What SMBs Should Consider When Choosing An ERP Solution

Arun Upadhyay, CEO and Founder of LionO360 shares an article on Forbes regarding what small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) should consider when choosing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Upadhyay stresses that implementing the right technology makes a world of a difference and can impact your business.  ERPs are designed to connect the different areas and processes of a company that’s needed to run the business.  Deciding what ERP to implement is half the battle. Below are Upadhyay’s tips to consider before seeking an ERP solution.

  • Figure Out Your Requirements – Start by identifying shortfalls, challenges, inconsistencies, processes or systems that are inefficient, waste money or slow productivity. Seek input from senior management, IT teams, end users and others who are engaged in specific areas of your business.
  • Compare Offerings -After you’ve sorted out your requirements, look to see what features, functionalities and technologies different ERPs offer. Most have a dizzying array of options. To avoid being overwhelmed, take a big-picture approach.
  • Appoint An Integration Manager – Many vendors will assign you a project manager. However, you should appoint an internal person or team that understands the ERP you’ve selected as well as your company’s systems. Ideally, this person will be involved in the ERP onboarding process from day one: They will help gather requirements and will become fully acclimated to the new ERP. They will work alongside the vendor on any data conversions, coding customization and application migration. They will coordinate all necessary training and will liaise between the vendor and internal staff.
  • Decide On An Option – As with most technologies, it’s important to think long-term when you’re selecting ERP software and a vendor. By doing so, you’ll better position your company and the vendor as partners for mutual success.

 

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IP Designer Series – XML Node

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The XML Node can be used to build or read XML in IPA.

For the Action tab, select Build or Parse depending on the function you are performing.  You can Build the XML input if you have a schema to point to in the Build menu.  The Evaluate on Condition field means that the XML will only be built if criteria that you specify are matched.  The Append Output To option allows you to append the XML string you are building to a node that exists in your flow (i.e. adding elements to a list within a data iterator).

NOTE: Variables are denoted with curly braces: {variable}.

6 CRM Trends to Watch

The future of customer relationship management (CRM) seems to be left in the helms of another technology of today: Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI has been talked about for a very long time and today it’s proved to be the game changer it truly is. Peter Kowalke at IT.ToolBox notes that the inclusion of AI in CRM systems is projected to deliver businesses roughly $394 billion in additional revenue in the United States by 2021, according to Statistica research. Not every CRM currently flows through AI, and while most do, it’s very likely they all eventually will. Below are 6 CRM trends to watch in the near future, with excerpts directly from Kowalke’s article on IT.Toolbox.com:

  1. Automatic Automation – “AI and Machine learning capabilities have significantly evolved during the past few years, and AI can enhance CRM utilization thanks to automating mundane tasks that employees would otherwise waste time on,” says Katherine Kostereva, CEO and founder of CRM maker, bpm’online.
  2. Voice-Based Access – “The integration of voice assistants into CRM systems will allow for dictation and fast access to data with the help of voice commands,” notes Illia Pinchuk, CEO of software development firm, Diceus.
  3. Advanced Data Mining – “Today, with AI-based technology, big data can bring customer relations to a new level using different electronic devices, gadgets, wearables, social networks, etc.,” says Pinchuk.
  4. Tighter Integration with Other Systems – “CRM has forgotten the ‘relationship’ part of its acronym, and has failed to adapt to businesses’ evolving needs and the modern workplace,” says Morgan Norman, chief marketing officer for Google-based CRM, Copper. “A major weakness of traditional CRM systems is that they aren’t integrated with digital workplace tools users prefer, like Slack and G Suite.” This is changing, however, as CRM makers such as Salesforce and others break CRM out of its silo and build around the cloud model where everything easily connects with everything else.
  5. Social Media-Inspired User Interfaces – “Based on user experience preferences and design, the next evolution of CRM may resemble a social network or consumer-facing application so that users feel comfortable with its functionalities,” suggests Norman.
  6. IoT Data – “IoT will connect with CRM significantly in the near future, particularly in service organizations,” says Robin Grochol, vice president of product management for the Salesforce Sales Cloud. “With IoT and CRM data integrated, customer service agents can provide better support to customers and provide a consistent and personalized experience.”

