What’s new in the world of Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) for 2017? Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) offers a powerful ERP system to help your business achieve its goals in 2017.

Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300): New for 2017

One reason customers love Sage software so much is that the company really listens to customer feedback and each upgrade reflects customer requests and input. Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) is no exception. The 2017 updates include numerous features to increase productivity and save time.

• Mobility enhancements: Eighteen additional web screens and enhanced layout make it easier to use Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) on your mobile devices. Optimized entry field layout makes it easier to enter information on your mobile device.
• Optimize and forecast inventory: Enhancements to this popular feature in Sage Inventory Advisor Basics use color-coded models for easier inventory management, enhanced graphs and charts, and more to help you assess current inventory and manage existing assets efficiently. Measure lead time performance, supply performance, and more.
• Batched credit card processing: Pre-authorize credit cards and process multiple invoices and customers easily. It’s a great time-saving feature.

Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) for 2017 now works with Payroll version 7.3.  The CRM version is also 7.3, with added CRM functions, including easier integration with Outlook. Increase business visibility with notes, links, and more within Sage CRM. Use it to enhance communications, build rapport and relationships with customers, and develop your lead pipeline.

The Future of Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300)

The new Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) 2017 features promise to add even more to the robust Sage package. With advancements in many areas of computing, especially cloud-based applications, customers have even more to look forward to from Sage in the future.

Some ideas in the works with the Sage team include:

• New order entry screens
• Updated invoice screens
• Accounts payable automation and integration
• Core financials
• E-invoicing integration
• Bank feeds
• New Sage CRM integration
• Accounts receivable customer and documents inquiry
• Online backup and enhanced cloud-based features

These features may be rolled out periodically in 2017, or in a major upgrade later this year. The company hasn’t confirmed a schedule, so we have to be patient and wait for the information as it becomes available. For those of us who are fans of the robust capabilities of Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300), waiting is the hardest part.

Affordable Business Management with Plenty of Room to Grow

One of the best attributes of Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) is that it is both affordable and scalable. There’s plenty of room to grow with Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300). It’s easy to add users and locations to the basic product. If your company expands internationally, you can also add additional language capabilities, multicurrency options, and more.

Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) also connects your business so that all points of information flow into one source. There’s no more scrambling for updates, calling around to multiple locations for information, or wondering when the email with the report will come through. It’s all in one system so that someone in one location can enter the information and an employee halfway across the country can access it. It’s a great way to improve operational efficiency across your company.

Learn More About Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) from IWI Consulting Group

IWI Consulting Group offers businesses assistance choosing the right Sage products for their needs. We can help you convert your company’s systems into a single, integrated solution that supports your business and enhances productivity.

Over 45,000 mid-market businesses in 150 countries using Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) can’t be wrong. Contact us today for a consultation.

Food manufacturers and others should take note of these important accounting trends, and check out the new financial reporting standards detailed afterward. Both may help your business in the new year.

Accounting Trends: Data, Analytics, and the Accountant

Accountants have always been the number crunchers of the company, but there’s an emerging trend of marrying both accounting data and other data from within a company to inform business decisions. ERP systems such as Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) and Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) provide companies with powerful data. Accountants are in a unique position to help them harness and analyze that data.

Income sheets, balance sheets, and cash flows remain important reports for any company. In addition to those standbys of the accounting world, new data reports added to these basics can provide an enhanced picture of the company’s financial health. An in-depth analysis of all of the data can give your company’s managers the information they need to make smarter business decisions

Accountants and financial professionals have the skillsets to analyze complex data problems and distill valuable information from them. By adding your skills to the data picture, you can help drive good decisions.

The Right Tools Provide Great Data: Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) and Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3)

With the right tools, you can generate accurate data that informs all aspects of your business. IWI Consulting Group offers many business software systems to help you collect, distill, and harness the power of your business’s data. Two such tools are Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) and Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3).

Accounting Updates: IFRS-16 for Canadian Businesses that Lease Equipment

Do you lease equipment? Canadian businesses who lease equipment should take note. New international financial reporting standards incorporated into the Canadian CPA Handbook in the summer of 2016 will impact how leases are accounted for starting in 2019.

As with most accounting changes, the new suggestions take effect far enough into the future so that Canadian businesses and the CPAs who advise them have plenty of time to make business changes for a smoother transition.

