4 Factors to Consider During ERP System Adoption

Apr 18, 2020

Once your company makes the decision to adopt a new ERP system, you have to be ready to face resistance from staff. Many companies can unfortunately attest to the fact that once a new ERP solution was in place, getting the users’ buy-in was a painful experience. The right ERP system, utilized to the full extent of its capabilities, can do wonders for your organization. But when your users fail to adopt the solution that you have invested considerably in, you run the risk of losing a lot of money.

Many managers focus so much on implementation itself that they largely disregard the slew of measures they must take in order to ensure a smooth ERP system adoption. Here are a few things you can do to make the process stress-free.

When you finally decide on a new EPR solution, you should share the news with everyone on the team and get their input. What you don’t want to do is tell your employees at the last minute, right before the implementation of the new solution. Adoption begins here, not when the system is implemented in its entirety. Employees are not generally comfortable with sudden changes, especially those that affect their daily work. Make them feel a part of the solution right from the get-go.

The adoption process should involve asking your employees about their work process, how they complete their tasks, etc. In fact, ideally, your ERP vendor’s business analysts should take care of that for you in order to deliver a solution that is the best fit for your business. They will typically conduct thorough interviews, make observations about your employees’ work, and amass a functionality checklist that will need to be delivered. It really is a win-win situation. Your vendor will have a clear understanding of your company requirements, and your users will feel engaged from the start.

ERP implementation is no walk in the park – it’s a complicated and multifaceted procedure. It is common for the process to run over schedule, and that’s ok. What isn’t OK is when you have to wait days for your vendor to get back to you on an issue. Communication and transparency are the pillars of this daunting endeavor. If you haven’t found a vendor that is willing to give your project the attention it deserves, it might be best to sever the ties before it gets too late and you have a product on your hands that you are not happy with it.

Sometimes, employees in the different departments of your company will not understand your reasons for switching from their marketing- or accounting-specific solutions, which are fine to them to begin with, to an enterprise-wide business process automation system. This is why it’s important to keep everyone hyped about the benefits and the reasons why the company has decided to take a route of digital transformation. Educate your employees about the viable advantages of the new solution. Hold information sessions explaining why the decision to replace your legacy system or simply to get a new one is aligned with the company’s strategy – your employees shouldn’t feel isolated from this process. Rather, they should be moving forward with a common goal and purpose in mind.

If you want your ERP adoption process to go over smoothly, you can’t overlook the importance of training. Even if your solution is implemented successfully, if you don’t have the right training and onboarding processes in place, your company is going to have a hard time adopting to this massive change. If your employees aren’t properly trained to use the software, how likely is it to bring you the benefits you expect?

When your solution is implemented incrementally, or in parts, it gives you a wonderful opportunity to ease your employees into the new processes. By the time your new ERP system is implemented entirely, your team will already be quite proficient at using it.

Take-home message

Understandably, there are a number of reasons that hinder new ERP adoption – your employees’ fear and the subsequent resistance to change or their contentment with the existing solutions. Along with ensuring that you have found the absolute right match when it comes to your software vendor and that they will be delivering a solution that will be the absolute right match to your business, you must remember to engage your users throughout the process. If you don’t prepare your employees for this major change, you are likely to incur losses as a result of your new ERP system implementation.