What specific problems are you trying to solve?

How do you fix something, deliver new services, increase efficiencies if you do not know what is broken or worse yet you do not know what you are trying to solve?  When companies look at Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, they are typically looking to increase operational efficiencies in order to decrease costs and overhead in order to drive better profits. 

 

Full integration of all departments or functional roles in an organization is benefit of ERP solutions.  This may be accomplished over time or all at once, but any solution should address this need.  If you do not recognize this need or its potential benefits, then that is a great place to start in your analysis. 

 

 

The left hand needs to know what the right hand is doing.  Management needs access to real time information in order to address critical issues and make better and faster bottom line decisions.

 

Business Intelligence (BI) software is one module that usually comes after an initial implementation.  It works best when there is a lot data to massage.  Trends only become detectible when there is enough data or information to recognize them.  BI is one of the true gems of ERP solutions in what it can deliver in regards to forecasting and real-time data analysis.

 

BI comes in many varieties.  Most ERP solutions come with a Sales Analysis module which will give you basic trends and analysis.  That coupled with dynamic report writers and of course your friendly programmer will provide a good transition as you build the volume of information that makes a full BI solution worthwhile. 

 

A formal BI solution typically requires a data warehouse to store the information.  Many times this data warehouse involves some processing of the core data to massage it into a useable format.  This process of massaging the information can delay the real-time availability.  Size of the data warehouse and physical location, whether on premise or hosted in the cloud all factor into the equation.  A cloud solution may not be a good choice unless the entire ERP solution is based there as the overhead to populate the cloud can be a real hindrance.  Building it in house can generate a lot of upfront costs in labor, equipment, training, support and redundant support systems.

 

BI solutions may be fully integrated with the ERP solution or may become Add-on solutions from third parties.  Both have plusses and minuses.  Full integration as long as it provides the analysis your organization needs and fits your budget is preferred.  It has to be affordable, but comparing to an Add-on solution is not an apple-to-apple comparison.  There are flavors of Add-on as well.  Some Add-ons are supported by the ERP provider and act closely in functionality as one that might have been developed in house.  There are others that are great packages, but require a lot of effort to integrate and are often time delayed in providing information, from a few hours to whole day(s).  Full integration often allows for real-time analysis. 

 

One of your analysis questions should be is real-time even necessary?  If you are dealing globally, it may not be that critical.  If you are dealing with retail outlets across a geographic area, then knowing where your inventory demands becomes more time sensitive.

 

Of course the base of any decision to purchase new software, upgrade an existing solution or add new modules to fill holes should be better customer service. 

 

Happier customers purchase more, more often and tell others how happy they are with your organization.  What is guaranteed even more than this positive customer feedback is what your customers or should I say former customers will say if they have a bad experience dealing with your company. 

 

Happy customers like dealing with friendly, happy people that make them feel valued, their business is important regardless of order size as well as on time deliveries, accurate shipments and being kept informed.  

 

A fully integrated system in which empowers your people to purchase the right materials, pick pack and ship accurately and keep your customers informed is a great step in the right direction.  The primary is goal is good people and has nothing to do with software or hardware.  Good people are happy people.  Happy people have the right tools to answer and solve customer issues directly and quickly (this is where good software helps).

 

So what are you trying to achieve with BI?  How quickly do you need to look at and analyze your information?  Do you understand what BI is and how it can help? 

 

A thorough analysis should be undertaken first to build and answer a list of questions.  BI solutions should be able to provide a Return on Investment (ROI) to offset the upfront costs.  This is where Dolvin Consulting can help.  We have experience in Enterprise Solutions and BI to help you define the questions and look find the answers.  Contact us today to see how we can help you help yourself.

 

Competition Drives Need for a New ERP System

If you are content running as-is and enjoy a shrinking market share from overseas competitors that do not have your overhead or constraints, then you probably are already doing everything you need to do.  If on the other hand you would like to remain in business, chances are you will have to reinvent what you do and how you do it.  “It” being whatever it is that makes you unique among your competitors.

