I was recently approached by my cell provider to upgrade to the latest and greatest plan that will support the latest and greatest smartphone. As I was conversing with the person on the other side of the line it dawned on me that in our ERP world it is not much different.
As an ERP provider, to be able to deliver the best products and the best possible service in a customer-first environment, we too have to be able to have this conversation with our customers and provide the appropriate business case for moving.
It makes me think of the days of BETAMAX and VHS. When I was growing up I was told Betamax was going away, yet I never believed it would. Well, here we are today and neither VHS nor Betamax is around and we inhabit a world of streaming.
So why is it so important for customers to leverage their ERP investment and ensure it stays current?
In most cases, the immediate reaction is “why not?” You are already paying the necessary license fees to not have to re-purchase the new version, so it seems a no-brainer.
Unfortunately, in business, it does not work this way because there is an inherent fear about a software upgrade and the general feeling is: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
I want to say that in most cases a decision like this is an emotional and not a true business decision. If it was, we could create a PROS and CONS list and then action our decision. I, however, firmly believe that fear of what seems to be unknown often drives our business decisions.
On many occasions, we don’t give our teams the credit that they deserve for being adaptable and flexible and, with the appropriate support, a change or upgrade in ERP versions doesn’t have to feel like a drowning experience.
We hear about and see things such as AI, BOTS, and Web and for some reason, we panic. Why?
I venture to ask these questions:
In your business, how much time is spent by your teams performing routine financial tasks, such as month ends?
How much time is spent administering the systems supporting ERP?
How much time is spent trying to slice and dice data to make better business decisions?
Time is the most expensive thing in the world. You can never generate more, you can never add to it and eventually, it runs out.
So ask yourself these questions: How can I apply my ERP’s intelligence and its intimate knowledge of my business in a proactive manner to shorten decision-making time?
In SYSPRO’s case, we have a great flagship product called SYSPRO 8.
It is a natural evolution from the previous versions of SYSPRO and we can definitely talk about all the great features, of which there are many. Our product is much more than just a list of features. It is a platform, it is a tool, it is a solution…. I think of SYSPRO 8 as a WHO and not a WHAT!
SYSPRO 8 is an incremental step in the evolution of adaptive technologies and better business practices. It can almost be described as a living, breathing organism that is a productive member of your business.
We fear what is new and what we don’t understand. Following a natural progression of product evolution and leveraging the facilities available to us, our time worrying can be replaced by more time thinking and planning and, dare I suggest it, enjoying more time with the WHO’s in our lives who really matter!
