ERP software for small businesses is essential to help them grow. It increases efficiency and reduces reliance on manual processes, when many small businesses find they have outgrown the systems that they initially started with. However, small business owners and managers often wonder if they really need it, and the opinion prevails that ERP software is mainly for larger companies.
Does my small business really need an ERP solution?
ERP solutions provide functionality that can support every aspect of a business. Financials, inventory, supply chain and procurement, warehouse management, production and MRP, as well as sales and marketing all in one package, provide seamless automation and integration across departments. Insightful reporting across the whole business provides information to support strategic decision making. Even if a small business doesn’t need all this functionality when they initially invest in an ERP solution, it is available as the company grows and will support its growth into the future.
There comes a point in the lifecycle of most businesses where growth is constrained by the software packages they started with. Over reliance on Excel and disparate systems that can’t communicate with each other leads to increased manual data input and duplication, with high likelihood of error. This can be extremely inefficient and lack of insight into the state of the business limits growth potential.
Increasing competition, based on price and customer service, drives the demand to automate and optimise as many of the core business processes as possible. This results in cost savings, increased efficiency and better customer service, which are all benefits that keep customers coming back.
Aren’t ERP systems mainly for big companies?
This is a common misconception among many small business owners. With lots of solutions available at varying price points, ERP solutions help to increase efficiency and reduce manual administration, providing a tangible return on investment. With fewer people taking on varied roles across the business, automating processes can free them up from repetitive and tedious manual administration, allowing them to focus on areas that have greater impact on the business. This means that ERP systems are as essential for smaller businesses as they are for large organisations.
Benefits of ERP systems for small companies
1. Providing a single point of truth – maintaining data on all key areas of the business is one of the biggest benefits of ERP systems for any company. It enables the production of fast accurate data by connecting information siloes, providing relevant, real-time intelligence.
2. Reduce business risk – increased visibility and control across the business reduces business risk by enabling managers to make strategic decisions to adapt to market conditions based on real-time intelligence.
3. Increase productivity – the elimination of manual data input and duplication across disparate systems streamlines and automate core business processes, enabling staff to focus on areas that have greater business impact.
4. Insightful reporting – create detailed reports on demand to provide the basis for strategic decision-making. Analyse data to monitor operational performance, predict trends and risks, and respond to fluctuations in supply and demand.
How can SAP Business One and Ascarii help?
SAP Business One is designed for small to medium-sized enterprises with ambitions for growth, created to grow with your company. It is a flexible and powerful solution, yet simple and intuitive to use with a user-friendly interface. SAP Business One delivers everything companies need to manage their most critical business functions.
Ascarii now offers AscariiGo, which gives small businesses the opportunity to deploy a ‘best in class’ ERP solution for an affordable monthly fee. Based on SAP’s starter licences for SAP Business One, with cloud deployment on a 3-year contract, small businesses can access SAP Business One for a fixed price, with a quicker rollout time based on Ascarii’s bespoke business templates.
Businesses can quickly be up and running with an advanced solution that will support their growth into the future. As the business grows, it is easy to upgrade SAP licences when new users are needed. AscariiGo gives access to the SAP Business One HANA solution, deployed on Ascarii’s proven and globally used cloud platform, based on AWS. It offers a focused deployment period concentrating on business needs and is a cost-effective way to get started with an industry leading ERP solution that will support company’s growth for the long-term.
For more information on how AscariiGo can help small business access an advanced ERP solution at an affordable price, please contact our friendly team.