When Do You Need ERP Support?
However good planning has been, questions will inevitably arise. Talking regularly with clients, I can say with absolute confidence that this will be something that crops up frequently.
One reason to keep in close contact with your implementation team is to find out if any adjustments are needed. Any changes to the plan can inform the job spec for ongoing support for your ERP.
And while you can choose to contract your ERP support going forward, bringing it in as and when needed, I’d argue that you can expect much better performance by going in-house.
Quicker Response
As you’d expect, in-house support will usually react faster to problems that arise or questions that are raised. They’re going to be entirely focused on your business, and they don’t need bringing up to speed on the particulars of your implementation. Needless to say, they’ll also be there immediately for any regular tasks which need their expertise.
Greater Knowledge
There are two important kinds of knowledge concerning ERP: system knowledge, and business knowledge. Both are important but depend on the problem at hand.
Even a regular contractor will know only so much about your business, and one you’ve never used before will be learning from scratch.
There are some roles which are best suited to outsiders – for example, if you’re implementing a completely new process, you may want someone who’s implemented that process dozens of times more than you want someone familiar with your own processes. For other roles, being confident that you have someone in-house who understands the system and understands how an issue could affect the business is much more important.
As your business grows, sometimes new functions or teams need to be created. Adding new roles to an organisation (as the need for them emerges) is a sign your business is successfully growing. If you’re looking for the right people to start building your in-house ERP support function, reach out to me and the team and we’ll help you find the perfect candidates.