 

Global Trade Magazine has an article from a colleague of mine, Dani Kaplan, who has enough years experience to understand the impact that automation has on operations in efforts to drive efficiency versus Big-Company sales goals, where the only goal is profits and not necessarily customer success.  Unfortunately, even today, many software suppliers are only concerned with their next sale.  Perhaps they think that once the customer has committed, purchased the solution and struggled with the implementation that they are essentially stuck and will eventually come around.  Eventually they will make the system work.

 

 

 

“Having accurate machine production and forecasting systems improved productivity and eliminated inventory shortages,” he continued. “With the new system we were able to open additional markets in Europe and make plans to sell our audio products in the Far and Middle East. Opening the new markets in Europe enabled us to increase our market share beyond everybody’s expectations.”

 

What value does the relationship between a company and its software provider have?

One year after going live with the new ERP system, the company’s VP of operations reflected on overcoming the challenges. “We took our time searching for the right ERP system,” he said. “We looked for a vendor who would not only provide us with excellent support but would also be our business partner for years to come. The new ERP System enabled us to achieve just in time inventory with 99 percent inventory accuracy. Our manufacturing plant was able to keep track of the multi-bill-of-material usage.”

 

Read the full article by clicking this link.

 

The company profiled in the article is not unique.  Many company struggle with the same issues.  They have been in business for many years.  We see this same issue with family run businesses as well.  We have always done business this way.  The overhead and inefficiencies are like a pulled muscle or constant ache in your body.  You have lived with it for so long that you have given up trying to deal with solutions, that you just learn to live with the problem.  You erroneously make the assumption that there is nothing you can do to effectively make positive changes.  Perhaps the fear of taking that step one more time is more fearful that dealing with the current issues.  After all, you have dealt with it for so long it has to get better some time.  Maybe it is the economy’s fault.  It is hard everywhere.

 

A key foundation for this solution and any other is finding the right partner. 

 

The company in this article invested time to look at what they were doing and identified manual processing that could take advantage of automation and an integrated system.  The next step was finding a trusted advisor to help them find a partner and solution to address the challenges. 

 

There are many software solutions that will work for any given situation.  It is critically important to find one that matches your company’s culture.  The right tool for the right job.  Spread sheets are not effective for a larger organization and a full scale tier 1 global solution is overkill for a regional business. 

Pricing a solution is important too.  There needs to be a good Return on Investment (ROI) that takes into account the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).  It is important to look past the upfront costs to see what return can be reasonably be expected. 

 

After all, if you felt 100% confident that any and all monies invested would be returned in a year, why would you not make the change?

 

The only reason would be an uncomfortable relationship with the supplier or lack of confidence in either the solution provider or your company’s ability to make the necessary changes.

 

Change is the only constant.  As a friend of mine often says- “Change is inevitable, Growth is optional”.

 

So what are your next steps?  First and foremost, count up the number of hours of missed sleep. You know, the extra hours you work each day.  The hours you spend awake at night staring at the ceiling.  The time away from home.  How often do you go back to the office or remotely sign-in after dinner so that you can just try to keep up?

 

There has to be a return just in the number of hours gained from a new solution that is fully integrated.  Most organizations that pick the right solution with the right partner (notice I say “partner” and not “supplier” – partner implies a vested interest) will achieve a complete return on investment in a relatively short period of time.  Anything after that is profit.  It is the empowering option to reinvest in your business and drive profits (and get some sleep).

 

Dolvin Consulting works with manufacturers, distributors and specialty retailers to help them streamline their computer operations with ERP solutions so that they increase their operational efficiencies through automation, reduce costs, and ultimately increase profits.  We have a mutually vested interest in your success.  Contact us today to see how we can help.  We help or do our best to refer you to a resource that can help.  Really.

To the Cloud or not to the Cloud?

By now you have seen hundreds of articles about the benefits and draw backs of Cloud based solutions.  The reason you may be reading this and other articles is either that you have not figured out whether it is a good solution for your business or you want to confirm the decision you already made.