The new changes seek to add clarity and detail to how leases are reported on financial statements. In the former method, operating leases were only disclosed in the notes on the financial statements. Finance leases alone found their way to the balance sheet. That system resulted in many leases structured as operating leases for simplicity’s sake. The new guidelines make it easier to list leases exactly as they are so that they can be reported accurately.

IFRS-16, as the guidelines are called, also requires lessees to report all leases—with the exception of short-term and low-value leases—on the balance sheet as assets and liabilities. Lessors are now required to supply enhanced disclosures about the lessor’s risk of exposure.

These changes are made in the hopes that the new information will help both companies who lease and those who lease to them report their information accurately and fairly. Food manufacturers and others who lease equipment will need to make these adjustments in time for 2019 reporting.

IWI Consulting Group

IWI Consulting offers ERP consulting and accounting software systems to help you manage your data efficiently. With the right ERP systems, you’ll never feel as if you’re drowning in data. We can help you select the best system for your needs and learn how to use it for maximum benefit.

We also focus on Sage software for food manufacturers and distributors. Contact IWI Consulting at 1-866-916-3851.

Using Manufacturing ERP Software to Meet the Next Revolution

Manufacturing ERP software paves the way for companies to enter into this new fourth era of manufacturing. Yes, we’re entering a brave new world of manufacturing, powered by technology, driven by data, and serving a global community. The Industrial Revolution kicked off manufacturing as we know it today, but we are now entering uncharted territory.

The first wave of manufacturing was, of course, that famous revolution that saw innovations in manufacturing everything from clothing to shoes. New steam and water-powered engines fueling vast weaving machines made manufacturing faster, producing less expensive goods for public consumption. The second wave of manufacturing was ushered in by Henry Ford, who positioned the assembly line as the new method of manufacturing consumer goods quickly and inexpensively.

Now we are leaving the third wave of manufacturing and entering the fourth. The third brought us automated systems: information technology, computerized processing, and robotic assembly lines that transformed how manufacturers build products.

The fourth wave or revolution of manufacturing uses cyber-physical systems to bring goods to customers with more precision and accuracy than ever before. It’s an exciting time for manufacturers throughout North America and, indeed, throughout the world. Powered by manufacturing ERP software, the data driven by these new systems can help companies achieve prosperity and productivity.

Customer-Centric Mass Production

Since the earliest days of towns and villages, goods were hand-produced for individuals. The local tailor knew your measurements and cut the cloth for your suit by hand. The cobbler had a last or mold of your feet to create a pair of boots just for you. With the rise of the industrial revolution, mass production of goods, and computer-assisted factories, hand-crafted goods took a quiet backseat to inexpensive mass-produced goods.

Now we are entering an age where cyber-production is transforming the quality of goods yet once again. Personalization is producing everything from same-day dental crowns, milled from 3D images taken in the dentist’s office, to 3D printers producing other goods and services. Soon, the proponents of cyber production promise us, we will see mass customization rather than mass production.

Image a world in which instead of ordering thousands of car seats for an assembly line at an automobile factory you can customize the order to request fifty of one model and four hundred of another. Or perhaps you have a custom order for a vintage reproduction car seat for a 1960s Rambler someone is restoring; simply produce the specs and the computer can make it to order at the same or similar cost to old-fashioned mass production. It’s possible in this new fourth dimension of manufacturing.

Predictive Analytics

Although we’re not yet at the point in which manufacturers can completely customize a production run like the car seat example, we are getting close. Predictive analytics, available now with some manufacturing ERP software, can help companies scan orders and find patterns to predict future ordering trends. Manufacturers can then use data to produce a close match between supply and demand.

Manufacturing: Always Changing

Not since Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin or the first mills produced reams of inexpensive cotton textiles has the face of manufacturing changed quite like it did in the 1980s with the advent of computer-assisted production. Today’s new systems are slowly turning manufacturers away from technology and into the world of artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, and custom orders.

It may seem like we’re forging ahead to some, and to others, that we’ve gone full circle. From custom, handmade goods to customized machine-made goods, the future looks bright for manufacturing. Manufacturing ERP software is part of this bright future and provides data for all your business decisions.

