In our series on the ERP selection we have already shed light on some facets of this difficult subject. After all, we are now quite a bit further through the various stations. We have found our favourites and various Presentations enjoyed.
Now it's time to back up the good impression with additional information. We require the supplier to talk to his ERP references.
Find ERP references
As almost every guidebook on the subject of choosing an ERP system demands, the customer asks for references from the provider. They should be interviewed or even visited to get an impression of the software in live operation.
Of course, the provider only wants to name ERP references who are highly satisfied with the software or/and the ERP partners are.
The customer would also be reluctant to make a company outing out of the reference visit. So the reference customer should also be within easy reach.
And the reference must not be too similar either: After all, you don't want to coordinate with a competitor.
Because finding the right, highly satisfied customer who also has a suitable schedule is no easy task.
And the schedule is already overstretched.
TIP
Ask the providers for "negative references."
There is no major project in which there would not be serious difficulties.
How this is dealt with is often essential.
Visit ERP references
If a conversation and/or a visit then materialises, the impressions gained are ambivalent. Yes, you may get some information as to why the reference customer is satisfied or even very satisfied. At the same time, you have to realise that the other Pursue works quite differently.
- first realisation : others work differently.
- Second realisation: it's nice that the external process can also be mapped with the selected ERP system.
- third realisation: one is as smart as before.
TIP
Clarify what is important for you to see or what you want to talk about with the reference customer before the meeting with the provider.
What to know
If a visit from another company is announced, then in a proper company they are not received by just anyone. It has to be the managing director or a senior employee. After all, the visitor is of a similar calibre. Unfortunately, the executive floor is rarely deep in the ERP processes. You are more likely to know the results, i.e. analyses and reports. On the other hand, it is difficult to expect the visited company to have a whole host of contact persons on hand. The inevitable result is that many questions remain unanswered.
TIP
Also try to get a key user at the table and take a future key user with you to the meeting.
Technological openness of the architecture
But hand on heart: when we make a decision today for the next ten years, we should not just focus on the current range of functions. One criterion that is often forgotten in classic specifications, but which now determines the long-term “durability” of your investment, is the Technological openness of the architecture. Ask the provider not only whether they can map your warehouse processes, but also what their roadmap for Artificial intelligence and automation looks like. Today, a modern ERP must be more than just a database - it must form the basis for AI-supported decisions and (mandatory from 2025 at the latest) for transparent sustainability reporting (ESG). If you rely on a monolithic system without cloud connectivity, you may be buying a solution today, but an expensive integration project tomorrow.
more on the subject:
ERP selection - if it were that easy / Part 7
ERP selection - if it were that easy / Part 8
