How to Choose the Right ERP Consultant for Your Business

Choosing the right ERP consultant sets the tone for not only the beginning of your ERP project, but for what happens after the consulting relationship ends as well. This person will be a vital and essential piece of your team, guiding your process, helping you identify which options will work best for your team and your unique business needs, seeing you through the implementation phases, and hopefully putting you on a path to success. That’s why it’s so important to make sure you choose the right consultant for your team, your business, and your project.

There are critical factors to consider when you’re ready to choose an ERP consultant; and it’s not just a matter of choosing someone with ERP knowledge. That is important, but also consider that this is someone who will be working closely with you and your team, so their personality and working styles should align. They should also be able to match their objectives to those of your business in order to identify and implement the right ERP solutions for you.

An ERP consultant will save you in time and money, and they will help to ensure a smooth transition from how you do business now to your new and streamlined processes. Ready to get started? Here’s what you need to consider when it’s time to choose an ERP consultant.

• Your business needs access to someone with extensive
  experience, time, communication skills, and a clear idea of what you need and
  what you can gain from an ERP. ERP consultants can add value to companies of
  all sizes, so even if your company is small, you’ll still benefit from a
  consultant’s perspective and expertise.

• You’ll also want to ensure that your
  ERP consultant can customize your new system to your company’s requirements. If
  your business is attempting to accommodate the ERP instead of the other way
  around, you probably won’t be able to make most of its capabilities. So, your
  ERP consultant should have in-depth and wide-ranging product knowledge and
  present several options to you for consideration. They may have a favorite or
  standout product recommendation, but some consultants may push one system onto all
  of their clients, so be sure to ask for a range of recommendations to ensure
  they’re not pushing a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.  

• Look for consultants with experience
  specific to your industry and your business size. This is particularly helpful
  if your organization is subject to regulatory compliance.

• Ask for and talk to several references
  and look into the consultant’s (as well as their firm’s) reputation. The
  relationship you’ll build with an ERP consultant is critical to a successful ERP
  implementation, so by doing your homework upfront, you’re ensuring the project
  is set up for success.

• Consider hiring a separate selection
  consultant and an implementation consultant in order to take advantage of
  consultant expertise in both areas. Decision Resources focuses specifically
  on Infor CloudSuite ERP, so we are implementation partners. But as industry
  leaders, we are well-networked with skilled and reputable ERP selection
  consultants and we can provide you with details of firms and selection consultants in your
  area who would be helpful to you.

Learn more about how Decision Resources can help you transform your business with an ERP by filling out our online contact form or call 412-562-9660, or email us at info@decision.com. Whatever you need, we’ll help move your project forward.