Even the smallest business has a need for an ERP software solution.  Without an effective ERP software package, small business owners will waste proportionately more time than a large corporation trying to manually manage processes and procedures.  A scalable ERP solution can work for any company.

To manage your business effectively you need to be able to track what is coming in, what is going out and how it affects your bottom line.  Tying those aspects together with your customer relations management - marketing to sales to retention - is another necessary aspect of business management.  An effective way to manage all of these components in one place is via a comprehensive ERP software solution.

A good ERP software package is going to combine the necessary tools that make a company run harmoniously through the daily processes.  For small businesses this is critical.  Eliminating human error and automating business processes can mean the difference between success and failure.  Without an ERP Software solution, small businesses could crumble if one employee leaves and takes with them a knowledge base that has been built solely in their heads.

What does an ERP software package provide?  ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning.  ERP integrates internal and external information across an entire organization, including finance and accounting, sales and service, CRM, warehouse and inventory, human resources and much more. ERP software systems automate activity in these departments within one integrated software solution. Its purpose is to facilitate the sharing of information, ideally in real time, between all departments inside a company and manage the information flow to any necessary outside parties.

It may seem complicated but the reality is that even if your departments consist of one person or one person makes up multiple departments, you still have a need for an ERP software solution – perhaps an even greater need than a larger corporation with 100s of people in each department.  An ERP software solution automates information flow.  As we mentioned before, small businesses have crumbled because one person left and took with them their personal knowledge base.  With an ERP software solution, all customer information, preferences, orders, contacts and payment history are stored in one easy to access place. 

With an integrated ERP software solution, inventory is easily managed and viewed by all departments.  The Sales Department does not have to wait for confirmations prior to taking orders – the information is at their fingertips.  Accounting can note slow (or no) paying customers so new sales are not able to be processed.  Marketing can easily target customers based on past history for potential new opportunities.

Best of all, with an integrated ERP software solution, business owners and managers can view in real time exactly what is happening within their business or organization.  In today’s market, many ERP software packages are available via online portals.  This type of software is known as SaaS (Software as a Service) and is hosted offsite and available through an online login allowing managers to access their data from anywhere in the world at any time.

Small business owners should view an ERP software solution the same way they view their office – as a necessary part of their business operations.