 

If you are already in the Cloud, then more than likely you want to make sure it was a good decision.  After all, even if everything is okay, chances are you want to make sure that you are not the only one on this path.  Who will support you, answer questions that arise from new technologies, create new features, if you are the only one.  You do not want to be abandoned, because no one else chose your path.

 

If you are not in the Cloud you may be wondering if these solutions would answer your growth pains, lack of growth, cost challenges or support issues.  Is this the magic pill to solve your issues?  Will choosing this path enable you to compete?  Give you features that your customers want?  How will you get there and what happens if it does not work out?

 

Some of the many benefits of Cloud based solutions:

·         Scalability – Add more users, computing resources, features without having to build it yourself.

·         Financial – Change some of your expenses to operational from capital.  Predictable costs, adding what you need when you need it.

·         Administration – Someone else is responsible for hiring and training and keeping everything running.

·         Fault Tolerance – Someone else has taken responsibility for disaster recovery and business continuity into consideration.

·         Connectivity – Anytime, anywhere access for everyone.

·         Self Service – Users can access capabilities without human intervention.

·         Standards – Compliance with software and industry standards.  Helps to standardize internal operations to software structure.  While restrictive at first it puts the company into standards of growth.

 

Some of the many concerns of Cloud based solutions:

·         Information – Who owns your data?  Who has access?

·         Connectivity – What happens if my Internet connection goes down?  How do I support my remote users?

·         Maturity – On premise solutions are typically more mature and feature rich.  Vendors are working constantly to provide all the same benefits to Cloud solutions.

·         Pricing – User and/or resource costing can scale with usage, where on premise cost tend to be self contained, but sometimes overpaid.  If you lose the ability to pay, so goes your access.

·         Information – Relatively easy to get information to the Cloud, not so easy to get it back.

·         Ownership – Who owns the software and the rights to use it?

·         Customization – Use as is, often little customization is possible.  You make your operations match the software, not software to operations.  What if you need custom interfaces or reports?

 

So to answer your question-

·         Should you go to the Cloud?

·         Should you choose and on-premise solution?

·         Did you make the right decision to go to the Cloud?

·         Did you make the right decision not to go to the Cloud?

 

Answer: It depends.

 

That is about as clear it gets. 

 

The first priority should be an analysis of what you need to service your customers better.  Better customer service, better inventory management, better on time deliveries, better accuracy, better and easier access for your customers to do business with you.

 

The second priority after you know what you need to do to service your customers, remember if you do not your competition will, is an analysis of where you are now.  How do know what to do, if you do not know where you are.

 

Find out where you are and where you want to go.  Fill in the gaps between here and there.

Now you are ready to determine if a Cloud solution is appropriate.  Many Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions are available in on-premise and Cloud versions.  Same solution, different ser vice.  Often there may be a feature differences.  It might make sense to work with a solution in-house, and then migrate to the Cloud. If there are missing features, are they necessary or important?  You may be able to go directly to the cloud. 

 

Remember the implementation is going to be the single biggest cost category.  Conversion, testing, and training.  It is going to take time, cost money, and generate a lot of frustration.  Check to see if the solution provider has any success stories in your industry.  Almost all will admit challenges in the implementation, but typically you will hear the message “I wish we had done this years ago”, if they are happy.

Are you happy? 

 

A good place to start is with a trusted advisor.  Someone who has walked this path before and can guide you through the maze.  Contact Dolvin Consulting today.  We are here to help.

 

Accelerate Results with ERP Solutions

If you are reading this, then you already know the struggles of the supply chain, manufacturing and distribution.  More than likely you are already using an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution to manage your workflow processing, employees, and inventory. 

So, is there any need to read further? 

You have integrated all of your departments and operations.  Your employees are productive, inventory levels are optimized and accurate.  Customers always receive the correct product when you promised.  Management has access to real-time information for analysis and decision making.  The equipment you run your system on is reliable and unplanned downtime is almost nonexistent.

 

Real solutions for real world challenges:

 

Innovation accelerates results.

·         Innovation- How technology is applied to your specific challenges.

