ERP: More than a Sales Solution

In this globalized world, ERP is no longer just a competitive advantage. It is an important requirement for every enterprise. Many specialists argue that ERP is completely necessary to deal with businesses in every corner of the market. This is because ERP does not work in only one way, but it gets to focus on all the relevant aspects that directors need to take into account when they are facing important decisions.

Different Functions Covered in this Area

One of the most relevant aspects of this system is related to sales. Nowadays vendors need to be able to give quick responses to client requirements and be extremely flexible. As a result they find tools useful that include the possibility of generating quotes specifying every product that clients may require. It also gives you access to price lists, client information, special offers, orders, invoices, and many other functions related to this matter.

By this way, vendors can generate orders and send it to the rest of people involved in this process in a matter of seconds, saving time and money by avoiding unnecessary paperwork. All the employees have access to the same information, reducing the chance of making mistakes in the middle.

ERP converts your sales employees from a strictly programmed selling machine into a multiple task developer. They are going to ask themselves questions that they had never asked before like: how much stock of this product are we handling at this moment? How long will it take to deliver the order? Is this client delaying payments? Is there any chance to offer a discount? Could I offer him a different product to suffice if his needs are necessary? Answers are not easy, at least at the beginning, and it takes a little time to learn how to manage this information in order to arrive at the best decision, but during this process you can offer the best service to your clients through an exceptional experience where every aspect is organized and detailed.

The Inventory function is very important to mention, because it is able to organize your stock levels, preventing supplier inconveniences by checking historical data. Employees in charge of inventory will have to forget about writing quantities and other information in paper sheets, or just keeping it in mind. They will have to enter the whole data into the system, helping you to be prepared for the moment in which one of the employees is not available for any reason, giving you the chance to replace him quickly and efficiently.

Implementing ERP

A good way to start the implementation is to deal with the people in charge of handling stocks. They are the first ones to know when a product is not going to be available, and when there is going to be plenty of another one. In this way ERP is able to guide your vendors in order to reduce unnecessary stocks by offering the product that might be exceeding reasonable inventory, and in the other way they can help you to reduce the time of wait for your clients, keeping them satisfied.

Invoicing and delivery process are accelerated by just pushing two or three buttons. When an order is entered all the information is available for vendors to deal with clients at the same time that they are dealing with stocks, prices and possibilities of discount. This information arrives correctly and in a complete way to the rest of the employees speeding up posterior work.

Furthermore, you can see the status of an order at any moment in time almost immediately, helping you to give fast and precise information to various client questions. What ERP brings to your enterprise is a kind of magic that simplifies daily tasks, and not so daily ones. It keeps your employees informed about what they need to know to increase their efficiency levels, and it also gives you the chance to control anybody at anytime.