information solution that connects and integrates sales process with other business operations.

 

 Ideal for organizations that have questions or concerns with:

·         Their level of confidence on lead follow up?

·         Happy with their level of customer support?

·         Having the right information to sell your products?

 

Typical and necessary components of a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system include the ability for sales reps and management to track and record all customer transactions from start to finish and then follow through on them.  Periodic review of current leads, conversion of leads to prospects, and then prospects to customers.  Management of contacts and account opportunities by tracking every interaction with all accounts, logging calls, creating to-dos, follow-ups, and adding status notes.

 

Sales Force automation software helps to drives new business by helping your sales team make the most of their sales calls.  A solution that provides real-time access to customer, prospect, and inventory information to streamline the sales process, help you increase sales, and build stronger, long-lasting relationships.

 

Real time access to customer and product information anytime, anywhere.  Search products, check availability and pricing, related products and current promotions.  Enter quotes and orders, provide valuable customer feedback. 

 

Including an Analytics solution increases awareness of customer trends and needs which allows faster response to customer issues and opportunities.

 

It is all about your relationships and having a CRM and Analytics solution fully integrated with your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution is the next generation solution and often missed component in delivering great customer service. 

 

There are many stand alone solutions and sometimes they make sense, but too often the cost of integration and missing links have untold inefficiencies that bog down operational efficiency.  Separate systems do not always have the ability to integrate product inquiries and order entry.  Separate systems often stop after the prospect becomes a customer.  What happens after the first sale?  Who or how takes over from that point?  Who manages the relationship then?

 

Empower your sales team with the tools they need to drive more business and make your customers happier.  Contact Dolvin Consulting today to see how integration of your operations will save you time and money.

ERP, CRM and why it matters

It is all about the relationships.  This is a universal truth about life and business, personal and professional relationships.  Who do you like?  Why do you pick one solution over another, even if the solution costs more?  Within bounds, it you have multiple solution choices that accomplish the same result, why is one a better choice?  Do you think it has anything to do with the people involved?

 

People do business with people they like and are most like them.  That is how the saying goes and there are a few things we can take from that statement.  

• One, the key word is “People” in the statement.  There might be some “stuff” involved in a business transaction, but it is the people that sign the papers, it is people that deliver the stuff, it is people that use the stuff and order more of it. 
• Two, all anyone has to do to validate this statement is look at any transaction they have made in which they needed to consult with someone.  Why did you ask, what did you ask, whose solution did you select? 
• Three, “are most like them”, is key too.  We all know what it is like to show up to a gathering either too casual or too formal.  Our relationships are similar.  We are just naturally attracted to people that are like ourselves, talk like we do, dress like we do and we feel understand us and our needs and the impact on our lives the proposed solution addresses.

Any tool that helps an organization manage customer relationships, which help your organization deliverer superior service and follow up and tracks the details will help.  In the software realm the main application that ties together the details is called Contact Relationship Management (CRM).  There are a great number of solutions in this area.  Some are housed in the Cloud and some are operated on-premise.   Many have customizable interfaces and workflows, but they all at some level track and manage the conversations between prospect and solution.

 

In the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution world many solution providers provide links and interfaces so that you can incorporate their solution with your ERP solution.  This can be a good thing in the case where there is no native solution or the solution lacks the feature and function needed to manage the prospect relationships.  There are different levels of functionality that is needed and it varies from one organization to another. 

 

When you consider that and ERP solution’s purpose is to integrate the enterprise, then an integrated CRM solution is generally preferred assuming again that it has the features that are needed.  In some cases it makes sense to integrate third party solutions.  The other party that creates the add-on application is dedicated to that solution and its functionality.  If that solution provider works directly with the ERP provider to integrate the solution and provide support, then you typically have the foundation needed to keep your people productive while they solution provider keeps everything working as designed.

 

Here is a major functional thought to consider.  Many CRM applications do a very good job of managing the sales process.  From prospecting and lead generation, communications tracking, to prospect sales funnel, to sale and the transition to customer.  Great.  What happens to the relationship management after the prospect becomes a customer?  At this point in time that role is typically relegated to the customer service department.  Also great.  But, there is an inherent disconnect from the suspect, prospect, sales to customer.

 

There should be an equal or greater emphasis on post customer sale effort.  It may take some work and effort, but most would agree that it is easier to maintain your customers than acquire new customers.

 

A fully featured CRM application integrated with your ERP solution provides the opportunity to continue to manage and track your customer relationships after your prospect becomes a customer.  This is no small feature.  It is important.  How great would it be to be able to review all of your interactions with your customers including phone calls, emails, and sales?  How much better would your sales force be if you could routinely and easily tag customers that have purchased a particular product and let them know about sales, complimentary items and other special offers?

 

In a traditional sales process a suspect is identified, after they are a suspect they become a prospect, a match to a product or service is made which is called an opportunity and then hopefully a deal is made and if they make a purchase, they become a customer.  Problem here is that this process needs to be repeated over and over again.

 

Loyalty programs are a typical way to bridge the gap, but these are still one-time purchases.  Relationship building applications like an integrated CRM application module helps to change this to a recurring interaction and a fuller relationship.   Remember the relationship drives the decisions.  

 

 

The better and longer you maintain the relationship, the better for both parties.