We’d like to invite you to check out our new videos showcasing manufacturing ERP software, such as Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) and other products, that will help you maximize the data from your business. Learn more on our website.

IWI Consulting offers ERP consulting and systems to help you manage your data efficiently. With the right ERP systems, you’ll never feel as if you’re drowning in data. We can help you select the best system for your needs and learn how to use it for maximum benefit. Contact IWI Consulting at 1-866-916-3851.

Change is in the air with the new year. It’s time to embrace Sage ERP software and surrender the spreadsheets. If your company has recently purchased Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) or Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300), you’re in good company. Hundreds of businesses trust these software systems for accurate, reliable data. They reduce time and effort spent on data entry and make reporting a breeze for many companies.

Yet, despite all the promise found in software like Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) and Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300), some people cling to their spreadsheets. We love what we know, and business people are no different from the person who has always purchased a certain brand of soap or paper towels and refuses to change when the shop no longer has them in stock.

Many people forget that spreadsheets weren’t invented for the complex and often complicated reporting we force them into. It takes considerable time and effort to key data into the spreadsheet, set up charts and graphs, and run them accurately. Tracking down a mistake in a spreadsheet that leads to an erroneous graph can take a long time. Spreadsheets, while they have their place, have significant limitations.

These three tips will help your company transition from spreadsheets into the new and wonderful world of Sage ERP software. If 2017 is the year your company plans to take a great leap forward into the world of automated data and reporting, you’ll find these tips helpful.

Three Tips to Leverage ERP to Make Your Work Life Easier

1. Be inclusive during the information-gathering stage: You’ll need more than your IT people at the table during the information gathering and requirements stage. Make sure to include everyone from the company who will be using the ERP system. The more people you can include during the development stage, the more invested they will be in the successful implementation of the system later. Those who see value and benefit in the Sage ERP software from the beginning are the ones who will become your internal champions and help others use the system later on
2. Do internal marketing: Internal marketing means spreading the word inside the company that an ERP system is a good thing to add to the workplace. Get people on board. Share information and make sure that the ERP selection and implementation aren’t a secret. The more you can market and promote the new system inside your company, the more excited people will be to welcome it when it is finally rolled out.
3. Train early and often: It’s not enough to get people excited about the new system. They must learn how to use it. Schedule training sessions early in the process and repeat training sessions often to ensure that people learn the basics. Add times to the workday when experienced trainers will be available to answer questions or assist with work-related projects. Delegating one person the “ERP expert” and sending them for advanced training is another great strategy. You’ll have someone within the company ready and eager to help their coworkers with Sage ERP software questions, problems, and projects.

Vendors Are a Great Source of Help

IWI Consulting Group, a provider of Sage ERP software such as Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) and Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3), can assist you with the implementation plan for your new ERP system. We welcome customer questions and look forward to assisting you with your ERP rollout this year! Contact IWI Consulting at 1-866-916-3851.

Inventory Accuracy is Just One Hallmark of a Great Inventory Management System

Does your inventory management system have what it takes to boost your business next year? Inventory accuracy is just one part of a great inventory system. Systems such as Sage Inventory Advisor have all the right stuff to maximize profits, minimize losses, and manage your inventory like a pro. Let’s look at some of the characteristics of a terrific inventory management system.

Why is a good inventory management system important? For most companies, inventory represents a hefty investment of capital. Products remaining idle and collecting dust in the warehouse are costly. Not only does a business pay to produce laggards, it must also pay to warehouse and maintain them.

Good inventory management reduces excess goods, maintains adequate stock, and optimizes warehouse space by thoughtful placement of shelves and bins. Inventory management is both an art and a science, fueled by accurate data from inventory systems married to your company’s ERP systems and more. The right inventory management system can help your company control costs and maximize profits no matter what industry you are in.

