From Satha, thoughts on ERP, CRM, BI & ….

Friends, we have witnessed living examples of popular figures, such as Barrack Obama and Hilary Clinton, applying the concepts of CRM and fully deploying CRM oriented solutions and tools to work smarter and stay well ahead of the game. 

(some interesting reading: Members vs. Customers: How the Obama and Clinton Online Campaigns Differ, How to Master CRM like President Obama )

Recession/downturn/market weakness – whilst the label becomes irrelevant, the continued deterioration of economic conditions is challenging everyone. Ironically, during these times the tendency is for businesses to get tunnel vision and target attention completely on cost cutting as a means of improving the bottom line. As panic sets-in the focus tends to narrow down to “doing more and more with less and less”.

Whilst fine tuning operational efficiency should be an ongoing process for businesses, during times of recession (market weakness) better run businesses continue to invest in people, processes and solutions that help maintain, enhance and grow the assets that forms the lifeblood of business i.e. existing and prospective customers (leading naturally to market share).  

Smarter businesses, view recessionary times as a window of opportunity to increase market share whilst their competition is distracted with the negativity and focused on short term initiatives such as: cutting down capacity, retrenching staff etc. 

During a recession, even more than in boom times (if I may say so) a company’s sales organization must prove to be resilient and steely. The sales team must be empowered and supported, with appropriate processes and solutions, to be effective in securing new business and generating ongoing revenue. 

In the context a well deployed CRM solution could also contribute significantly towards:  

a)  identifying  inefficiencies in the sales process and optimising sales costs: a disciplined approach to sales processes combined with an efficient sales force automation (SFA) solution will help identify weakness (leading to additional training and development within the sales team) non performance within sales teams 

b) visibility of Total Customer Experience  (TCE) leading to  effective customer retention and marketing  strategies: a CRM system could provide a 360 degree view of the customers’ experience with the company, leading to targeted sales and marketing campaigns with an improved ROI on dollars and effort 

c) increasing opportunities for customer penetration:  with the visibility of the TCE (including historic buying patterns, customer service requests etc…) a CRM system could make up-sell and cross- sell strategies easy to execute and track.  For example a CRM system can alert customer service agents on specific  cross/ up sell opportunities for customers based on past ordering histories, customer service/helpdesk requests etc..  

d)  enhanced productivity through the sales ordering, delivery and collection process: CRM systems through interface into sales order and billing systems, could enable the delivery, scheduling, billing and collection processes be automated (and “self service” oriented). Thus the customer acquisition process becomes more cost and time efficient and  the customer is left with less time to shop for alternatives 

Businesses evaluating suitable CRM systems should do extensive research on solutions and solution providers experienced in the specific industry segments. A recommended starting point for this research is published case studies. 

Below is a list of sites that I checkout frequently for case studies:

a) CRM Today 

b) Microsoft Dynamics   

c) SalesForce.Com

d) SAP Customer Relationship Management

Share This

We are living in unprecedented times, at least in my life time.

The world we are living is changing rapidly and everyone one of us are touched by this more ways than one.. .. spiritually, emotionally and economically (of course). As individuals we, as always, are presented with the stark choice of either ignoring it (and thereby being left behind to play catch up later) or adapting to it in our own pace.

The rate of our adaption and manner in which one sets about it will be the ultimate measure of emotional, spiritual and financial wellbeing as individuals and a community.

Vineet you are a visionary and a leader, who is walking the talk.. 

In my humble opinion you are living the words of the Great Mahatma Gandhi  ” You must be the change you wish to see in the world”.

Click here for the complete article/blog by Vineet Nayar

Share This

Are you a large corporation deploying a business solution (ERP, CRM, BI, HRMS etc..) 

Or

a medium business deploying a mid market ERP /CRM or related business package

Irrespective of your specific situation - you have decided to invest in a technology solution to improve the efficiency of the business processes

and

the productivity of your people your investment decision was more than likely based on an assessment of your current business pains/ challenges and the requirements for the future (Does The Business Need a New ERP/Business Management System?? What Are The Signals)

and

you would have also identified the areas that should have immediate improvement/impact once each milestone (of the systems implementation) is completed

and

estimated some ROI targets and timeframes for your technology investment

Unfortunately, however, none of the above will guarantee a successful implementation i.e. achievement of the business objectives and targets for the project.

From my practical experience with several implementations covering mid market solutions (such as: Epicor Financials, Epicor CRM, Microsoft Dynamics Nav, Microsoft Dynamics Ax and Microsoft CRM)   – the success of any project/ implementation is also largely dependent on: (a) on the quality of the project directorship and (b) the on going management of the project

In a broad sense the Project Director will be responsible for:

a)  continously ensuring that the project is on track to deliver the objectives of the business and the ROIs

b) ensuring that the project is adequately resourced (and funded)

c) ongoing communication of project objectives, project progress and change management issues to the steering committee and the key stakeholders

d) leading (and functioning as a key influencer on) change management initiatives 

In small to medium size businesses often the project director is a key member of the current senior executive team i.e. CFO, CEO etc. and they play a pivotal role in ensuring the projects success.

