Traditionally, the IT function in organisations is composed of multiple solutions. They are separated and each one covers particular business processes and delivers specific functionality. That works great when your employees only use one of these sub-systems, but the reality is that your staff must work with many of these solutions daily. Not to mention the problems your customers experience due to this multitude of systems. So how can you solve this problem?
Over the last few decades, most organisations have installed ERP and CRM systems. Some larger organisations have even installed multiple ERP and CRM systems with different systems for each division, country, industry, or sometimes in random order because of acquisitions. Whilst these ERP solutions help to manage the ‘back-end’ processes of the organisations, the CRM solutions cover the ‘front-end’, being the current and potential customers. Not very often the alignment between front-office and back-office is satisfactory, not only for your employees or departments who are confronted with different technologies, user interfaces, logic, and different access requirements. But especially for your current and future customers! After all, if the left hand of your organisation has no idea what the right hand is doing, your customers satisfaction is at risk.
This of course is not limited to ERP and CRM solutions. Think about the (lack of) integration between these solutions and your office tools, your Point-of-Sale solution, your document management system, or your web shop to name just a few examples.
While some of your customers might have worries these days on where you store their data, only very few are interested if their data is stored in your ERP or in your CRM system. In fact, they don’t care at all! What they do care about is your ability to deliver a perfect product or service with superb customer support and a ‘no-hassle experience’.
If you are serious about becoming a customer centric organisation and strive for success in your digital transformation initiatives, you could do well to move away from your current stand-alone ERP/CRM solution and transform to a platform approach. Your Microsoft partner can tell you all about that.
As a Microsoft Gold partner the team here at Sci-Net can help you plan towards your long-term goals and help you get the most out of your ERP System. 01869 717425 or email hello@sci-net.co.uk
