An ERP is traditionally thought of as a back-end system that serves the needs of your staff but is rarely seen or engaged with by your customers. That is true to an extent. However, the top ERPs have such a fundamental impact on the organizations that use them that there is inevitably some impact on customers. In the best instances, the capabilities of the ERP directly serve the customer’s needs and improve the overall quality of the experience. If you own a small business, you can invest in an erp software for it can offer many benefits to companies.
Here are five ways ERPs take care of clients:
Speed the Time to Delivery
ERP’s impact on supply chain management is significant. You may also utilize a CBX software for your supply chain management. When used to the fullest, ERP consulting services can help enterprises of all sizes to log, process, and fulfill orders much faster than they currently do. Customers end up spending a lot less time waiting for their orders to arrive, which helps to grow brand loyalty and encourage repeat purchases
Eliminate Out of Stock Orders
Having to report to an interested customer that the product they want to order is out of stock is frustrating for all. You miss out on a sale, and your customer has to restart their search with a different supplier. Since an ERP refines and streamlines your supply chain, the kinds of instances that cause products to become unavailable are largely eliminated. It finally becomes possible to maintain an inventory that is neither over nor under-stocked when you can rely on the predictive analysis capabilities of an ERP
Prepare for Every Demand
ERPs generate, track, and store valuable data about each one of your customers as an individual, as well as your customer base as a whole. You can quickly analyze this data to spot ordering trends and shift the way you handle order processing accordingly. Having this kind of flexibility is particularly during peak buying seasons like the holidays or early summer. Ensuring that everyone gets exactly what they want exactly when they want it helps brands to avoid the most common kinds of consumer complaints.
Generate More ‘Perfect’ Orders
An order where everything is delivered on time in full is hugely helpful for your customers. Unfortunately, an order where just one mistake is made can cause catastrophes and customer frustration. ERP case studies have shown that with a system in place the number of ‘perfect’ orders increases substantially. Your logistics staff is spared the hassle of refilling an order. Plus, over time your customers take notice of your consistency and make you their preferred supplier.
Introduce Customization
The overall impact of an ERP is so significant that it transforms supply chain management from an obstacle into an opportunity. Once it becomes effortless to fulfill standard orders, you can begin offering more customization in terms of products and processes. Good products become great products because they are built to meet the buyer’s specific needs. That gives business owners powerful means to grow their business and expand into new markets. Experts from retail to manufacturing expect customization to be the next frontier in terms of consumer demand. Companies that rely on a solid ERP will be able to process customized orders before customers start to view it as an expectation rather than an upgrade.
These are all specific instances. But an ERP has an overall impact on customer needs because it improves every aspect of your business. The kinds of confusions, miscommunications, and redundancies that used to inflate costs and inflame frustrations become a thing of the past. If you are ready to better serve your current customer base while attracting the attention of many more, an ERP is an essential tool.