ERP systems can be complicated. Let’s not pretend otherwise. But just as we don’t need to know the inner workings of the internal combustion engine to be capable of driving a car, we also don’t need to know the complexities of SQL or C# coding to use ERP. Although the additional knowledge certainly won’t go a miss, what really matters is that it works and that you can use it well!
The ERP user experience should be simple and intuitive. We are all used to interactions online now, whether that is banking or buying. Do you ever question how the checkout basket can do the adding up and remember your credit card and buying preferences? Most likely not. A smart, connected ERP system should feel as smooth as that.
Commerce cannot operate successfully in Industry 4.0 without a solid and reliable 21st century ERP system. It has become the beating heart of everything from multinationals through to SMEs and right across the supply chain; managing myriad business functions across sales and order processing, purchasing, traceability in the manufacturing processes, right through to processing and tracking deliveries.
Bringing the workforce on board is crucial to the success of the system. It is important they feel empowered and not redundant. This means the system needs to enable them to get to where they want to go. To find the answers without having to jump through hoops. This means the two most important elements revolve around us as human beings. Does it work in terms of process for the user? Is it intuitive enough for staff who have to get to grips with it in a short time and live with it eight hours a day? Being able to drill down to find the information not only means having the digital tools but also a straightforward user interface that is easy to use and to navigate.
User Centred ERP
The User Experience of SYSPRO ERP is one of the reasons businesses choose to go with NexSys. Our case studies are a testament to the ease of use and installation. Businesses want business as usual while installing new systems of any type. You can’t shut shop and expect to retain your client base while you figure out how the new ERP system works.
Often it is the shared vision that is missing. What you as a business want to achieve needs to carry with it what the staff want it to achieve. They, after all, are the ones who have to use it on a daily basis. A user-centred ERP, such as SYSPRO, makes the changeover from old to new as seamless as possible. Both are working towards the same end.
However, designing enterprise software is one thing. Getting it to integrate with current systems is another. No business can afford to throw out all the knowledge and intelligence captured over years of transactions. Nor can they afford to lose them in the changeover either. What is important is ensuring the most useful information is transferred rather than a wholesale shift which will then have to be unravelled in the new system.
One way of helping improve the User Experience is by working with partners who can provide software that adds value and works with the new system. This integration middleware might be focused on one section of the business e.g. sales or admin. But whatever function or department, NexSys can ensure it is a seamless process.
This can be achieved because SYSPRO ERP has a single source DNA. Although it uses some elements developed by partners, it is still the beating heart of the system. Partners and customers can develop more functions as often as they like, but the core remains uniquely SYSPRO.
All versions and releases are supported. The idea is to ensure customers can continue to use SYSPRO software with the least possible effort. It’s about respecting the customer and the staff who use it and not simply walking away once the sale has been made. We are also unique in the ERP field in being the only provider that also supports previous versions of the software.
In this new digital era, ERP systems are the norm now, even in smaller businesses. Siloed relationships are no longer an effective way to run a company. Giving staff access to the relevant information to do their job will help the business, the customer and your workforce. A simple, easy-to-use ERP system means a part-time admin assistant can input the data and the information produced can then be used for business intelligence by the senior management. This allows better forecasting, admin, sales, HR and better business. A smooth journey all round.