Soft skills required of a Project Director:

• strategic thinker
• believer of the value technology based business solutions
• efficient communicator – is able to communicate succinctly with the various levels of stakeholders
• open minded – is open to new ideas and could direct teams towards change
• able to resolve conflict objectively and say “no” gracefully
• well honed sense of judgment – able to foresee issues clearly and guide teams towards resolutions

In a broad sense the Project Manager is generally responsible for:

a) successful planning and implementation of the project, within the framework set by the project director and the steering committee      b) recognising “project risks” (i.e. situations that could directly and indirectly impact the successful completion of the project during the various stages in its lifecycle) and deploying appropriate risk mitigation strategies throughout the lifecycle of the project

Soft skills/disciplines required of a Project Manager:

• ability to define scope, and break them down to sequential activity
• estimating, budgeting, cost control and reporting
• team builder, ability to engage and mobilize direct and indirect teams
• ability to deploy appropriate project methodology towards optimum outcomes

Small to medium size businesses often lack the resources to engage in house project management professionals. And therefore they look to their vendors to introduce the relevant management disciplines to the project. The soft skills and attributes required of ERP/ CRM and project management professionals specializing in small to medium business sector are very different to those specializing in the corporate sector (A Career in ERP.. Where Does One Start….)

Share This

My fellow readers and bloggers, everyone one of us in the field of technology has at some stage benefited from Mary Jo’s blog “An Unblinking Eye On Microsoft”.

I personally have found Mary Jo’s blogs very topical, well researched and objective.

Mary Joe is one of the featured “bloggers” in the book Blogging Heroes by Michael Banks. The book contains interviews with 30 of the world’s top bloggers.  

Here are my key takeaways, from the interview with Mary Jo, an experienced professional who continues to enjoy the challenge of writing about a technology giant that is never shy of controversy…”

§         blogging is the future of journalism (blogging allows writers to bring more honesty to the issues/things they write about)

§         confirm every tip before running with it…(Mary Jo confirms every tip three ways before running with it)

§         be yourself and don’t try to imitate someone else’s style or voice

§         take time away from blogging, so you don’t limit your perspective

§         don’t try to hide your identity (unless you have a good reason)

§         if you make a mistake, admit it, accept it and move on

Last but not least I urge you to keep an eye out for Mary Jo’s own book, Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft Plans to Stay Relevant in the Post-Gates Era (author Mary Joe Foley)

Share This

In today’s world as technology related investments have wide spread impact on businesses - more and more business managers would agree that they are less aware of the returns from such investments.   

When it comes to technology related investments too often business managers adopt a “ leave it to IT” approach. Thus such investments are not evaluated with the same rigour as others such as: purchasing plant & equipment, property etc..

The impact of technology solutions, in the form of ERP and other business systems, on people and processes is rapidly growing in significance.

And in very many ways and failed technology projects could be attributed to; lost revenue, lost opportunity, lost customers etc..   Technology (IT) Related decisions, most Business Owners/Managers should be aware of… 

Based on the article “Don’t Leave it to IT” by Chris Gilles (author of CPA Australia’s IT Governance Guide and The Business Management of IT)

Share This

In today’s business environment, where businesses are under increased pressure to be more efficient and responsive – a happy marriage between the IT and Finance functions is becoming increasingly necessary.  

The combined effect of IT and Finance could impact all the core functions of a business:

 ·         ERP/business solutions (with appropriate business intelligence tools) empower mangers with timely information on the performance of the business

·         timely updates on KPIs (via intranet, extranet, webcasts etc..) help business managers quickly identify inefficient business processes and take necessary corrective action

·         an appropriately implemented ERP solution generally results in significant cost savings and/or increased revenue opportunities (through increased operational efficiencies) for the business

·         analytics features of CRM solutions could help businesses also monitor strategic indicators (such as: customer satisfaction, brand loyalty, brand awareness etc..) with greater accuracy  Evaluating the ROI of IT related investments should be on going. Often, however, this aspect gets neglected thus leading to excessive cost overruns and inefficiencies. 

 According to James Blyth* chairman of Diageo (the worlds leading premium drinks company)  the roadblocks for getting adequate returns on IT investments are two-fold: 

 a)     it’s difficult to sustain a technology based competitive advantage

  b)     company’s often lack the management discipline they need when evaluating technology proposals 

*a) James Blyth was speaking at the 2005 Wharton Globalization Forum b) Microsoft Executive Circle (Thought Leadership For Business Results)

Share This

In to-days world technology solutions in the form of ERP and other business systems have a significant impact on people and processes in very many ways. Improved productivity gained through the appropriate use of technology generally translates into improved profitability.

