This article excerpt, by John Rampton, originally appeared here: http://huff.to/1JgalA7
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions are showing up in a lot of small and medium-sized businesses. The benefits are clear. According to the Aberdeen Group’s “ERP in SME: Fueling Growth and Profit” (PDF), an ERP deployment brings around 22 percent reduction in operating costs, 20 percent in administrative costs, 17 percent reduction in inventory management cost, and around the same level of improvements in both scheduled compliance and on-time delivery.
It is interesting to note the numbers the study Enterprise Resource Planning Software BuyerView 2015 is brandishing. Small businesses start considering an ERP solution because they want to improve their CRM processes. More than that, close to six out of every 10 enterprises wanted an ERP solution to integrate the data they get from other business processes, putting all of these data in one place.
The report also finds that around two of every three small businesses were first-time users of ERP solutions. Expect more small businesses to follow suit, especially those aiming to streamline a growing operation, or SMEs that want to get better value from the data they already have.
Employees & HR Staff
One area where ERP shines is in human resources. HR plays an important role in any enterprise, as it focuses on both the professional development and personal welfare of employees. But because of the large amount of information that HR has to process, most HR departments find it difficult to do their jobs.
ERP systems and modules used for HR give employees better resource management, which touches on spending accounts, payroll, benefits administration, and compensation. Then you have modules that touch on management of the workforce, including performance support, scheduling, absence handling, time, and attendance. You can also use ERP for recruitment, training, competency management, and performance management.
Tools to Fit Any Business Shape & Size
There are several tools out there that can help your company improve your ERP utilization when you plan to use it for human resources management.
You have the Human Resources Management module for Microsoft Dynamics NAV, which assists in handling human resources by managing, organizing, and controlling the information that you have about your employees. With Microsoft Dynamics NAV, you can track significant and relevant employee information and even organize all this according to several types, including skills, experience, union membership, training and others.
It also helps you create candidate profiles you can use when you want to fill a new position from within. NAV ensures security of confidential and sensitive employee data, while also allowing you to save time in searching for specific information. Furthermore, you can use the module to track expensive equipment issued to employees such as a company car, smart phone, laptop and others.
The IT Department
For the IT department, ERP systems present both an advantage and a challenge. The ERP platform allows workers to automate tedious and repetitive work. However, properly maintaining an ERP deployment will require frequent updates, patches and debugging. Software upgrades and testing tools such as the Panaya CloudQuality Suite can help you do away with repetitive manual testing.
Decision-Makers & Executives
Another area where ERP helps is in decision-making. Employees tasked with analyzing and making decisions will have better visibility over all the company’s data, which makes it easier to synthesize and make decisions based on information. Decision-making, strategizing and planning have never been easier.
Happy workers are productive workers, and you can use your ERP platform to ensure your employees are content and productive. From being able to match their skills to their tasks, to making their work easier and less repetitive, to giving them improved visibility, enterprise solutions can be a great way to make sure your employees can do more.
Leave a Reply