 

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Transitioning Open POs from one ERP to another ERP

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Here are some things to consider:

  1. Is there a cut-off date for open POs or are all open POs going to move over to the new systems?
  2. Will open (unmatched) receivers also be moved over to the new system for the open POs?
  3. When AP vendors are moved to the new system, will they have the same vendor number or is a vendor cross reference needed to import the open POs and receivers to the new system?
  4. Are your item numbers staying the same? If not, you will need an item cross reference for bringing the line items of the POs and receivers over to the new system.
  5. Is there anything special about your PO processing that needs to be taken into consideration when selecting POs or Receivers for conversion?

 

 

 

Key Insights to Inform the Future of Your CRM

Customer relationship management and marketing is continuously evolving and becoming more and more imperative to the way we do business. Brands today are focusing a lot of their time on customer data and ways to leverage customer relationships. They are constantly finding ways to engaging with customers through people-based marketing strategies. Marketing strategist Jose Cebrian recently surveyed 200 marketers on this subject.

Marketers are Seeking to Invest More in Data, Analytics, and Technology

Cebrian explains that “marketers are feeling more pressure to enhance the customer experience and deliver differentiation throughout the full life cycle from prospect to customer to loyalty and win-back. They need investment to deliver on the promise of modern CRM, which is to ingest and analyze data, surface insights, and serve decisions to the systems that need them, whether it be a mobile app, an email campaign, a call center, or even an ATM.”

 

Email Remains a Valued Channel for Personalization and Insights

“Commercial email has been around for many years; email platforms are fairly mature, as are the operational processes around them. The channel is inherently –data driven, and the relatively large format allows for personalization in many different areas, including subject lines, imagery, content blocks, and other pieces. But that may contribute to the problem. Low levels of personalization are pretty easy in email, but it allows people to “check a box” that they are personalizing. But it has to mean more. If we continue on the theme of modern CRM, email personalization should not be considered something as basic as inserting a name or loyalty balance into a merge tag – that’s JV personalization. Rather, it has to be powered by insights and impact not just the content people see in their email, but also when they receive an email, the imagery they see, the language they read, and the offers they see – and even whether they receive an email at all. In addition, we need to connect that logic with other media in channel-appropriate ways.”

 

Direct Mail is on the Decline. Can We Do More with Less?

“As a channel, direct mail still has an important seat at the table – it’s a great acquisition channel for some industries, including financial services, home services, nonprofit, and retail. And the laws surrounding direct mail in the US are simpler than other PII-based marketing tactics. But the reality is that direct mail is relatively expensive on a per-piece basis, so you have to know who you are targeting, why, what you are going to say, and what you expect the outcome to be. While those tenets should be true in any channel, the economics of direct mail enforce the discipline. So, like all channels and tactics, direct mail has its place in the marketing quiver for acquisition, renewal, and continuity programs. But also, like other channels, you shouldn’t use direct mail to target everyone on your list. Start with the audience. Understand the channels through which they respond and use those in a coordinated fashion.”

 

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3 Questions to Ask Your ERP Vendor About Data Management

Throughout your enterprise resource planning (ERP) selection process, you as the business manager will have many questions regarding its functionality, ease, and worth to your company. Another thing you should keep in mind is the future of your ERP, your long-term commitment to the system. Sometimes that means switching to a new platform, or switching vendors for support. With that in mind, you’ll have to wonder about data management. But what are the right questions to ask when considering long term solutions for your ERP? SolutionsReview.com suggests the following 3 questions to ask your ERP vendors regarding data management.

