Summary: There are hundreds of ERP companies to choose from – how do you know which one is right for your business? These five questions will help you find the best possible fit.

Sorting Out Your ERP Options

Finding the right enterprise resource planning (ERP) suite for your business is a major decision that requires a tremendous amount of time and research. There are hundreds of ERP companies to choose from, all claiming to offer the “best” and “most powerful” solutions on the market. So, you do you determine which of these ERP companies can help you reach your goals?  

Below are some targeted, pointed questions to ask during the vendor evaluation process. These will help you gather the information you need to identify the most stable ERP companies with the solutions that will best meet your needs. So, you can make a smart decision that will put your ERP initiative on the path to success.  

1. Please provide a detailed company history.
Perform an in-depth background check of each of the ERP companies you are considering, including their past and current financial status, their mission statement, and their reputation within the industry. 

This will help you better predict what kind of partner each one will be throughout the course of your project. The strong, well-run ERP companies will be happy to share any and all relevant data, so be wary of those that provide vague or incomplete information.  

2. What features does your solution suite offer?
Get a complete breakdown of each product’s capabilities, so you can compare it closely to the functionality on your requirements list. Any ERP companies that cannot meet all your needs should be immediately cut from your short list. You may also want to ask about future product plans, so you can understand how each of the ERP companies will enhance their offerings going forward.   

3. Do you have references?
Nobody can provide more insight into an ERP company and its solutions that its customers. 

Ask to speak to both former and current clients, preferably those that operate within the same industry, or those that are using ERP to achieve similar goals or overcome similar problems. 

Request several contacts at each reference site, including IT staff, departmental management, and end users in various back-office roles.  This will allow you to get several different real-world perspectives about their experience deploying, customizing, and working with the solution. 

4. Show me how it works.
An ERP solution is about more than just a list of features. Interface simplicity and ease-of-use are just as important. And, the only way to assess these qualities is to ask the ERP companies to conduct a thorough demonstration. 

Make sure each demo focuses on those features and functions that are most critical to your business needs. And, be wary of pre-recorded or canned demos, which may put the ERP company in the best light, but not cover the areas of the product you care most about. 

5. Can I test drive it?
ERP companies know how to make themselves look good during a demonstration. 

But, this doesn’t necessarily provide the most accurate picture of how the solution will work once it has been implemented. By trying the software for 60 or 90 days, you can get the most realistic experience possible. This will show you not only how the solution will operate once it’s in production, but what it will be like to work closely with each of the ERP companies on a day-to-day basis.