Why Your Business Needs A Relationship With An ERP Implementation Partner

Chapter 2

3 Basic Qualities Any Partner Must Have

1. Good Reputation

Find out how much experience your vendor has implementing the ERP. The best way is to make informal inquiries with partners, providers, and clients about how their implementation process worked.

Ask them if the implementation process improved or hindered their perception of their vendor’s reputation as a facilitator, if they considered their input, and if they factored in the human aspect of deployment. 

Also, check what ranking and review portals like G2 and Capterra have to say and see what other users from the same industry and company size comment on your vendor. Make sure to check both positive and negative reviews and dig deeper into difficulties and success stories.

2. Efficient Cost

Many expenses come with the deployment process after the initial purchase of the software license.

This cost depends entirely on what’s included in the contract. Expenses will depend on several issues, to name a few: 

• Company size

• Features and modules

• Number of end-users

• Time of deployment

• Migration from a legacy system or zero

• Customization

• Training, support, and maintenance services

From these, customization is an essential issue to factor in. Some ERP implementation consultants could offer to modify the original software programming to accommodate your business needs at no charge or an additional cost.

3. Constant Support

These are after-sale services that you’ll want to clear up with your vendor as early in the process as possible, ideally when requesting quotes. They are crucial both to the deployment process and your budget. 

As you evaluate if the implementer is your best option, make sure to ask:

• What sort of training will your team get?

• Will training be through remote or on-premise tutorials and classes?

• Would you be receiving dedicated assistance from the support team? 

• Are updates to the software included in the base price, or would it demand extra investment? 

• How often would updates be, and would they require additional training and support?