Choosing the Best ERP System for Your Growing Business

Are you feeling a little overwhelmed trying to manage your growing business? Are you struggling to manage different departments and feel your business is becoming more disconnected and fragmented the bigger you grow? It might be the right time to consider using an ERP system in your organization.

An enterprise resource planning (ERP) software plays a critical function in day-to-day operations, serving as a single source of information across your business. Every department relies on an ERP system to carry out its processes, from senior management that requires clear insights into business performance for making timely decisions to sales teams that need to manage customer orders and ensure customer satisfaction.

Your choice to go with one of the best ERP systems in the UAE holds the key to how well your company performs today and in the future – amid heavy competition.

Let’s look more closely at ERP systems, and discuss why you might need one for your business, and which of the top ERP systems in UAE will fit your organization.

What Exactly is an ERP System/Enterprise Resource Planning Software?

ERP stands for enterprise resource planning. As the name suggests, ERP software is created to help you manage business processes across different business units. An ERP software can help you tackle enterprise-wide functional challenges by handling many tasks such as generate invoices, process purchase orders, generate financial reports, track and manage budgets, store and track employee information (attendance, contacts details, etc.), automate payroll processes, track inventory levels, generate inventory reports, manage customer relationships (CRM system), and many more possible tasks.

Essentially, an ERP system can help you store, retrieve, consolidate, and interpret business data to help make everyday business processes easier, but also to help you make better decisions in your organization. As your enterprise grows and information becomes more scattered, an ERP system becomes essential to maintaining positive growth. When sales is slowly losing grip of marketing activities, or when creating an invoice becomes a hassle lost between email chains and different offices, an ERP system becomes essential.

What Are the Most Used ERP Modules?

As we discussed above, ERP systems have different modules. Before trying to choose an ERP software for your business, think about what type of modules you’ll need for your business. For example, will you need a CRM module? How about a module for managing your shipments & logistics? What about one for tracking your product quality? Knowing your business requirements first makes finding the right ERP system easy!

If you need a little more clarity of the type of modules an ERP system can provide, take a look at the most common modules featured in different softwares. The modules that need to be implemented in an ERP will depend on your business model, the industry you’re in, and the unique challenges your organization faces.

Most ERP systems will have the following modules:

• Human resources management: This module may also be referred to as workforce management. Its core capabilities include handling payroll, tracking attendance, and measuring productivity. Other modules can cover employee experience management and workforce analytics to deliver robust HR solutions for talent management.
• Procurement: The procurement module helps you acquire materials for production and get the services necessary for your operations. It centralizes and automates procurement processes: quote requests, approvals, purchasing, and contract creation.
• Finance: The finance and accounting module provides your business with instant access to your current finances and future outlook. Besides tracking accounts payable and receivable, generating financial reports, and mitigating financial risks, the ERP module also automates financial tasks: billing, cash management, and account reconciliation.
• Manufacturing: This module helps manufacturers plan production, enabling businesses to monitor their actual output against their forecast production.
• Customer relationship management (CRM): Designed to improve customer service, the CRM module contains all customer information, from purchase history to communications with your sales teams. The module also manages leads and opportunities, allowing your business to track communications and progress with prospects.
• Inventory management: This module helps organizations efficiently manage stock levels, storage, and movement of goods. The functions of the module can include SKU management, purchase order management, shipping and delivery tracking and more.

What is the Best ERP for My Business?

Well, that depends on you! Think about where you are experiencing the most difficult to manage business processes, or where you feel resources are being wasted and there are processes that can be automated. Once you’ve determined the modules your business needs, start your due diligence with the following steps:

Check how well the ERP works with your business

Can the ERP software address your business’s unique challenges? Before you can even look into the vendors and their reputation as ERP providers, find out if the software is a functional fit for your business. The software may be able to solve your current problems, but does the Software Company have a long-term strategy to support you in the long run post implementation?

The right ERP system must support your current processes and address future challenges, providing your business with options for scalability.

Choose an ERP software that easily integrates with existing applications

Onboarding team members and data to new software can be time consuming. It is always best to choose an ERP system that can easily be integrated into your existing workflow, or one that will be easy to use and implement by your staff. You may also want to retain certain legacy software/applications for some processes while deciding on an ERP software. If that’s the case, make sure your ERP integrates with existing software. ERP systems typically integrate through application programming interfaces (APIs), like simple object access protocol (SOAP) and representational state transfer (REST).

Understand the associated expenses and costs

The cost of ERP solutions in the UAE and other countries across the world will vary, depending on the vendor and the modules included in the software. The more recognizable the brands are will also be a factor in the pricing. Three of the most prominent ERP products for SMEs are Microsoft Dynamics D365 Business Central, SAP BusinessOne, and Oracle NetSuite.

The upfront cost for your chosen ERP software also depends on its deployment model: on-premise, cloud, and hybrid. Each option comes with corresponding fees on maintenance, licensing, implementation costs, among others. When estimating the ongoing costs of your ERP system, factor in the number of users, customizations, planned add-ons, and continuing support. You should also consider from other perspectives such as the time it will cost for employees to learn how to use the software. This will largely depend on the usability of the software interface.

Cloud ERP in Dubai may be popular for its manageable upfront costs, hassle free maintenance, and greater scalability.

Determine your need for ongoing support

Ongoing support is essential for any new technology you introduce to the business. However, where the support differs with each organization is the level of technical, administrative, and end-user support. Most vendors will offer tiered levels, with a premium package covering priority access to technicians and 24/7 support for critical issues.

The type of deployment you choose will also inform the level of support your business will need. Essentially, you need to think about whether your internal technical capabilities are “strong” enough to manage the system on your own. If not, a little more help from the software vendor might be needed in the long run. Of course, you can always change your support requirements after the agreed upon contract period to keep up with changing business and technical needs.

Make sure everyone’s onboard

Finally, everyone’s buy-in is ideal before rolling out your ERP system. A new ERP is part of change management, and that can sometimes cause roadblocks if senior management and all teams do not recognize the value of an ERP implementation.

Gain executive, leadership, and teams’ buy-in by promoting the benefits of an ERP. With everyone on board this critical project, implementation would be a success. Keep in mind scheduling concerns as well as a new ERP system will require some time input from each team to learn the ropes of all the new processes.

ERP software is the “central nervous system” of any business. When it is running at its peak, the rest of the “body” performs at its best. A lot is riding on this decision, so it’s critical to do a thorough assessment. It is even better to perform that assessment with the guidance of experienced, independent ERP consulting services in the UAE.

Get Help from an Independent ERP Advisor Based in the UAE!

Affility Consulting works with a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, services, education, healthcare, construction, F&B, hospitality, textiles, printing, trading, and retail. We’ll help you choose the best fit ERP for your business, ensuring your strategic vision remains prominent at the evaluation and implementation phases. We know what it takes to choose and implement an ERP system successfully in businesses from many different industries, and we look forward to helping you choose and implement the right system for your organization!

Fill out our contact form today and tell us about your ERP requirements.