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With 64% of businesses planning to implement Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems within the next three years, it’s clear that many companies are starting to prioritise workforce productivity, efficiencies, and data management.
However, some businesses do still overlook ERP integrations for fear of change, cost, required resources and impact on day-to-day operations. But this shouldn’t be the case and in fact, ERP integrations can save you time and money in the long-term.
In this blog, I’ll explain exactly what ERP integrations are, the four biggest business benefits of ERP integrations and why they shouldn’t be neglected.
What is an ERP?
An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system brings together various business functions such as sales, customers, finance, HR, and supply chain, into one place.
The core purpose of an ERP is to streamline processes and make the day-to-day running of an organisation easier. There are lots of different ERPs on the market, with three of the most common being NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and SAP.
What is an ERP integration?
An ERP integration is when you connect your ERP system with other business applications such as your e-commerce platform, CRM or finance software. The aim of an ERP integration is to share company-wide data across systems to boost productivity and efficiency.
Here is a list of applications that ERP systems can integrate with:
- Business Intelligence (BI) software
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software
- E-commerce platform like Shopify, WooCommerce or Magento
- Online marketplaces
- Project management tools
What are the benefits of an ERP integration?
There are many benefits of ERP integration including streamlined processes, improved data visibility, enhanced communication, reduced costs and better customer service.
In fact, studies show that ERP integrations can improve processes by 95% and cut operational costs by 23%. (Forbes, 2024).
Here’s each ERP integration benefit in more detail.
Accurate, real-time data
By integrating your ERP with other applications, you’ll have one single source of truth for company data. This eliminates data silos and provides easy access to real-time data from different departments in one place. This is faster than relying on multiple systems with conflicting information, reducing errors and enhancing visibility.
Automate manual tasks
With a fully integrated ERP, you can automate time-consuming tasks and workflows. For example, manually managing stock control on your e-commerce platform can take a long time but with an ERP integration, you could automatically feed live stock updates directly into your e-commerce platform so it’s always up to date.
Enhanced collaboration
With everyone working from the same system, you’ll foster better collaboration and communication across teams. You’ll all be able to easily access and share data, leading to faster decision-making, increased productivity and a more enjoyable way of working.
Better customer service
With real-time access to customer data and order history, your sales and support teams can provide a faster, personalised and more informed customer service. This will boost customer satisfaction and retention which ultimately, will help you grow sales.
If you’re considering an ERP integration but not sure on the best approach, please get in touch and we’ll book a call in to chat about your ERP system.
