4 benefits of automating your ERP systems
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems have become the backbone of business of all kinds. It’s because they efficiently handle critical business areas, such as manufacturing, sales & marketing, supply chain, accounting & finance, warehouse & inventory, logistics, customer relationships, and many more. ERP systems destroy information silos and allow all business stakeholders to access critical information without any hassle. One of the most significant advantages of using ERP software is that it automates several functions, thereby drastically increasing operations’ speed, reducing the turnaround time, increasing profits, and maximizing efficiency.
This article will focus on the 4 crucial benefits that businesses can draw by automating their ERP systems.
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Automation in ERP software will help you become completely paper-free.
Do you store data on paper? Are you still stacking documents and files in big cabinets and drawers, only to never find them when you need them? If yes, then it’s high time that you start implementing digital solutions to store records. ERP software is an automated system that will save critical business data in digital repositories that provide secured access to all authenticated business stakeholders. It will help you go completely paper-free, and you can monitor each piece of information coming in and going out through a centralized database. With an ERP system, every staff from a different department will be able to access the same updated information. And even customers can access their own transaction status which makes more easier for them
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Automation in ERP software will allow you to increase the productivity of resources.
Many companies have information silos that restrict the free flow of critical data between various business departments, limiting them to work as a cohesive force. Automation in ERP software integrates the information produced by different departments and eliminates duplication of work. Moreover, ERP systems perform trivial tasks such as form filling and data-entry in a fraction of a second, thereby allowing your workforce to focus on issues that require creativity and intelligence.
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Automation in ERP software will enable you to monitor processes in real-time.
Companies need to access reports about all processes and operations in real-time. ERP software allows all business stakeholders — frontline employees, C-suite managers, vendors, suppliers, and distributors — to gain a 360-degree perspective. By automating your ERP systems, you no longer need to search through massive piles of data. Instead, you can extract critical data in a few clicks. Automation brings both speed and accuracy and allows you to gain a strategic perspective of the market by learning about the customers’ needs, wants, desires, and ambitions.
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Automation in ERP software allows you to integrate them with CRM systems.
Companies can integrate ERP software with CRM systems and significantly improve their capabilities. Imagine the following scenario. Suppose the salesperson visits the client’s place to collect necessary documents. To save the documents into the company database, the salesperson will have to return to the office and upload them manually. But with CRM software, the salesperson can upload the documents from the client’s place itself. Moreover, CRM systems allow companies to interact with customers across multiple platforms — website, live chats, calls, and emails. Chatbots are a new way of assisting clients as they can provide instant replies to customer queries 24/7. Moreover, CRM systems also allow omnichannel marketing by collecting, analyzing, and responding across multiple channels. Let’s understand this with the help of an example below:
Suppose your customer travels from home to office and back through the train. In the morning, he sees the ad for brand new sneakers in the local newspaper. While traveling by train, he logs into the company’s website through his smartphone and searches for the blue sneakers (blue being his favorite color). To seek more information, he posts a query to the chatbot. While waiting to receive the answer, he notices that his destination is going to arrive. So he switches-off his smartphone and keeps it inside his pocket. After reaching his office, he finds that he has received a reply to his query in his inbox. During his lunchtime, he browses through all kinds of blue sneakers and finally makes the purchase. Thus, CRM systems facilitate customer interactions across numerous mediums and drastically increase your sales.
Conclusion
Automating your critical business processes using ERP software will allow you to control costs, maximize operational efficiency, increase profits & revenues, and enable employees to focus on challenges that require human ingenuity. ERP systems will help you brainstorm effective strategies based on concrete data, thereby allowing you to transform into a market leader.
Author Bio:
Nishant likes to read and write on technologies that form the bedrock of modern-day and age like web apps, machine learning, data science, AI, and robotics. His expertise in content marketing has helped grow countless business opportunities. Nishant works for Sage Software Solutions Pvt. Ltd., a leading provider of CRM and ERP systems to small and mid-sized businesses in India.