·         Management- Better, more complete, real time information about employee productivity, inventory levels, customer service, manufacturing and financials.

·         Efficiency- Your competitive advantage.  Automation.  The right tool for the right job.  Get more work done with less manpower.

·         Technologies- Latest technologies integrated to drive efficiencies.  Anytime, anywhere access to your information.

·         Implementation- On time and as planned with your technology partner.  On premise or hosted in the cloud.  The right solution delivered to your needs.

·         Forecasting- The right inventory levels for better purchasing and customer service.

·         Customer Service- High service levels.  Service more customers, more quickly, more accurately.  Sales team members have the information necessary to service customers.

·         Complete- Complete solution.  Full integration.

·         Reliability- System is available when you need it.  Time is invested in your business, not maintaining it or running the equipment on which it runs.  Uptime, all the time.

·         Analysis- Integrated business intelligence.  Invest your time understanding market trends, not in implementing the solution.  Flexible ad-hock reporting leading to greater insight.

·         Relationships- Integrated sales force automation.  Invest your time building corporate relationships.  All the information your team needs, when they need it.  No need to figure out how to make separate systems talk to one another.

·         Logistics- Inventory looks at your product levels.  Warehouse integration allows you to manage the movement of your inventory.  Real time, full integration means better customer service.  Know how much and where each and every product is located.

 

The ultimate goal of every organization should include great customer service. 

 

Happy customers should not be a mistake or byproduct, they should be in your every thought.  We all need customers, including our competition.  I have seen countless web sites saying how important their customers are and how well they treat them.  Call that company’s phone number and try to get someone to speak with.  There is a gap between desire and implementation.  If your employees were more productive and could get more work done in less time, then maybe you could replace the automated answering system with a live person.    

Fully integrated systems are a must.  The left hand needs to know what the right hand is doing. 

Automation is a must.  Only through automation can you drive efficiency in your operations.  This is how you stay competitive. 

 

You may have an existing system.  That system may work.  But, how well?  Is the overhead of maintaining an old system more than an investment in a solution that works better?   No one is suggesting you change anything just, because there is something new.  However, it does make sense to see if the cost of not making changes and keeping current outweighs the upfront costs of a new solution. 

 

For example many household appliances, especially refrigerators, can be replaced and paid for by replacing them with a new energy efficient model.  With the new model comes new features and new support from the vendor.  ERP solutions, if selected correctly, can save on energy, reduce employee levels allowing redistribution of manpower, increase operational efficiency, reduce costs and increase profits.

At Dolvin Consulting we love success stories.  We team with industry experts to ensure that you are equipping your organization with the tools necessary to remain competitive and deliver high customer service.  Contact us today to see how we can help.

 

ERP Regrets

As time passes by we are presented with opportunities to look backwards in time.  We often do this when a loved one passes or we reach a birthday milestone or whenever a significant event occurs.  Otherwise we tend to take our personal and business lives one day at a time.

 

The most often reported regret among older people in the fall season of their lives is not in what they did, but rather what opportunities they did not take advantage of, what risks they did not take.  Did I do all that I could have, did I waste any part of my life? 

 

When you are responsible for your business’ well being and growth it is important to take periodic reviews of where you are and where you want to be.  What goals are you achieving?  What goals would you like to achieve? 

 

At periodic intervals it is important to take stock and review.

 

How are your inventory levels?   Are you achieving the number of inventory turns you expected?  What is your competition doing to erode your customer base that you wish you thought of?  Would you really increase any operational efficiency by implementing a more fully integrated system?

 

If you are old enough to remember the Rubik’s Cube, one of the challenges of the solution was to not look at what you solved, but to look at what moves were needed to finish the puzzle.  I remember getting so close with only a few color blocks in the wrong position.  In order to successfully finish the puzzle, it was necessary to make a lot of moves that seemingly canceled what was done.  This was the most frustrating point, but necessary for the solution.

 

Taking a good hard look at your operations is similar to the above solution.  Purchasing, the supply chain, customer service, warehouse operations, financial reporting, check processing, receivables, manufacturing and a dozen or so other functions in your business may all seem to be working.  After all, you are making money, but at what rate?  What costs are eroding your profitability? 

