Six questions to ask every ERP software vendor

Posted by Web Digital Media Group on March 10th, 2022

The purchase of an ERP is one of the most substantial and important IT investments of your company. Choosing the right ERP software provider is critical to ensuring your return on investment. Therefore, we bring this article to help future buyers of an ERP Software.

 1. Who works for the ERP software vendor and what do they do?

 You should know if you are dealing with a company that is \"oversold\", that is, that its consultants are scarce for the number of projects they handle, if you are dealing with a company that has an excess of sales and administrative personnel, or if the company have the right staff for your volume of work.

 Does this ERP software provider you are speaking with have the experts you need to know to transform your business with a Customized ERP Software\'s in Dubai?

 Since the software industry is knowledge intensive, you should ask about the company\'s turnover rate and compare it to the other companies you are evaluating.

Make sure you know the credentials of those who will form the team that will implement your project.

 2. What is the scope of your service offering, even beyond our immediate needs?

 Beware of tunnel vision that is, not seeing beyond the surrounding walls and the visual horizon. Like it or not, when you\'re selecting an ERP software vendor, you\'re choosing a long-term strategic relationship that will be difficult to change.

 There is a learning curve for any ERP software vendor in terms of getting up to speed with the nuances of their business, their processes, and how they fit into the software environment. Until you reach the stage of productivity and maturity, you are making an investment. If you change your ERP software provider, equipment and expenses are always entered.

 It is vitally important to find out if the ERP software provider suits your needs, both now and in the future. It is important to take into account the breadth and quality of services. For example: custom programming, support for related products, integration expertise, cloud support, availability of managed services, and more.

 As your needs evolve, you\'ll need access to areas where you don\'t have requirements today. Understanding the capabilities of the ERP software provider to support you as your needs scale is critical.

 3. What references can you give us?

 Surely you have heard this before. We know. But we are going to share some of our ideas on “how to” ask for references to make sure you go far with the really meaningful information.

 The key when you\'re asking for referrals is to agree on a few parameters to ensure you\'re getting relevant referrals.

 First, ask for references that are relevant to your industry. You need to know that your potential partner, the software vendor/implementer, knows about the business challenges that are important to your company. but don\'t stop there.

 Ask for a new client and one that has been around for a long time. They have two different points of view regarding the ERP software provider. You need to know both: where the supplier company has been and where it is today. Also, don\'t be afraid to ask for access to existing real customers.

 Reference Checklist

• Ask for an industry-specific reference, if possible using the same software.
• Seek referrals from both new and old clients.
• Key points include: total cost, return on investment, and implementation duration.
• Distinguish between satisfaction with software and with support.

 4. In your view and based on your experience, what can we do better?

 Imagine the differences in how this question will be answered by a company that is simply looking to sell their products and another that is trying to understand their real business challenges and come up with technical solutions for them. In fact, the beauty of it is that it will help you quickly identify which type of ERP software vendor you are talking to.

 Also, remember, ERP vendors are trying to win a new account: your company. By allowing them to speak freely about the shortcomings that they really perceive, they will appreciate your ability to identify opportunities for growth.

 While no ERP software vendor is going to know your business better than you do, they have an advantage you don\'t. They have the enormous exposure to what companies are doing with the technology and how they are actually working.

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 When you offer him the chance to talk candidly about how this relates to his firm, it\'s a business intelligence moment for you. It is also an opportunity to identify the providers that offer the most interesting proposals.

 5. May we contact your user community?

 Many ERP vendors and software developers support web-based user communities. These communities are divided into user forums which are accessed by existing customers using a username/password combination.

 What\'s interesting about these communities is that they provide a true insight into what it means to be an ERP software vendor customer or user of a specific program.

 While asking for a reference is an opportunity for vendors to pick their favorite success stories, access to a user forum provides an unmoderated point of view. Asking for this access will make the provider a bit nervous. However, it may be the key piece of information for you to consider yourself as a software buyer.

 6. What is your relationship with those developing the product?

 A part of the ERP providers do not develop the software. Rather, they are partners or channels that are specifically authorized to sell, implement, and support the software.

 Many developers support different levels of partnership with the vendors of their solutions. They may distinguish between their partners based on certification completion, areas of expertise, sales volume, or other factors.

The level of relationship between the manufacturer and its partners often affects pricing. Understanding the relationship between the seller and the developer can provide valuable information to weigh in the evaluation.

 To explore the nature of the vendor/developer relationship, you might consider the following questions:

• How many clients have using the software?
• Since when are you an authorized partner of the manufacturer?
• What has made your company choose this manufacturer over other competitive options?

These questions will help you identify the strength of the software vendor\'s commitment to the vendor, as well as their implementation and maintenance experience with ERP Accounting Software solutions in Dubai.