The most important criteria for choosing an ERP program

Recently as most corporations have recognized the great benefits of ERP systems on their business, they race now to implement ERP at their workplace to help them successfully manage their work and stand out in the market. However, choosing the right ERP software is a challenge in itself. There are many influencing factors that may affect the ERP system from cost to functionality, scalability to deployment and many more. So here in this article we will help you overcome this challenge by listing some criteria to consider while selecting your ERP. 

Listing Business Requirements:

The first step to do is to make a list of your business needs to guarantee getting the wanted changes especially in ERP implementation. While doing so, you need to gather you staff from CEOs to regular employees and ask you about their expectations of the program and what each one of them think about the features the system must have to serve well the company's requirements.

The software future:

Before picking an ERP program, you should make a study on the ERP features and their service provider, and check if they will continue supporting their customers with extensive features and functionalities in the future or if there is any chance they quit this business any time soon. This study will help you choose better ERP software with a trusted ERP vendor. For example Odoo partners like BORAQ GROUP offer Odoo ERP, robust ERP software that exceed any other ERP software in the market, and can guarantee you a long time support 

Scalability check:

Choosing a software application that can have full command of management in case of growing volume of work and number of users is highly recommended as well. Not all ERP vendors provide scalable ERP software. Therefore, check whether the software models can constantly scale to fit the developing business, to make sure you will be well supported when your business expend.  

Moreover, scalability can cost more for some on-premise arrangements. You may need to buy extra servers to help the increased burden. Therefore it's critical to ask ERP providers what their products can offer to the business and whether they can be scaled in case of need. 

Return on investment:

The total cost of the service ownership is usually a primary concern when choosing an ERP program. However, understanding the return on investment (ROI) from the program is also important.

Selecting an ERP framework based on ROI rather than total cost of ownership is sure to deliver significant business profits.

Check references:

Mo matter what you are buying, taking a look at the references of the product first helps you know if the seller was true to his word and whether the customers are happy with their services. Likewise, checking the ERP vendor' references give an insight about the validity of the vendor promises, the benefits customers got from their software. Also seeing references of the companies that work in the similar domain as yours reveals several aspects like what functionalities did they implement and how better were the outcomes, how long the vendor will support and provide training on the ERP and so on

Upper Management involvement:

The close supervise of the CEOs is crucial to the success of the software execution. Therefore, make sure the mangers give sufficient attention during each phase of the ERP process. Managers' interest in the process can greatly facilitate the workflow of implementation. 

User Support:

Some employees feel afraid of new technologies that they may not be able to use them properly. So when implementing the new ERP at your work, make sure all the users are supporting the new software. First, ask the service provider to give you a detailed documentation on how the ERP work. Second involve your employees by checking their opinion on the program and their demands. Finally, give your employees enough training on the various ERP modules. Once your users get used to the new software surely you'll have the benefits you are looking to.  

Integration and compatibility:

Check as well if the new ERP will fit with the already existed system. For example, can the new ERP read and make use of the current information in the other framework? Make sure to choose an ERP system that is able to integrate with pre-existing system so that you do not have to start from scratch.

Allocated Resources:

As most ERP frameworks approximately last for about 10 years or longer, the maintenance and support always remain a matter of concern. Therefore, you need to think for the long term while putting the cost plan and choosing an ERP vendor. For instance, companies which want to save money and cut down the expenses go for freelancers to implement the ERP system, but end up paying more money as they need to hire them over and over again whenever the system require upgrade or maintenance. On the other hand hiring licensed developers can eventually reduce the cost as they are committed to offer long term support and maintenance.

Customization:

Customization is not a must in every ERP software; rather it's the user choice. Some users ask for customization to make the ERP especially fit their business. However, as customization could give great benefits, over customization just does the opposite. To have a productive customization, try to make your customization the least possible. 

Furthermore, Make sure you are cooperating with developers and designers who are well qualified in the programming language required for the customization. Boraq Group, an official Odoo partner, has both technical and functional experts who can guide you effectively in Odoo Customization services and other Odoo services. 

All in all, before selecting your ERP software, it is highly recommended that you check some ERP selection criteria. Here in the article we listed for you a bunch of the most important criteria. We hope they will be a good guidance. For more support at your business, don't hesitate to contact us at info@Boraq-group.com

KEY WORDS: ERP software, Odoo Partners, Boraq Group, Odoo services, Odoo customization.