 

In what areas could automation increase efficiencies? 

 

Would the trauma and risk of replacing the systems your company relies on really be a benefit?  How do you calculate the true Return on Investment (ROI)?  You know that there is a difference between the upfront costs and ongoing costs, but how do they figure in the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)?

 

Would just upgrading what you are already using be a better investment? 

 

How much would the upgrade or replacement cost?  Can I afford to do an update?  More importantly, can you afford to not update?  In many cases it may cost more to not make changes.  You want to maximize your cash flow now, but by delaying it may end up costing more.  More in terms of lost customers, lost sales, and missed opportunities. 

 

Today both people and businesses expect to utilize the Internet and its’ technologies to speed up purchasing and sales.  In what ways is your organization taking advantage of the great communications highway?  In what way is your competition utilizing this medium to increase their market share?

 

Business development and growth is a lot like a long flight.  For the majority of the flight the computer and pilot are making course corrections.  Small incremental changes to keep on course, the most efficient course.  Without these adjustments there would have to be a major change near the end of the flight to reach your destination.  A costly and time consuming change.

 

At Dolvin Consulting we have worked with businesses at both ends of the spectrum.  Most were actually somewhere between being completely out of date and being cutting edge.  In all of the cases we took time to figure out what corrections were needed.  Sometimes that meant a quick fix.  Sometimes a short term solution with bigger plans for the future.  Sometimes starting anew.

 

Honestly, we do not know who you are, so we need you to contact us.  No pressure, no sales, just conversation.  What are you doing now, what is holding you back, and where do you want to be in the future.  Let us work together to build a plan, work on the budget, and feel confident that you are making the necessary course corrections to keep your business competitive.

 

 

ERP Migration

Before you get ready to run over to the local mall and buy your next Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, it might make sense to know what you are trying to fix.  Is your organization trying for better reporting or data management capabilities?  How about speeding up order entry and other customer service related tasks?
 

It takes time and you should take time to do a thorough analysis or your current operations first.

 

Depending on the size of your organization, you should budget approximately six months for this task.  Your survey should not be judgmental and you should try to minimize prejudice as to where you think any problems lay.  The whole point of a survey and analysis is to uncover your company’s culture.  How will you know if the solution provider has the same culture mix, if you do not understand your own?

 

Once you have identified how you do business, you can compare that to how you would like to do business or how you thought you were doing business. 

 

Sometimes small improvements in several areas will mitigate the needs to immediately replace an ERP system.  Still, at other times, the result is that your company has grown since its last system was put in place and the potential return from using a new fully integrated system is cost justified and appropriate.

 

Once you have made the commitment to grow, change, and adapt your business to the economy and needs of your current and future customers, the next step is to find a partner that will work with you to implement a solution that delivers outstanding customer service. 

 

Without this integral piece (customer service) addressed there is little reason to move forward.

 

You may want to consider the culture and organization of the ERP solution provider as you do your own organization.  Are they corporate focused?  Are they family owned and operated?  Are they flexible with their product?  Will you mold your business to their solution or will their solution mold to your business?  Do they have success stories with other organizations in your industry?  How flexible are they?  Will they grow with you?  How unique is your business?

 

Every branch, department and role of your organization needs to give input to the project.  The underlying principal of any ERP solution is to integrate everything under one roof.  Great efficiency requires integration.  From efficiency comes cost reduction and greater profits.  Keep in mind you are building plans for the future and while the ultimate goal is complete integration, you can step into this and bring each department or process on in phases. 

 

The method and process depends on your organizations needs.  You may need to organize in teams of oversight and application.  This teamwork helps to build consensus and responsibility in the workforce.  Once your people take ownership, the commitment level and resulting quality improve.  It also helps to ensure that people and process are not overlooked.  It is helpful to have separate pairs of eyes look at what you are doing.

 

Careful planning helps to ensure your project stays on budget and the promised Return on Investment (ROI) is achieved in the expected time frame.  One of main contributors to the ERP budget problems comes from looking at the project as a technology project. 

