When it comes to choosing an ERP system, many companies and operation managers rely on big international brands. With large budgets, multinationals deploy powerful marketing and communication activities, giving them a very visible public profile.
Yet, ERP giants are not necessarily the best choice for small and medium-sized businesses, especially in manufacturing, distribution or food beverage industries. Their implementation runs many risks for smaller players, who should consider using tools that are tailored to their needs. Here’s why:
1. ERP giants are not always the best option
Having a large reach as an ERP does not mean having the best solution for everyone. Keep in mind that leading ERP brands can miss the mark when it comes to the specific scope of functionalities you actually need.
Indeed, while offering advanced features for business management, these solutions are often universally-orientedand therefore are not necessarily adapted to the requirements of manufacturing, distribution or agri-food businesses. This software often demonstrates, in practice, a lack of flexibility in responding to specific needs that your business might be facing.
In order for a big ERP to fully match your expectations, it is actually often necessary to include new functionalities or modules, which can be long, complicated,and very expensive.
In addition, these complementary modules are rarely fully integrated with the main ERP and require adds-on, which can lead to communication difficulties between the different systems.
Get an ERP that offers you expertise and flexibility
Flexibility is not an issue with Fidelio, an ERP solution developed by Commsoft Technologies. Not only do we sell the solution, but we have also designed it from top to bottom: because we own the source code of our ERP, it's easy for us to innovate and create features that perfectly match your needs.
But that’s not all: we know your business and industry. We have been working for the past 20 years with growing food and beverage businesses, manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers of industrial supplies or drugs. Fidelio has been designed based on their feedback and is specifically tailored to their sales volume and specific requirements: whether you are concerned about product traceability, lot control, supply chain optimization or inventory management, we have the right features for you.
2. ERP giants don’t necessarily sell quality
In your search for a sustainable ERP solution, you might appreciate a product that can appeal to your younger teammates while allowing your non-tech-savvy employees to take it on as well. Nothing could be more legitimate. The catch is that some large ERPs rely on old technologieswithout keeping up to date with current management techniques.
The result? Software is sometimes not cloud-based, which limits its capacity to process information about your sales and organization.
Also, big software isn’t always intuitive, making it difficult for your employees to get the hang of the system. This could challenge your change management, which, by the way, is a key component to a successful ERP implementation.
To compensate for their shortcomings and continue to expand their customer base, some large ERP brands decide to acquire other smaller management solutions. This approach can be problematic because the brand is not an expert in the solution it integrated, hence, the risk of obsolescence is higher.
Choose an intuitive, integrated ERP solution
Fidelio is a fully integrated, cloud-based solution with a modern and intuitive interface.
As it is accessed through your browser, the platform is compatible with all types of computer devices.Easy to implement and easy to use, it is very likely to win over your teams while reducing their workload, making Fidelio a particularly future-proof ERP solution.
3. ERP giants are not necessarily safe or transparent
ERP giants are editors of their solutions, but when it comes to implementation, you often have to call on specialized integrators. This reality is problematic in many ways:
The fact that the integrator is an intermediary makes it more difficult to take control. This Is especially important because the solutions offered by large ERP systems are often very complex to implement.
Calling on an integrator can also generate costs that are not always advertised.
Indeed, they may underestimate the work to be done in order to obtain the contract:
As the goal of these operators is to sell hours, they may give an estimate of the costs for the first part of the project while avoiding positioning themselves for the following phases. This can lead to situations where some companies get involved in an ERP project without ever seeing it through for lack of budget.
It also happens that the costs of add-ons are not included in the initial estimate. For those reasons, beware of the “wow” effect integrators' sales pitches and product demonstrations could generate. If a solution sounds great, make sure you know what's involved financially as a whole
Lastly, be aware that integrators have limited engagement and responsibilities: since they’re not the developers of the software, nothing prevents them from offloading their responsibilities to other parties.
Go for a cost-saving, transparent ERP
We are transparent on all our costs, including those related to SaaS operation and the management of remote servers.
Also, note that since we host the solution, you don't need to worry about changing your server every 5 years or buying new licenses for your operating system. Our cloud-based system also gives you access to your company's data remotely.
4. Fidelio provides you with a long-term solution from trusted partners
In short, why is Fidelio a safe solution for small and medium-sized businesses in the manufacturing, distribution or agri-food industries?
- Because our ERP is tailored to your sales volumes, making it easy to implement and configure.
- Fidelio is designed based on your industry's best practices, which we follow daily.
- As a cloud-based tool, Fidelio has the capacity to manage growing businesses’ information in a scalable way.
- Fidelio's all-in-one integrated system centralizes your data. It allows for optimal performance of your many functions and its cloud base makes it convenient for medium-sized businesses with multiple locations in Canada or abroad.
- Fidelio’s interface is intuitive, requires minimal training for your teams and allows for fluid change management.
- 100% web-based and maintained by the provider, Fidelio's solution allows your company to enjoy the benefits of an ERP without having to invest in IT infrastructure or worry about software maintenance and upgrades. Its browser-based access also makes the platform remotely accessible and compatible with any web-connected device.
- Our pricing is clear: Fidelio is purchased on a subscription basis and has simple monthly costs that cover the software usage, hosting and service contract.
Choosing the ERP system that will help you optimize your business management is a complex operation.
While it may seem reassuring to follow ERP industry giants, their solutions, which are not adapted to medium-sized businesses, can jeopardize your digital transformation project.
By choosing Fidelio, you'll be providing your business with a sustainable solution and reliable partner that will allow you to work easily, safely and efficiently to boost your business growth.
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