As more and more business technologies are developed to streamline workflows and day to day tasks, the question a business must ask itself is less “Can this software increase my business’ productivity?” and more “Which ERP software will best increase my business’ productivity.”

How does your ecommerce integrate with your enterprise resource planning (ERP) system? At many companies the two function in separate silos, which creates a huge amount of missed opportunity.

An interesting study from the Delphi Group asked 23 global manufacturers questions about the impact of enterprise resource planning (ERP) on supply chain management. Three findings topped the list of results:

Manufacturers are keenly attuned to productivity and profitability. Many have embraced enterprise resource planning systems (ERP), business intelligence software (BI), customer relationship management (CRM) and many other technological solutions to improve efficiency and revenues.

Do you feel like you’re in control of your inventory? Or is your inventory controlling you? Manufacturers worldwide struggle with feeling like they’re never quite on top of their inventory control.

Companies often find it challenging to create engaging and insightful training programs for their employees. The launch of a new ERP system is a great time to refresh and invigorate your entire training program around the use of the ERP system and the resulting data. Not only do you have the opportunity to provide training on the new system, you can also provide training on best practices in data management, interpretation, and use.

Many companies that are on a calendar-year budgeting cycle find themselves facing December with trepidation. Reviewing the past year’s performance, anticipating needs, and building the next year’s budget are all part of the end-of-year cycle as predictable as a holiday party. To make your budget setting easier, you can use your ERP system for better planning and productivity.

Are you getting the most out of your ERP investment? As with any new project, there are things that you can do to make sure the project not only gets off to a great start but gains momentum and traction throughout your organization.