 

The reason for change should be business driven, not technology.

 

There are some rare cases where a company wants to be a leader and leverage the fact they are using the latest and greatest (you fill in the blank here).  These are usually showcase examples that really amount to advertising initiatives to make the organization appear to be more focused than they really are.
 

True growth is always tied to a better customer experience. 

 

Ask yourself why you are spending more to shop at one store, while you could get the equivalent product someplace else for less.  Is there something about the quality or location or you-get-what-you-pay-for thought that sits in the back of everyone’s mind? 

 

It is not the price.  Price is important, but the result and the time it takes to get that result is the driver.  So first of all you need to know what the result will look like and how you expect to achieve it.  Next is finding a partner to help you get there.  Finally, there is the commitment to make it happen.

 

At Dolvin Consulting we work hard to help you help yourself.  We have a vested interest in your success.  Contact us today to see what options you have.  We do not bite.  If we cannot help you directly, then we will do our best to connect you with the resources you do need.

 

ERP Solution Provider’s Understanding of Business Challenges

QUOTE:

“VAI truly understood our business challenges and developed a flexible solution that has transformed our organizations’ operations. VAI was able to get both organizations up and running in six months and we are already delighted by the results. With truly automated operations and real-time access to critical data, we are now able to offer customers outstanding service and support that truly sets us apart from the competition.”

 

THOUGHT:

It is not only comforting to know that your solution provider cares, but truly understands your challenges.  You business depends on their ability to deliver the right solution.  Nice to know that your business is important to your solution provider.

 

 

Read the full article by clicking this link.

 

 

QUOTE:

The companies’ previous ERP system limited their ability to efficiently and cost effectively perform critical every day sales and service functions.  Service billing was a labor intensive process, as both organizations used paper invoices that needed to be printed before going to the customers’ sites.  In addition, sales and service reps didn’t have a clear snapshot of what products customers were using, what they were already billed for and what they already paid.  In one instance, inventory processing and billing were previously delayed by one full week as a result of the salesmen checking in on a Friday, and then the accounting department entered the sales and cash receipts during the following week.

 

THOUGHT:

Any system that limits your ability to do business is a problem.  The whole point of real Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions is to drive efficiency, reduce costs and make you more profitable.  Great solutions do this and enable great customer service.

 

 

QUOTE:

Situation Summary

• Manual and offline processes used.

• Labor intensive service billing due to using paper invoices.

• Inventory processing and billing extensively delayed.

• Limited insight into inventory and customer data.

 

THOUGHT:

Manual anything is not good.  Labor intensive anything is not good.  Delayed anything is not good.  Limited anything is not good.  All of these “not good” items are heavy cost overhead to a business trying to compete.

 

 

QUOTE:

Objectives

GLE and HRT needed to improve service billing operations, streamline inventory management and reduce costs associated with truck routing processes.

 

THOUGHT:

Any company that wants to remain competitive and stay in business needs to concentrate on operational efficiencies which include billing, inventory and other processing.

 

 

QUOTE:

Solution

GLE and HRT evaluated several ERP solutions but discovered that these offerings were not able to provide them with the manufacturing processes they needed to ensure streamlined operations and reduced costs.  Madden, along with management in both companies determined that with its ease-of deployment and real-time data discovery, VAI S2K was the ideal solution for GLE and HRT.

 

THOUGHT:

Good to evaluate multiple systems, you want to make sure your solution fits your challenges.  Even better is the analysis that gives you the metrics to make that decision.  Streamlining operations is key to operational efficiency.  Without this no solution would be worth the investment.

 

 

QUOTE:

Business Results

After implementing VAI S2K remote access and service billing, the entire billing and invoicing process was completely automated, allowing GLE and HRT to significantly enhance the level of service and support they provide to customers. 

 

“Not only was the implementation of VAI S2K seamless and quick, but its performance has been flawless as well. Since deploying, technicians are no longer burdened with customer service and billing issues, and we have been able to integrate all of our ERP systems so that we have one, accurate view of all our data,” said Madden.

