Is it easy to make minor modifications to match the way your employees work?Some of the most important modifications you may need in an ERP solution can also be the easiest to achieve – if your ERP software is designed properly. Look for a solution that enables you to adapt the user interface easily without having to know about code. This type of modification enables you to tailor your solution not only for your company, but also for distinct groups within your company. Your warehouse and sales staffs, for example, may both need to view inventory data—but they’ll be looking at that data in different ways and for different reasons. Letting each group see only what it needs to see enables everyone to get to the information they need more quickly, making them more productive. In an article by business software expert, J. Carlton Collins, he points out that the simplest type of modification is the ability to edit financial statements—adding or deleting columns, changing design elements, inserting logos—and that most ERP solutions offer this. But ERP solutions vary in how easy they make it for you to implement these changes. Be sure to get a demonstration of these capabilities before you commit to a solution. The type of adaptations you should be able to easily do extends to your data entry screens, notes Collins: hiding and revising menus, changing data labels and fields, inserting new fields, and setting defaults to reflect your most commonly used settings. See a demo that shows how employees can easily personalize their menus to support the way they work in Microsoft Dynamics NAV Adaptability Increases EfficiencyYou should look for adaptability in other areas, as well, says Collins. For example, it should be easy to modify the forms that your ERP solution produces—including invoices, pick lists, and packing slips. What's more, these forms should include all of the information that you and your customers need, in the format that you and they expect to see it. For example, EuroFlorist, a Swedish-based network of florist shops with 50 employees, used the built-in tools in Microsoft Dynamics NAV to add a shortcut for every step of its ordering process. It streamlined the order-entry screens, reducing the number of screens from six to two, and it rearranged information so it’s presented in the order that’s most useful to employees. “They’re small details, but they all add up, especially when every minute counts,” says Daniel Ekwall, Systems Manager at EuroFlorist. Indeed, they do: EuroFlorist has cut order-entry time by 30 to 40 percent. And invoicing for Web orders – formerly a full-time job—now takes just 10 minutes per week. Question 2: Can the solution be integrated easily with your existing software to take advantage of the investments you’ve already made?
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