Five Characteristics of Terrific Inventory Management

1. Well-organized inventory: Inventory that is organized well is placed strategically throughout the warehouse to minimize the amount of time it takes to pick, pack, and ship. Frequently purchased items may be placed near the packing area. Bins and shelves are carefully labeled. If barcodes are used to identify goods in receiving, the bar codes in the shelving areas are matched. All areas are kept clean so that goods look appealing.
2. Inventory accuracy: Inventory accuracy means that both starting and periodic stock counts are accurate. Barcode scanners enhance inventory accuracy by reducing clerical errors and miscounts. If manual systems are still used, inventory is taken regularly and systems are updated to reflect the latest counts.
3. Consistent item names and numbers: A good inventory management system uses a consistent nomenclature and/or numbering system for parts, products, and goods. This makes it easy for workers to learn the products and find them quickly in the warehouse and in the systems.
4. Integration with ERP and business systems: The best inventory management systems integrate easily with ERP systems and other back office systems. Sage products, such as Sage Inventory Advisor and Sage ERP X3 integrate well and can easily add functions for other business areas if needed.
5. Well-trained workers: A system is only as good as the people using it. Warehouse management and inventory management includes having people trained on how to handle the stock, take inventory, run the systems and equipment, and perform their job duties safely throughout the warehouse. Hire the best people you can afford and invest in on-the-job training to ensure that the people running and working in your warehouse can effectively use all inventory management systems to run the warehouse.

Inventory Accuracy with Sage Inventory Advisor

You can improve inventory accuracy with a good system. Sage Inventory Advisor is a cost-effective solution that uses data from Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) and Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) to help you manage all aspects of your inventory.

Sage Inventory Advisor can help you:

• Reduce excess inventory
• Reduce stock-outs
• Reduce time spent on manual tasks and labor
• Reduce mistakes
• Improve forecasting
• Improve fill rates
• Improve inventory replenishment data visibility

Optimize your entire supply chain with better data. With Sage Inventory Advisor and ERP system such as Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) and Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3), you can transform your business.

We’d like to invite you to check out our new videos highlighting manufacturing ERP software such as Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) and other products that will help you maximize the data from your business. Learn more on our website.

Learn More about Inventory Management Systems

IWI Consulting offers inventory management systems, ERP consulting and systems to help you manage your data efficiently, and much more. With the right systems, you’ll never feel as if you’re drowning in data. We can help you select the best system for your needs and learn how to use it for maximum benefit. Contact IWI Consulting at 1-866-916-3851.

Customer-centric enterprise software is the latest buzzword, but it’s more than a fad: it’s a competitive strategy to set your business apart. With customer-centric enterprise software, you can focus on adding value to every transaction to build customer relationships.

In an age in which information flows freely through electronic devices, customers are a lot savvier about finding vendors with the best price. Competing solely on price offers little when customers can always find the next option online. To truly make your business indispensable to customers, you need a customer-centric approach. Enterprise software that helps you build a customer service-based business model can help you add that special touch to every transaction that keeps customers coming back for more.

A new white paper from IWI Consulting, Customer-Centric ERP: Integrated Systems for Satisfied Customers, is available at no charge to help demystify the concept of customer-centric enterprise resource planning and to help you consider the many benefits to your business.

Using Your Enterprise System for Maximum Benefit

While all ERP systems offer many benefits, there are specific actions you can take to maximize the benefits of your current enterprise software. Three benefits stand out:

1. Data entry at the point of activity.
2. Standardized processes for order fulfillment and delivery.
3. Sales and product department collaboration to set customer expectations.

The common ingredient among these three activities is standardization. Instead of continually performing one-off activities, you can standardize them throughout the organization using your enterprise system.

Data entry at the point of activity, rather than later after the activity has been completed, leads to fewer mistakes. Fewer mistakes in data entry means fewer mistakes in orders and higher customer satisfaction.

Standardized processes for order fulfillment and delivery can help you control costs, timelines, and expectations. Because processes are standardized, you can project potential costs easier. You know how long an order will take to fulfill and deliver since the same process is used every time. All this information is now housed in one centralized system that can be shared with every person in the organization. If customers ask for the information, they receive the same answer each time.

Lastly, collaboration is easier with enterprise software. Data can no longer be siloed and protected by special interests within the organization. Shared data enables easier price setting and goal setting among departments. The more this information is standardized and shared freely, the more it benefits your company and customers.

Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) and Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3): Two Enterprise Software Packages to Grow Your Business

IWI Consulting offers business consulting with Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) and Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) software to help your business grow. Each of these enterprise software packages offers different benefits and values to a company, but both can help you achieve your goal of running a customer-centric business.

Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) integrates and streamlines your data for complete end-to-end financial management. You can empower your workforce with all the data it needs to provide customer-focused service. Automated workflows and more help you establish standardized processes throughout the company for maximum efficiency and benefit.

Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) integrates operations across the company for seamless data. You’ll improve productivity, reduce time-consuming manual tasks, and automate workflows for fewer mistakes and greater efficiency. Grow your business with confidence on this reliable, stable enterprise software platform.

Contact Us

IWI Consulting offers ERP consulting and systems to help you manage your data efficiently. With the right ERP systems, you’ll never feel as if you’re drowning in data. We can help you select the best system for your needs and learn how to use it for maximum benefit. Call IWI Consulting at 1-866-916-3851.

What business systems are most important in the era of the empowered customer? Today’s customers are empowered with information: facts, statistics, industry news, global business reports, and more. Any time customers search the web, they can find information that not too long ago resided in specialized databases scattered throughout the world. Now that information can be accessed by almost anyone, anywhere.

With all that information comes new challenges. Customers no longer rely on a favored vendor simply because that vendor provides the most comprehensive information about their products or services. Service now stands out as the sole distinguishing factor between companies. It makes good sense to focus on systems and methods that enhance customer service. Business systems in the age of customer empowerment must serve that purpose and truly make a difference in the lives of customers to enhance competitive advantage.

Business Systems for Competitive Advantage: Customer-Centric ERP

The new buzzword is customer-centric ERP. Best in class organizations, or those who have consistently demonstrated high revenues, lowered costs, and good service utilize a customer-centric ERP model to make their businesses stand out in the crowded marketplace. To these companies, facilitating customer transactions and improving service is the best way to maximize revenue growth.

ERP systems can provide a solid, stable foundation upon which to build a customer-centric business model. Systems such as Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) can help you proactively anticipate and react to customer needs.

Systems that enable viewing a customer’s account from multiple perspectives also enhance customer service. Staff no longer has to track down different information from various departments to answer a simple question. Customer questions can be answered swiftly and efficiently using the same data that everyone in the company has access to.

A customer-centric ERP system enhances order processing, enabling faster time to ship for many orders. It helps staff resolve customer complaints quickly and prevents missteps like trying to upsell an angry customer by showing unresolved complaint tickets. It can be a true asset to your company and help you build a customer-centric business model.

Business Systems You Must Have: Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3)

Business systems such as Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) help you stay in front of business opportunities. Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) supports shared knowledge and consistent business value across the organization. Meet and exceed customer demands using the many features found within Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3).

Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) includes:

• Centralized data, so that you can get more done a lot faster.
• Enhanced monitoring abilities so you can tackle problems before they start and take proactive steps to prevent cost overruns and other issues.
• Data to help you dig deeper into every aspect of your business.
• Mobile access so that you can work anywhere, anytime you have an internet connection.

Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) can be your start into the world of a customer-centric ERP model. Given that best in class companies who use a customer-centric business system such as Sage EM (formerly known as Sage X3) are more profitable and efficient, it’s a smart investment for future growth.

Learn More About Customer-Centric Business Systems

IWI Consulting offers ERP consulting and systems to help you manage your data efficiently. With the right ERP system, you’ll never feel as if you’re drowning in data. We can help you select the best system for your needs and learn how to use it for maximum benefit. For more information, call IWI Consulting at 1-866-916-3851.

Systems such as Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) help your business grow its revenues while decreasing costs. If that seems too good to be true, then you may wish to download and read the new free whitepaper from IWI Consulting. Customer-Centric ERP: Integrated Systems for Satisfied Customers is available at no charge to help demystify the concept of customer-centric enterprise resource planning and to help you consider the many benefits to your business.

In this paper, researchers at the Aberdeen Group discovered that ‘best in class’ companies who use ERP systems and focus on a customer-centric model increased their revenues and decreased costs. They were also able to decrease time to order and improve customer satisfaction overall.

Increasing Revenues

ERP systems can improve revenues by enhancing worker productivity. Complete and on-time delivery increased substantially in companies using integrated ERP systems. Companies that used a customer-centric ERP solution increased profits 27% compared to similar companies in their industry who increased profits an average of 7%.

