7 Benefits of Hiring an ERP Business Consulting Firm
An ERP Consultant holds both expertise in business management consulting and ERP software implementation, and your digital transformation requires special attention on both of these ends. While most projects can be handled internally, the benefits of hiring an ERP-specific consulting firm are too significant to overlook. We put together our top seven here.
1. Expertise in ERP Implementation
An ERP consulting group usually has a background in business technology or management information systems. This supports their expertise in knowing how to design an ERP solution for unique business models. Working with an ERP business consulting firm like The Answer Company means there are specialized types of consultants for each step of the implementation. A well-designed solution helps save costs by avoiding unnecessary modules and add-ons, provides functionalities for your current pain points, and is flexible for your plans of enterprise expansion. Compared to doing the implementation internally, working with an ERP consulting group will lead to higher ROIs and better KPIs that are noticeable within just a few months.
Moreover, these consultants hold training, certifications, and experience in specific ERP software, leading to high proficiency of the software modules’ functionalities, limitations, and methods to customize it. Our consultants also regularly attend annual software updates and continue their education on digital transformation trends.
2. Value-Added Resellers
Buying directly from the ERP software company means working with sales representatives that will likely try to sell you more modules than you need. Because they don’t have an understanding of your organization, their implementation may not be optimal and they cannot offer software development for customized modules.
Instead, ERP business consulting firms that are certified as value-added resellers (VARs) have a partnership with certain ERP software, so they are able to navigate vendor negotiations, leading to a speedier and smoother implementation.
As Sage Platinum Elite and Acumatica Gold VARs partners, our ERP consulting group adds value by designing a solution with specific functionalities that directly serve your organizational needs. To further ensure our success, our in-house ERP development team specializes in coding in unique fields, modules, extensions, or integrating an external system.
3. Software Demonstration
ERP business consulting groups usually have separate teams of consultants delineated by software. After a software is selected, you will work with that particular software consulting team. These consultants know the ins and outs of every module and function, and will lead your executive team through a software demonstration. Because of their full understanding of the system, they will point out the pros and cons of the software, specific to your company’s processes and goals. Note that if your executives explore a demo by themselves, decisions may quickly become fueled by poor understanding of the software.
4. Specialized Project Management
ERP consultants are your partners-in-crime for project management. They will create a detailed implementation timeline and list of project deliverables. Their plan will outline when your executive team needs to join the discussion and when your employees can expect to start getting acquainted with the new ERP.
With over 2000 ERP implementations under our belt, our consultants are very prepared for possible hurdles and hold the ability to solve new challenges easily. Efficiently restructuring a project timeline through inevitable changes improves the speed and efficiency of your implementation, and prevents an ERP project failure. Hiring an ERP consulting firm can shave months off the project and thousands of dollars off unneeded software costs.
5. Unbiased Analysis of Your Company
A critical first step to a digital transformation project is a business analysis of the enterprise, to realize not only all internal processes, but also the pain points, inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and goals for the future. When this business case is produced by someone within the organization, you run the risk of biased reports. Inviting an external group of expert analysts allows a fresh pair of eyes to discover things that your executive board and managers may have never recognized before.
A detail-oriented group of ERP consultants will commence an extensive discovery process with your company, asking questions surrounding metrics, processes, security, and your existing tech stack. Our discovery process helps companies map out processes either As-Is and As-It-Should-Be, so there is a clear understanding of what a new solution should aim to solve.
6. Unique Industry Insights
Many ERP business consulting firms, like The Answer Company, specialize in and have years of experience in select industries. Not only are they very familiar with the industry’s regulations, policies, and new trends, they will have learned many invaluable lessons from past implementations in your industry. ERP consulting groups also often offer you an arsenal of great resources, including industry insights, data from exclusive surveys, and detailed industry success guides.
7. Ongoing ERP Training, Change Management, and IT Support
Efficiently training and onboarding even a small or midsize organization takes an expert in the software. Training is usually executed over a few months, but your ERP consultants can continue to assist you should you need more help managing challenges that arise after the transition. Lack of change management can cause significant drops in employee productivity and morale. ERP consultants that know your solution in and out will be able to support employees when they need, reducing workflow delays and organization stress.
We’ve always believed that ERP business consulting firms should function as long-term partners that can offer technical support when issues inevitably arise even years into your digital transformation. Because ERP consulting groups generally charge based on services utilized, you are not wasting any costs, and simply investing into aspects that your organization needs when it needs it.
More about The Answer Company
For over 25 years, The Answer Company’s mission as an ERP consulting firm has been to equip businesses with future-proofed custom solutions that will propel businesses forward. Our success is determined by your success, so we work alongside you to identify the important questions that will help us design a solution custom to your needs. Contact us to get started with a free discovery session today.