Why Ease-of-Use Should Be a Top ERP Priority

When you deploy new enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, you do so with certain business benefits in mind – enhanced operational efficiencies, better visibility of overall company performance, and greater employee productivity. The idea here is that you’re investing a significant amount of money in a system that’s designed to help your company squeeze more profit from operations – and pay for itself in a relatively short amount of time.

The issue, however, is this: If the new ERP system is too cumbersome, your employees will most likely resist using the system, sabotaging the project from achieving payback within a reasonable timeframe – or worse, sinking the initiative altogether.

So, how do you avoid this risk? Select ERP software with “ease-of-use” in mind.

THE BENEFITS OF EASE-OF-USE ERP

Consider these benefits your company will reap when your ERP interface is intuitive and easy for most employees to use.

• Reduce training time and cost. The more familiar the software is for employees to use, the less time is required to learn it, which reduces training costs, gets employees up to speed quicker, realizes ERP benefits (and payback) sooner.
• Increase user adoption. One of the most common reasons for ERP project failure is that employees resist using the system, intimidated by the complexity of performing every-day functions with the new software, compared to what they previously had in place. Get more employees onboard and enthusiastic about using the system by simplifying the user-interface.
• Ensure expected ERP benefits. The more employees you can get to “buy-into” the ERP initiative—, by making it easy for them to enter the right data, in the right fields, at the right time, —the greater the odds your new system will actually remove redundancies, streamline processes, and improve productivity.

MARKS OF EASY-TO-USE ERP SOFTWARE

What does ease-of-use look like with ERP? Here are a few distinctions to look for.

• Familiar user interface. Does the software look and feel like software they’re accustomed to using? For example, most employees are familiar with Microsoft Office applications, such as Outlook, Word and Excel. Does the ERP interface offer similar functionality? Or do users need to learn a significant number of new commands and processes to execute every day functions.
• Role-based functionality. Can the system be tailored to employees’ specific roles within the organization – whether finance, sales, marketing, HR, and so forth?
• User-specific home pages. Does the system offer personalized home pages that anticipate your information needs with time-saving features such as single-click access to frequently used reports, automated reminders (for overdue invoices or shipments due, etc.), and quick links to windows you use most often?

Does the ERP software you’re considering offer these intuitive, user-friendly features? Microsoft Dynamics ERP does. To learn more about whether Dynamics is a good fit for your company, contact ERT Group at 954-825-0888.

Enterprise Resources Technology Group, Inc. (ERT Group) is a technology consulting firm that empowers companies to grow and succeed with business solutions that streamline processes, improve productivity, and squeeze more profit from operations. ERT Group is a Florida Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and a 2010 President’s Club member for Microsoft Dynamics – offering Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Dynamics ERP.