Stuck with an Ineffective ERP or CRM system? You’re in good company. (Good news – you may not need new software to get to a better place.)
I’ve posted this quick primer to help you tackle this condition. Ultimately the way out of a messy ERP or CRM environment is a “turnaround” plan (these vary by circumstance) that tackle the considerations we share in bullet points below. These plans require foresight, hard assessments, and further commitment by the project and business leadership teams. Yes, our team develops these plans with our clients when needed, leveraging experience with digital transformation projects – but whether you retain us or not, the points below warrant your consideration.
You can contact us at the email provided at bottom – and, if you’re not familiar with our team, we do not sell software at all – so this comes from an objective view.
Familiar concerns: Here are common concerns expressed by CEO’s and CFO’s who are in a dissatisfied spot about their ERP or CRM systems (do any seem familiar to you?)
- Our ERP customization requests aren’t being addressed timely by our ERP vendor
- Our systems don’t provide anything close to the kind of analytics we need
- We paid a lot for our ERP and CRM system – what did we get for all that money?
- Our ERP vendor says that we’re done with the scope/project. We’re not!
- Our team hates our software (are they justified?)
- Our current software doesn’t scale with our business
- We just had a clarity moment… our ERP really isn’t a good fit for our type of business.
- Our ERP was written by a few people that are retiring now, with no succession plan in place. We’re going to be abandoned.
- Our ERP vendor can’t keep their staff. The project is months behind with no sight of finishing, and our staff is overly fatigued, losing motivation.
The concerns above are valid. There are ways to solve these problems – but you need to look inward, first…
Internal causation: Guess what we almost never hear?
- We could have handled our ERP implementation much better; perhaps some of the blame rests with us?
- Perhaps we should have been clear about our requirements…
- From the top to the bottom, our team wasn’t experienced enough – or qualified to undertake a big systems-shift
- We trusted the vendor to understand our business and solve our problems. And to effectively manage our implementation. This was a big mistake.
Forward progress: Looking for a solution to your situation? For starters, ask yourselves the following insightful questions, and the turnaround plan can be developed from there –
- What exactly is the problem?
- Is the software product the root cause of the troubles? (hint: usually it’s not)
- Are you in a tough state because of the vendor’s capabilities or follow-through?
- (Same question – but shine the mirror on your team)
- Have you figured out what are the most important things you want the system to do for your business? What are you willing for it not to do for you?
- Do you know the type of analytics and reporting you need to manage your business?
- If so, what data does your system already capture?
- Is your software overly customized?
- Does your ERP or CRM vendor have a legitimate future?
If you’re serious about undertaking a turnaround of your current state, consider the points above, particularly the self-reflection and forward progress points above – and we’d gladly talk with you about guiding your turnaround team. Email us at [email protected] – or message me on LinkedIn. Thanks for reading.
On behalf of our team –
Bob Green, CPA.CITP, CGMA – Lead Partner, SingerLewak – SL Business Informatics