Increased Sales

Where did these revenues come from? Sales to new customers increased as did the upsells and cross-sells to existing customers. The enhanced communication found within the ERP system prevented the sales team from making embarrassing mistakes, such as trying to sell to an angry or dissatisfied customer, while enhancing their ability to make product suggestions that led to upsells or cross-sells. All of this translated into additional revenue for the company.

Improved Customer Satisfaction

Customer-centric ERP can also be used to enhance customer service and satisfaction. Since information is now gathered into one centralized place, customers no longer must chase down a specific employee who holds the answer to their question. All employees can answer the question using the same source data, making sure that customers receive a consistent answer no matter who they talk to within the organization.

Orders can also be fulfilled more quickly. When all the pieces of the data puzzle are in place, employees can clearly and easily see where orders are in the fulfillment pipeline. Problems can be identified and addressed before they turn into significant delays. Time from order to delivery can be cut down, making customers happier and companies more profitable.

Reduced Costs

Additional revenue will only take a company so far if costs aren’t contained. The new ERP system helped companies reduce time spent on task, or time spent searching for information. Standardized order processing also helped reduce data entry costs, which in turn lowered labor costs. These savings translated into greater net revenue for companies with customer-centric ERP models.

Features and Benefits of Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300)

Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) is a comprehensive business management solution that will help you achieve your goal of a customer-centric organization. It’s flexible, so it grows as your company grows, helping you to meet revenue goals, keep costs low, and provide maximum benefit to your customers.

Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) helps you manage financial and accounting assets throughout your company in one easily accessed place. It is a complete end-to-end financial management tool that provides you with the data that you need for greater insight and clarity into your business operations. You can identify potential issues earlier and make timely adjustments.

Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) can:

• Reduce time-consuming manual tasks.
• Improve productivity.
• Empower staff with knowledge and information.
• Accelerate business processes and workflows.
• Grow your business with confidence upon a reliable platform.

The Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) Enterprise Suite offers world-class ERP that your business can benefit from immediately. Whether you are looking to improve, expand, or manage your business with greater efficiency, Sage 300cloud (formerly known as Sage 300) can help.

Customer-centric ERP is a new and better way to manage your accounts using enterprise resource planning software.

IWI Consulting offers ERP consulting and systems to help you manage your data efficiently. With the right ERP system, you’ll never feel as if you’re drowning in data. We can help you select the best system for your needs and learn how to use it for maximum benefit.  For more information, call IWI Consulting at 1-866-916-3851.

Systems such as Sage X3 that impart a customer-centric focus to enterprise resource planning can improve both customer satisfaction and your bottom line. A new white paper from IWI Consulting, Customer-Centric ERP: Integrated Systems for Satisfied Customers is available at no charge to help demystify the concept of customer-centric enterprise resource planning and to help you consider the many benefits to your business.

Learn from the Best (in Class)

Best in class businesses have higher rates of customer satisfaction and success. Perhaps not coincidently, they are also much more likely to view their ERP system as an important component in a customer-centric model. These are the top performing businesses in the industry, as measured by the Aberdeen Group in criteria explained in the white paper.

Such businesses are 51% more likely to use a customer-centric CRM and ERP system to improve their businesses. Companies that can seamlessly integrate data across multiple systems through their ERP compared to others with siloed systems achieved an 88% increase in revenues with a 12% reduction in customer care. They could reduce the costs of customer care while simultaneously improving their company’s value and sales ability, a winning situation for any business.

Other Benefits of ERP Systems

Increasing revenues and decreasing costs are two powerful motivators for adding an ERP system such as Sage ERP X3 to your business. But there are many other benefits derived from an ERP system. This includes:

• Higher percent of completed and on-time delivery of customer orders.
• Improvements in both the quality and timeliness of decisions made within the company.
• Improvements in cycle time of key business processes over the past year.
• Higher percent of customers self-identifying as “satisfied” or “completely satisfied” with the service.
• Reduced days of sales outstanding.

With so many benefits derived from one major improvement, it makes great sense to consider adding an ERP system to your company. A customer-centric experience is one that will set your company apart from its competitors.

Today’s customers are better-informed than past generations. With the tap of a button, they can access millions of web pages to learn more about the products and services they are interested in. The one thing that still sets a stellar business apart from the rest is service, which must be experienced. To achieve such an experience, having consolidated and comprehensive data at your fingertips is a must.

