What are top ERP modules to consider when buying?

Top modules to consider:
- Web store / online forms
- Order processing
- Inventory management
- Shipping and fulfillment (do they integrate with major shipping vendors such as UPS, USPS, and UPS)
- Accounting
- Is sales, marketing, and support included of must this be integrated with other application?
- How do you manage customer renewals and upsells?
- Do you have multiple locations and/or vendors / partners who need to access certain parts of the system and that you need to collaborate with across locations?
- Do you need access to the system 24/7 and from multiple locations and on the road?
- Would you like KPIs and dashboards built in to the applications? Should they be real-time?
- Do you want visibility across leads, sales, customer transactions, services issues, inventory, fulfillment, cash flow, payabales and receivables, etc?
- Do you require having your systems managed on site or would you prefer to reduce software and hardware management and total cost of ownership by using a SaaS ERP vendor instead

Rob

The answer is none of the above. Not only is there not enough information, good ERP selections do not depend on "Top Modules". The real answer is the modules you need. If you don't know what you need, you're already behind in not having done a needs analysis. That's where to start, not lists of modules - that's only going to get you into trouble.

Do you need EDI capabilities?
A web store?
Do you make to stock or make to order?
Are your products configurable?
Do you have any R&D or Project Requirements?
Do you do any government contracting?
Are you a privately or publicly held company?
Are you in the food and beverage business or an affiliate of a public utility?

Todd,

The first question would be why do you need an ERP? What systems do you currently use to track your business? What is missing in your business systems that lead you to consider a new ERP? There are much more cost effective, less disruptive and better systems to run your business than going the route of a full ERP. Even if you SaaS the ERP, it still is intolerably inflexible in meeting your full companies need. Enterprise 2.0 solutions, true Operation, Communication and Customer segmented soltuions, offer the alternative. I'm not talking about Twitter or Facebook (two examples of Communication segmented solutions that have yet to demonstrate value/relevance to business).

Feel free to get back to me if you'd like.

Steve

With few informations, that you gave, it's very difficult to say.:)

Some topics:
When you plan purchasing of new ICT technology/application you must in first step confront costs with benefits for your business. (see list on bottom of this comment)

Second step is: Which proceses want you cover with ERP.
It's very important, because all ERP systems, that you coul'd find, are in core funcionality (finance, warehouse, sale) similar. But when you want other components (maintaining, production, CRM, SRM,...) it could be very different.

Regards
Lubor

*costs external
**primary: implementation project; licences (some parts of ERP coul'd be licensed separately according to amount of active entries)
**secondary: annual fees, support services; maintenance
**AND THRID, that no-one calculate: possible intensity for future implementation of new components/application changes/legal requirements updates; possibilities of grow usage funcionality in ERP without user development

*internal
**time your employees on implementation/testing/etc

*benefits
**What bring me new ICT system?
- costs cut-down
- other benefits for my customers
- better plannig of production with minimal dump
- ??

Todd,

Can you please share your contact number and email to me at ananda@intelligroup.com

We can get you up and running on Tier 1 ERP system for 100K because of our strong partnership with the Vendor.We have helped many customers like this and can provide references.

Look forward to hear from you.

Regards,
Anand Agarwal
Director-ERP Advisory & Implementation Services
Intelligroup Inc.