Therefore to answer the question “Does The Business Need a New ERP/Business Management Systems“- one needs to evaluate the Critical Success Factors of the business in the context of the technology solutions currently deployed.

Typically some of these factors would be:

1) growth of the business: during the recent years has the business grown in number of customers, range of products and services offered, staff employed, geographical locations etc..

• is the business making best use of technology to fuel this growth
• are business partners, customers etc.. able to connect and transact business easily

2)  productivity of people:

• are staff burdened by the need to maintain information in many different (disparate) systems
• are people able to share information freely between business units? Or is this process hampered by the existing systems “functioning in separate islands”
• is the systems administrator overloaded with requests for workarounds/coping strategies to deal with the inadequacies of the systems
• are the software applications/tools user friendly

3)  quality of financial/operational information: the availability of accurate and up-to date information to manage the business and direct it strategically

4) opportunity costs/opportunities/lost:

• distribution
  • are the right goods in the right place at the right time
• manufacturing
  • could products be manufactured or assembled more cost efficiently
  • the benefits of having better quality measurement and monitoring systems
• financial management
  • is the business performance more in line with the strategy
  • the operational cost of poor financial information i.e. poor collection patterns, high levels of inventory, excessive bank overdraft levels

Share This

Well they say that a career in ERP is something that evolves..

I tend to agree with this statement. I am an accountant who left the life of a “CFO” to be in a customer servicing role. I started my ERP career as a functional ERP consultant and then progressed through to service delivery and sales leadership roles. 

However in the current environment, where a channel based “go to market model” is popular amongst larger and smaller vendors (i.e. Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, Netsuite, Accpac, Sage..) there is greater opportunity for us to choose an appropriate career path in ERP, at a very early stage in our career.

The typical ERP professional has the option of transitioning their career across the organisational functions (from customer support through to consulting to service delivery management to sales and business leadership). And choosing other well known paths of specialization such as: supply chain management, CRM, distribution, manufacturing, financial management, project management etc..

In addition, with inroads made by players such as: Microsoft, SAP and Oracle to the small to medium business sector, ERP professionals are also able to choose their specialisation by business sector (i.e. small to medium business vs large corporates).

 Those specialising in solutions such as: Microsoft Dynamics Nav, Microsoft Dynamics Ax, SAP B1, Oracle E-Business suite, Netsuite, Accpac etc.. will largely be working with businesses in the small to medium sector.

Whilst others specialising in SAP R3, SAP All In One, Oracle, MAPICS etc.. would be spending time in the corporate sector.

Broadly speaking the soft skills and attributes required of the ERP professional will vary significantly depending on the business sector and the type of client.

Soft skills & attributes required of the ERP professional should also include:

Share This

First question: do VAR’s add value to your business????

answer: yes, definitely (based on my 12+ years experience in channel/reseller businesses, I could call on very many success stories)

A sound partnership with a technology solution provider (aka VAR, Partner, Solutions Provider, Reseller) is fundamental to the success of any business in the SMB sector.

The skills and expertise of the VAR is critical to:

• your business deriving optimum value from technology solutions

and

• achieving great ROI from all technology driven investments

VAR’s are usually independent businesses, specialising in accounting/business/ERP solutions marketed by vendors; such as SAP, Microsoft, Oracle, Netsuite etc..

The evaluation criteria for a suitable “VAR” should include:

• expertise in the specific industry segment (i.e. if you are in the business of manufacturing chemicals, does the VAR have other clients in this segment)
• the opportunity to connect with other businesses within the VAR’s clientele, who will be real life customer references
• the stability and longevity of the VAR’s business
• the long term relationship between the VAR and the vendor organisation
• ‘modus operand’ of the VAR’s organisation (i.e. how much time have they spent understanding the specific needs of your business)     
• the competency level of the consulting/service delivery staff 
• the capacity to deliver the solution within the time-frame specified
• the capacity to provide on going support

Evaluating the relationship with your VAR should be on going, to ensure that the relationship is continuing to add value in the light of changing needs of the business… 

Share This

Speaking at the Software 2007 conference (in Santa Clara), SAP co-founder Hasso Plattner was enthusiastic about the new suite of office applications being designed for the SMB sector.

Although SAP is yet to go public with the name of this project, Plattner seemed keen to talk about the key features and some of the development concepts i.e.

1. the solution is written in a completely new code base within the System Based Architecture (SOA) design principle
2. it will be a hosted (on demand) solution and will include all the newer concepts like cloud computing, modular development and community based development
3. the users will have many interface points (i.e.browser based, mobile phone or Blackberry etc…) without direct access to the underlying source code
4. SAP has been forthcoming in saying that the solution has been in development for 3 years -this said, of course - the project still remains unnamed!!!

Some interesting reading on this subject:

Hass Plattner outline SAP’s vision - http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=4908/

SAP’s Plattner gives early details on New Business Software Suite for SMB Market: http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2007/05/08/saps-plattner-gives-early-on-news-busines-software-suite-for-smb-market/

Share This