How to Find the Right ERP Integration Provider
Digital transformation is the future of business practices and procedures, so your company needs to ensure that your ERP system integrates smoothly with other automation software applications that you need.
If you are in need of a new ERP system for your business, then you’ve come to right place. It can be confusing and stressful to determine which ERP integration provider is a good fit for your company’s needs, but with a little bit of planning and research, you easily pick the right provider.
We’ve provided an outline of the different types of ERP systems and some advice to help you chose the Enterprise Resource Planning software and provider that will give you all the tools you need to improve efficiency, cut costs, and speed up business processes.
What is an ERP System?
Before we get into the different facets and tools that an ERP system has to offer, lets define ERP. ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning and it is a business process management software. The software is almost like your company’s collective brain, communication system, and filing cabinet. This means that ERP software stores, manages, and integrates company data across teams and departments to in one central database to streamline workflows.
Most ERP systems are used to manage business finances like billing, purchase orders, invoices, sales orders, payroll, and all other company profits or expenses. Because this data is often translated and shared between departments, ERP systems integrate with automation software in other departments like AP Automation software in the Accounts Payable department, Sales Order Automation software in the sales department, and HR Automation software in the Human Resources Department to share real-time information.
ERP systems remove the need for manual business processes that are error-prone and waste time.
ERP systems remove the need for manual business processes that are error-prone and waste time. Most companies use ERP primarily for financial management but the software has many different features to offer and there are also multiple different types common application integrations that we’ll explain below.
Customer Service ERP Integration
Customer service ERP integration is better known as IT Service Management (ITSM) and can increase customer satisfaction with tools to support consumers like problem and incident management. The software can manage return orders, repair scheduling, and other self-service capabilities for a seamless and easy customer experience.
ITSM is a great software tool that can be adjusted to your company needs while providing you visibility into ways to grow and improve for even better customer interactions.
CRM ERP Integration
CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management and it is another software that can provide exceptional customer experiences while streamlining workflows. CRM stores customer data like addresses and past orders for more personalized shopping experiences and faster checkouts.
CRM ERP integration also offers customers more visibility into the order process so they can easily track their package and estimate when it will arrive at their door. For any company with an online store, CRM will help you meet the customer demand for faster shipping, easier tracking, and more tailored shopping experiences.
Collaborative efforts to fulfill orders between departments and team members are also seamless with CRM integration because each department will have access to updates in customer data or sales orders in real-time. Supply chain management is greatly improved with all of the customer and stock data in one secure cloud.
E-Commerce ERP Integration
E-Commerce ERP integration allows for automatic inventory updates on the E-commerce platform of your choosing and on your business’s end by sharing data through the ERP system. Real-time data updates in stock levels or price changes will save your business from common mistakes that lead to being unable to fulfill an order.
Project Management ERP Integration
Project Management ERP integration offers easy collaboration efforts and updates for projects between staff members and departments. Project managers can easily see an employee’s progress on an assignment while employees can have full awareness of deadlines and scheduling expectations. The software helps managers prioritize projects for their staff members and make realistic expectations for efficiency based on data projections.
Business Intelligence ERP Integration
Business Intelligence (BI) ERP Integration offers data and insights to all employees across departments. The software allows for the easy share of suggestions and accurate forecasting for informed decision-making. Business management software helps to drive employee experience by giving every team member a voice and space to contribute to business decisions.
ECM ERP Integration
Enterprise Content Management (ECM) ERP integration will help your company transition to a paperless office by storing all of your business documents, forms, and files in a secure cloud-based system.
ECM integration offers easy document sharing, added security, E-signatures, collaboration tools, and more for seamless business practices and communication. ECM software also drives ROI by expanding the value of a single technology implementation and streamlines workflows. Cloud solutions like ECM are the best tools for decluttering your filing cabinets and getting that office organized with a centralized database of digital files.
This central database also clears up communication issues by improving the general flow of communication with interdepartmental visibility. Employees with granted access can easily pull up a document from the ERP system that has been integrated with ECM software because of the With the anypoint platform.
Learn more: The Benefits of Integrating Your ERP System with a Document Management System
AP Automation ERP Integration
Accounts Payable (AP) Automation fixes the invoice approval process by streamlining the process with electronic forms and automated workflows. With AP Automation integrated into your ERP system, managers can easily approve an invoice and send it on to the next step of the process with automated approval workflows.
The software also removes the need for manual data entry by Accounts Payable departments because Intelligent Data Capture (IDC) scans the invoice and captures relevant data automatically and then sends it on to the next step without the need for manual entry.
Sales Order Processing Automation ERP Integration
Sales order processing automation software similarly integrates with your ERP system to streamline the sales order process with IDC. Customer orders, shipping addresses, and other important data may be easily misentered through by sales staff manual processes, but with Sales Order Processing Automation artificial intelligence ensures that all data is correct before swiftly moving the order on to the next step.
HR Automation ERP Integration
HR automation software keeps Human Resources departments organized with employee data and onboarding processes in one common database. When new hires need to sign documents or complete onboarding steps, HR staff will have real-time insight into the new employee’s progress while the new hire can easily sign documents with e-signatures without printing them out and wasting paper.
Human resources management software is one of the most common integration software solutions because it streamlines the onboarding process so new employees can get to work promptly after hire. The software also stores valuable employee data in a cloud-based ERP system where the information has restricted access to prevent security leaks.
Choosing the Right ERP Provider
Choosing the right ERP provider for your company begins with determining which ERP software integrations your company needs. ERP providers may offer custom integrations and a wide range of software, so it is best to reach out with a plan for your current business operations.
If your business is a hospital or clinic, you could benefit from an HR Automation integration, but you probably don’t need E-commerce integration. Communicate with your company’s different departments and analyze your regular business practices. If there is a practice that is consuming too much paper or taking too long, then there is probably are cloud systems and ERP integration software to streamline your workflows.
With advanced planning, you can research providers who specialize in connected systems for your essential business functions. Providers may try to upsell with integrations that your company won’t utilize, so be firm about the key features that you need. However, you will also want to think ahead for business growth. Providers may be able to assist you with additional features for cloud-based applications or automation software that will set you up for a smoother digital transformation in the future.
Overall, ERP integration software will provide cost savings by streamlining workflows, reducing paper usage, and removing the object of human error.
Overall, ERP integration software will provide cost savings by streamlining workflows, reducing paper usage, and removing the object of human error. Document sharing and staff communication will benefit from data stored in a single database and visibility into business insights will increase. The future of business is digital transformation with the automation of business processes, so you are already on the right track by reading this article.
Mosaic offers ERP Integration Services that are tailored to your needs. Contact us today to begin your company’s digital transformation with ERP Integration solutions.
