ERP: does an SME really need “big” software?

What an ERP is, simply put

An ERP is business management software in which sales, purchasing, stock, invoicing and payments share the same data. Information entered once is available wherever it is needed.

It does not need to be big. An ERP suited to an SME covers the business’s flows without imposing functions it will never use.

Signs that it is time to think about it

• The same information is entered twice, in two different tools.
• No one can say for sure what is left in stock.
• An invoice depends on the memory of the person who handled the file.
• Spreadsheets act as a bridge between your software.
• Month-end means reconstructing what happened.

Taken separately, each of these signs seems bearable. Together, they often add up to several hours lost every week.

How to choose well

• Start from your flows, not from a list of features. Describe how an order becomes an invoice in your business, and see whether the software follows that path.
• Ask for a demonstration on your own cases. A generic demo shows screens; a demo on your business shows whether the software will save you time.
• Check the connections. Accounting software, bank, Peppol, suppliers: an ERP must be able to talk to the tools around it.
• Prefer a modular solution. You switch on what you need today and add the rest as the business grows.
• Look at the support. Data migration, configuration, training: this is often where the success of the project is decided.