Sage X3 and the Customer-Centric Business

While the paper itself does not specifically address Sage X3, the software is well-known for its ability to help businesses anticipate and act proactively to assist their customers. This is at the heart of a customer-centric business; putting customer care at the heart of every transaction. Sage X3 makes it easier.

Sage X3 offers:

• One dashboard to check on multiple points of a transaction, including inventory, ordering, expenses, and more.
• Monitoring of all aspects of your business, with the ability to dig deeper into any one area for more information if needed.
• The ability to integrate processes into one workflow.
• Truly mobile access, so that you can check on any aspect of your business from wherever your work takes you.

Sage X3 offers manufacturers a powerful tool for a customer-centric business. Learn more about it today from IWI Consulting.

Customer-centric ERP is a new and better way to manage your accounts using enterprise resource planning software.

IWI Consulting offers ERP consulting and systems to help you manage your data efficiently. With the right ERP system, you’ll never feel as if you’re drowning in data. We can help you select the best system for your needs and learn how to use it for maximum benefit. Call IWI Consulting at 1-866-916-3851.

What is customer-centric enterprise resource planning? What benefit is it to your business? A new white paper available from the IWI Consulting Group entitled Customer-Centric ERP: Integrated Systems for Satisfied Customers is available at no charge to help demystify the concept of customer-centric enterprise resource planning and to help you consider the many benefits to your business.

Enterprise Resource Planning Explained

Enterprise resource planning is a systematic approach to connect siloed data. Instead of separate and discrete systems for accounting, operations, customer relationship management and so on, these systems feed into one ERP system that provides a comprehensive overview of a company’s business. You can still drill down into each system for details, but the big picture is now available through a companywide dashboard that makes it easier to view and use data.

Why Focus on Customer Satisfaction?

Companies derive many benefits from enterprise resource planning. Customer satisfaction is perhaps the least recognized, yet the most important benefit, among them.

Customers today are empowered with more information than at any time in the past. The internet puts vast resources at their fingertips for instant fact-finding. With so much information so readily available, companies that wish to attract and retain customers must go to greater lengths to offer exceptional service. Such service is facilitated by a good ERP system.

Yet, according to the white paper available from the IWI Consulting Group, only 35% of companies have a unified view of customer data available to all relevant stakeholders. One assumes that the remaining companies still dig into separate databases, with varying levels of access to departments and employees.

Such a siloed approach is time-consuming, and time is money, especially when it comes to customer service. The longer you must make a customer wait for an answer, the more time he has to consider taking his business elsewhere.

Customer data kept in multiple, separate databases can also make it more difficult to offer personalized service to customers. Without that big picture view, it’s easy to focus on one aspect of a customer’s business without understanding how it fits into the big picture of his needs.

Customer-Centric Technology for Best in Class Businesses

“Best in class” businesses, when it comes to ERP systems, distinguish themselves in several areas. All embrace technology to form a customer-centric mindset and operating guidelines for their companies. Business solutions that integrate and streamline data enhance this customer-centric approach.

These best in class companies are more likely to rely upon ERP systems and use those systems to enhance customer service and satisfaction. According to the white paper previously cited, 51% of best in class companies use their enterprise resource planning systems to improve customer satisfaction.

Preventing Common Customer Complaints

Customers are often frustrated by companies who cannot access their complete records. Receiving a call with an offer for an add-on sale when the first sale was returned due to dissatisfaction is both frustrating for the customer and unproductive for the sales team. Customers complain that companies do not care about them, but only seek to get more revenues out of their account.

When ERP systems are used for customer care in a customer-centric way, such complaints can be reduced or completely avoided. A customer-centric approach to ERP can reduce customer care costs by 12% while improving service and satisfaction.

Get the Facts on Customer-Centric ERP

Customer-centric ERP is a new and better way to manage your accounts using enterprise resource planning software.

IWI Consulting offers ERP consulting and systems to help you manage your data efficiently. With the right ERP system, you’ll never feel as if you’re drowning in data. We can help you select the best system for your needs and learn how to use it for maximum benefit. Call IWI Consulting at 1-866-916-3851.