  1. Who owns my data? When you ask this question, most vendors are likely to answer that, of course, you are the owner of your data. Most vendors will also direct you to their privacy policy or security documentation. While important, those documents aren’t everything.
  2. If I decide to leave your software, how can I take my data with me? Being able to leave a solution with your data should be a given in this scenario. However, the vendor should also have both policy and process in place for exporting your data from their system. Preferably, your information can be converted to a universally exportable file (such as a .csv). It can then be imported into another ERP system.
  3. How is data restricted from (or permitted for) different users? Ask your vendor if permissions can be granted on a more granular level. Once customized, every employee who uses the system can access exactly what they need, while being restricted from what they don’t.

 

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Get Business Class and Field Names for Landmark Applications

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When setting up Landmark queries for IPA or Spreadsheet Designer, it helps to know which business class and field you are working with.  You can get these values in any Landmark application form (web-based or in Rich Client) by typing ctrl+shift and clicking on the field.

Watch for five supply chain ERP trends in 2020

2019 saw a technology craze that significantly improved the way we do business. Looking ahead in 2020, Kayla Matthews at Freight Waves explores the positive outlook for enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to help your supply chain run smoothly. Matthews predicts the follow 5 trends to boost ERP and supply chain logistics in the coming year and beyond.

  1. A growing realization that ERP systems and associated technologies cut costs – Matthews believes that in 2020, as supply chain professionals continue to look for ways to reduce costs and compensate for an insufficient labor force, many will investigate whether 2020 is the right time to connect complementing technologies to their ERP systems.
  2. Greater emphasis on using ERP software to keep customers satisfied – ERP is implemented because of the desire for a firm to improve business performance. As we move into 2020, expect more supply chain businesses to see a link between using ERP systems and keeping their customers satisfied.
  3. Artificial intelligence coming to ERP software – Artificial intelligence (AI) is excellent for removing some of the manual, time-consuming tasks. AI also applies to supply chain professionals due to its inventory management capabilities. AI is already starting to integrate into some ERP platforms. In 2020, Matthews predicts, more and more ERP platforms will integrate AI into their software.
  4. More companies integrating the IoT into their ERP platforms – 2020 will likely include an increase in companies using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and ensuring the respective data gets factored into the information shown in an ERP interface. Some supply chain leaders put IoT equipment on their trucks. This approach allows for tracking the vehicles in real-time and predicting the demand for sales.
  5. Increased attempts to combine blockchain with ERP software – Blockchain technology became widely known for its connection to cryptocurrency. It’s proved itself to be useful in other sectors such as supply chain. Blockchain provides a higher level of transparency that can improve ethical sourcing in the supply chain, cut down on fraud and more.

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6 technology trends shaping the innovation platform

With 5G disrupting today’s mobile network platform and providing widespread global coverage, Erik Ekudden at Ericsson.com believes that this network platform is the gateway to greater innovative trends in the near future. With 5G’s predictive success, Ekudden forecasts other trends that the future of technology may take us. He predicts the interplay of these technology trends will be the catalyst for global transformation. According to Ekudden, the six trends to watch in the year ahead are:

  • The Internet of Skills
  • Cyber-physical systems
  • Distributed compute and storage
  • Ubiquitous radio access
  • Security assurance
  • Zero-touch networks

The first two trends, he explains, are about demanding use cases, while the final four are about technologies that are evolving the network platform. In his article, Ekudden explained, “Distributed compute and storage is a new addition in 2019. The other five trends have been part of our trend analysis for the last few years. In this year’s article, I build on last year’s conclusions and provide more context about our vision of the future network platform.”

 

Read the 2019 technology trends in full to find out more about how these six trends are transforming our world.

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Transitioning Open Receipts from one ERP to another

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There are things to consider when transitioning your open receipts from one ERP to another:

  1. How old are the receipts before you will not move them to the new ERP?
  2. Are the POs still open for the open Receipts?
  3. Is there a new PO number that needs to be used for cross referencing purposes in the new ERP?
  4. How about the vendor number – did it change in the new ERP?
  5. What about your item numbers? – Do you need a cross reference between the old and new item numbers?