In a dynamic working environment there are many business processes and procedures at play within busy organisations, making it very difficult to manage everything with multiple disparate solutions. The ideal scenario is one where one integrated system can manage all of your business operations across the board, offering real-time information at every point. Business Management Software (also known as ERP) enables small to medium-sized businesses to quickly and affordably make the switch from off-the-shelf accounting software that only focuses on basic transactional information, to robust software packages that link your ledgers with all of the relevant core business processes and activities.
The following are 4 non-exhaustive reasons for making the switch to business management software:
1. Operational, financial and strategic insight
Capable Business Management Software makes it simple for your staff to manage common business processes such as order entry, shipping, invoicing, and stock takes. But while basic accounts packages often give your staff access to your sensitive accounting records, business management software allows management to restrict employees’ to only the processes that are relevant to their roles and enables greater levels of control for management. Such role-based security means that you can give specific access to all employees whilst keeping their permissions locked down so they can only access what they require to do their jobs.
2. Access to real-time information
When a company uses multiple software systems to manage their operations it can be difficult to get an accurate and specific indicator as to how the business is performing. Integrating all aspects of the business, its associated information and unifying key activities such as procurement, sales, warehouse management etc. into one software system enables management to have more accurate information readily available, allowing for better decision making and business intelligence across the board.
2. Increase Staff Productivity
With business management software, a competent CRM system is always at the core of day to day activities. An integrated CRM Adds an element of accountability whereby all activity is recorded and stored and is easily accessible by staff. This means that there is less time spent chasing for documents and invoices, and using outdated information, and more time spent on completing essential tasks and making money for the organisation.
4. Reduced cost of ownership
While purchasing a new business management software package can seem like a large investment, it is important to compare it to the true cost of maintaining an outdated legacy system or systems. This is in terms of time, resources and also in terms of missed opportunities such as scaling your business and its infrastructure as you grow. By focusing not on the initial upfront costs, but rather at the eventual short and long term ROI gains, it is clear that the benefits for business management software outweigh the initial investment.
If you wish to learn more about our fully integrated business management software package, please see Herbst Enterprise.