 

THOUGHT:

Automation is a key component to efficiency and operating competitively.  Really great news is the statement indicating that their service levels to their customers was improved.  Quick implementation is great also as long as it does come at the compromise of quality and effectiveness. 

 

 

QUOTE:

Key Benefits

• Rapid implementation.

• Seamless integration of VAI S2K.

• More efficient and up-to-the-minute inventory management.

• Real-time accounts receivable control.

• Transitioned from paper to electronic records/management.

• Reduction of human error, manual processes and employee resources.

• DOT sheets can be printed automatically based on truck loads.

• Suggested truck loads can be obtained and altered in real-time.

• Royalties and commissions generated automatically in the system after each sale.

 

THOUGHT:

·         Rapid implementation is good.  Who likes to wait to open their Christmas presents. 

·         Seamless integration  is the goal of an ERP solution.  The more the left hand knows what the right hand is doing, the more likely anything is to get done.

·         Managing inventory is the most challenging and yet cost savings activity that can be done in an organization.

·         Real –time AR as well any real-time information is critical to making accurate business decisions now, not later.  Management needs information to make decisions.

·         We are all in the process of transitioning to electronic solutions.  From personal banking and other paperwork.  Our businesses should do the same.  This increases efficiencies in the back office as well as in customer service.

·         Reduction of human error is a natural byproduct of investing in an ERP solution.  Anytime a human is involved errors are likely to manifest. 

·         Producing the right paperwork, when actual paper is needed, is a good thing.  The cost of corrections and remediation far out way the cost of doing the job right the first time.

·         Real-time information leads itself to being able to be modified in real-time.  Let the efficiencies rule.

 

 

 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I have made many comments about the published article.  What stands out to you?  There are two that I would like to leave with you.

 

1.       From my perspective I see a fairly typical company that reached the strong part of the growth curve and seemingly a sudden inability to keep up.  Their old processing worked well with a lower level of business operations, but that solution did not have the ability to scale well.

 

 It is like a set of tires on your car.  They start out strong and well suited to the vehicle.  Over time the tires wear and you adjust to the worn tread.  Then seemingly all-of-a-sudden you find you had trouble stopping in enough time or you took a turn wider than usual.  The changes are happening all the time and you are adjusting, yet at some point you realize that the tires just need to be replaced, because they are more of a liability at this point than an asset.

 

2.       Customer service from the ERP solution provider, in this case VAI, to you enables you to provide better customer service to your customers.  Apply the Golden Rule here (and everywhere for that matter).  Treat others how you would like to be treated.  No rocket science here.  By increasing your ability to service the needs of your customers, you increase the ability of your customers to keep doing business with you and to spread the word about how your relationship with them helps.

 

THIS IS IMPORTANT:  Anything you do, in the name of your business or anything for that matter must have increased customer service as the driving factor.  Without happy customers you are out of business.  Period.  People try to draw many overlays over an ERP solution.  Kind of like throwing cooked pasta on the fridge.  Let us see what sticks and go with that. 

 

Bottom line – Efficiency is great.  Automation is great.  But, ask yourself, WHY?  Sure, we all would like more business.  In fact I would like you to reach out to me now so we could sit down and talk.  That is right, just talk.  No one that I talk with needs what I can offer at the time we make contact or they need the solutions, but they do not have budget.  So we talk, just talk.  Let us find out what keeps you awake at night.  Let us work on your budget so that you have the information you need to make improvements in your operations that drive customer satisfaction and increase your profitability. 

 

I do not expect you to say “Wow, let us go to Dolvin and buy something today”.  But, I hope and I mean this sincerely, you will engage me in conversation.  I truly want to help your organization, business, do better.  Sometimes this means pointing you in a different direction.  Regardless, we (me, myself and I) will never try to sell you something you do not need or that will not help you. 

 

Contact Dolvin Consulting today.  We are here to help.  Here to help you.  If you do not like what you hear, then just hang up.  We all have good days and bad ones.  Let us help you have more better days.