People often ask what add-ons, extensions, or integrations could improve their ERP System. I completely understand the question in a world where maybe 10 years ago you implemented a best-of-breed ‘system of record’ to provide your business with a ‘single source of the truth’ as a foundation for the business to run on. At the same time, that single source of the truth has found it hard to keep up with eCommerce, online marketplaces, social media promotions, next-day deliveries, and much more. And so the question becomes: how can I improve my ERP? But if we step back for a second and imagine we’re a 20-year-old joining the workforce (that would be nice!), a GenZ – a digital native. Well, you might expect their first question to be: what’s an ERP, and what’s it do?
I’m obviously being provocative but perhaps we should think of the 5 benefits of Automation in a context where the benefits relate to absolute business outcomes, rather than a core system. I don’t meet a single business owner who doesn’t want a single, integrated, digital platform for their business to run on – something we refer to at Sapphire as the “Digital Operating Platform” of a business. You can be a greengrocer who’s bought a warehouse and become a seven-figure warehouse distribution company or a publicly listed infrastructure business running millions of assets in the field – the fundamental problems are the same. How do I continue to grow without growing my head office costs? How do I deliver better outcomes for my customers, without hiring more Customer Service reps or salespeople? How do I win the talent war? How do I continue to be compliant in a world of accelerating carbon and ESG regulation?