Sorted by Tag: ERP/Accounting
Common Challenges of ERP Software Implementation
(This post was originally published on December 7, 2012. We’ve updated it for accuracy and completeness.)
ERP implementations have a nasty reputation for being challenging.
These challenges can lead to your ERP implementation project taking too much time and being over budget.
The result can be you being left with an underperforming solution. Or, you avoiding implementation of an ERP at all costs.
While the challenges are real, they shouldn’t stop you from implementing one.
In this post, we’ll cover some of the challenges of ERP implementations. Knowing these ERP challenges upfront could mean the difference between a successful and a nightmare of an implementation experience. (more…)
eCommerce ERP Integration: Why Retailers Should Integrate and How to Do It
(This post was originally published on November 16, 2012. We’ve updated it for accuracy and completeness.)
Earlier this year, Commerce Department announced that web sales totaled an estimated $304.91 billion in 2014. It’s the fifth year in a row that web sales growth has been close to or above 15%.
Are you ready to handle this kind of demand?
You’re probably not, if you don’t currently integrate your eCommerce channels (Magento, Shopify, Amazon, etc) and your ERP system. In this post, we’ll talk about why companies shouldn’t forgo eCommerce ERP integration needed to truly optimize sales.
Order to Cash Best Practices for Multichannel Retailers
The order to cash (O2C or OTC) process is critical retailers. And, optimizing OTC processes was hard enough without having to deal with the modern complexities of multichannel selling.
To run a successful retail/wholesale/distribution business, you need to do more than just sell a lot of goods. You need to efficiently manage how those sales turn into operating cash.
This post will dive into some OTC best practices for multichannel retailers–although, they are useful for more than just retailers.
How to Select the Right Multichannel Retail Systems
Selecting the right point solutions to execute your multichannel retail strategy is difficult. You must evaluate eCommerce platforms, enterprise resource platforms (ERP), and point of sale (POS) systems. And, it’s complicated to figure out which ones will work together to support your multichannel business processes.
For example, if you want to list different pricing for your B2C website versus your B2B website, does your ERP support that? How about your eCommerce system? More importantly, how will those systems communicate to make sure each has the right price displayed?
Many vendors do not build software that supports the key requirements to building a multichannel business. They built their software in the last decade (or sometimes the last century!) and are trying to milk every dollar they can from it. Some are not interested, others are incapable of making their systems multichannel-ready. You, the multichannel retailer, will feel the weight of that this problem.
But it doesn’t have to be that way! (more…)
Exceptional Customer Experience: How to Deliver Incredible Retail Experiences
(This post was originally published on January 13, 2015. We’ve updated it for accuracy and completeness.)
Customers don’t just buy products anymore. They buy experiences. They buy communities. They buy identity.
That means trying to sell anything less than “wow” (to borrow from Michael Hyatt) will not work. In a market where your customers have all the power, you cannot afford to under-deliver on customer experience.
You need to understand what makes up an exceptional customer experience. You need to understand how to deliver them. Let this post be your guide.