 

If you want to realize the full value of the relationship, then you need to create personal connections, exceed expectations and become their trusted advisor.  The relationships are built over a period of time in which each interaction deepens the bond.  They learn to trust you, because you recommend the right solution and not just the most profitable one.  You have their best interest at heart.

 

Some feature criteria you may want to consider and questions to ask may include how seamlessly does the solution integrate with your ERP solution.  What components do you need to consider on calculating its Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)?  What is the typical Return On Investment (ROI) time period?  This information can give you an indication of what it is costing you to not make changes.  What impact will it have on your technology staff?  How much time and effort is needed to train your workforce and implement the solution?  How easily is it configured?  What options do you have or are you locked into the delivered feature set?  What commitment does the developer have to you as a customer?  What changes and updates are planned to enhance the product in the future? 

 

Have you outgrown your existing solution?  Has your business grown to the point that the solution that once did a great job is now hindering your growth?  How well does your existing or proposed new solution enable growth in new markets?  Is the new solution in scale with the rest of your systems?

 

Dolvin Consulting works with industry experts to bring enterprise grade solutions to your challenges.  Start our conversation by contacting us today to see how we can help.

 

Unlimited Growth Potential for ERP Solutions

Is there really such a thing as a smart solution?  Unlimited growth?  One of the first things we learn in technology is the phrase “GIGO” or Garbage In, Garbage Out.  A smart solution has multiple objectives to achieve if it is going to actually be considered smart. 

 

First and foremost no matter how it achieves it, any change must contribute to providing great customer satisfaction.  In order to do that it has to be responsive to user needs.  It has to have the ability to collect and analyze information from multiple sources and present that information to users in a timely manner so that intelligent business decisions can be made quickly and accurately that grow revenue, protect margins, and improve profitability.

 

The future of Enterprise Computing is certainly going to include adoption of Internet Technologies.  The benefits of this type of development are great.  A consistent and simple user interface that reduces training needs, removes the need for custom client software which helps to reduce costs and provides for a customizable single sign and access to all needed resources. 

 

This migration to web or cloud computing will provide uses access with any device, at any time and at any location.  The flip side of this access is the need to secure the enterprise with borderless technology solutions.  These security challenges are very achievable, but are also something to not glance over in any rush to modernize.

 

ERP solution providers now have to develop robust solutions that solve real world business issues and drive bottom-line results.   Anytime access is great, but you have to connect with accurate real-time information first. 

 

The solution designs do have to conform to the equipment and devices that people want to use.  Sometimes referred to as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD).  The logical choice is web based as that is relatively standard software interface with any device available today.  This is a shift from the traditional standard of use-this-software, because that is what we support with our solution.  Now solution providers must tailor their solution to the client software of choice.  The different web browsers are the answer whether the solution is hosted in-house or in-the-cloud. 

 

One of the challenges that persist is how each web browser vendor implements web presentation in their respective version and the constant rush to get new versions out that may not be fully supported.  If a solution provider releases a version of their web browser is must support published standards. 

 

Anytime, anywhere access.

 

Just as the solution providers are changing their solutions, organizations are increasingly adopting and demanding cloud offerings for critical business operations.  As more consumers and businesses adopt tools such as smart phones and tablets, the ability to host data in the cloud and access it from just about anywhere on the planet is quickly becoming vital. Any solution today will need to allow customers multiple options for their infrastructure including on-premise servers, platform as a service, or software as a service.

 

One of the major benefits of this type of computing and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions in general is the ability to collaborate more effectively.  This collaboration results in increased productivity from business process automation.  A fully integrated Contact Relationship Management (CRM) system becomes a necessary component in fulfilling this challenge.  It is designed to collect and present notifications as well as monitor and assign daily tasks and business alerts.  

 

Web based portal interfaces give users an intuitive workspace where screens, applications, and dashboards have been consolidated and customized for the specific role and authority of the user.  By giving users the ability to configure their screens with the exact applications and information that is important to their business function, companies can empower their employees to drive results instead of hinder productivity.

 

Some key benefits of embracing this technology shift:

• Single sign on and interface to all needed resources.

• Responsive design and consistent user experience.

• Increase productivity.

• Reduce training costs.

• Access on any device, anytime, anywhere computing.

• Central point of access to Collaboration and tools that make job functions easier.

• Flexible and configurable interface to exact applications and content.

• Business process automation.

• Immediate access to accurate enterprise data and business intelligence dashboards.

• Monitoring of daily tasks and business alerts.

• Insight into business opportunities and trends.

• Communicate business goals consistently.

• Grow revenue, protect margins, and improve profitability.

• Robust solutions for real-world situations that drive bottom line results.

• Enterprises can compete at a high level.

The web provides unlimited growth potential.

 

Clearly, the Internet is the future of ERP.  The writing is on the web page.  The challenge is in separating the latest technology hype and finding out what real results you can expect to drive by embracing and implementing changes in your infrastructure.

 

What changes have you made? 

What problems have you encountered? 

Have you tried tying together separate systems to achieve results or have you implemented a new fully integrated solution?

 

We would like to know.  Please share your failures and successes with our readers.  Contact Dolvin Consulting to see how we can help you sort through the constant flux of technology to find solutions that empower your enterprise.