With a business that’s operating efficiently, the idea of growth is exciting. And with the right systems in place, you can move forward in full confidence that your company is prepared to handle more.

But until your business is organized, things can be messy. This is especially true when it comes to keeping reliable data, as many companies leave their sales and inventory information scattered across different platforms. Unfortunately, this tends to lead to errors and poor communication between departments.

The consequences of poorly managed data are far-reaching and can affect everything from your daily operations to your customers’ experience. Accurate financial, sales and inventory information is essential for making informed decisions. Without it, you’ll have trouble coming up with solid long-term plans and leave your staff frustrated by a lack of clarity.

Imagine a rocket ship about to take flight into space. As the launch team prepares to jettison the spacecraft through the Earth’s atmosphere, a tremendous amount of information must be monitored and considered in real time. Without all of the necessary data at hand, there’s simply too much to coordinate for a safe flight.

Having everything in one place is the point of mission control. It’s the central hub and point of contact where all information is run through. Everyone has access to what they need at any given time. Data is reliable and team members can confidently play their part. 

While most business owners might not consider their day-to-day operations to be exactly rocket science, most can surely relate to the negative consequences of a scattered, disconnected and error-prone workplace. 

Say you have a sales rep making calls to clients. That person needs to know what products are available and when they can be delivered. Without that information readily available, they’ll need to hang up the phone, make another call and then wait to hear back – ideally before the customer loses interest. 

Following successful sales, the details of that transaction need to be recorded in inventory and financial statements. If they aren’t, downstream processes will have inaccurate data to work from, which can present a slew of frustrating problems and bottlenecks.

Fortunately, you can get all of your business’s processes into a single, easy-to-use platform. And in doing so, streamline your operations, gain valuable insights into how you can move your company forward, and finally achieve sustainable, long-term growth.

Getting All of Your Data in One Place

The key to clear, streamlined processes at work is getting all of your data under one roof. That way, your staff has what they need to succeed and your organization can begin to work as a cohesive whole. 

Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERPs) are programs that integrate all of your existing software solutions into a single, centralized location. In other words, your company’s mission control. By implementing an ERP, teams gain access to real-time data that’s updated across multiple departments with a single entry.

As an example of the power of ERPs, say a manufacturer uses a laser cutter to tool components for one of their products. As the laser cutter creates a piece, that data is recorded and sent to the ERP, automatically updating inventory.

Those inventory updates can then trigger the purchase or delivery of new raw materials – or, simply set the next step of production in motion.

Since all of this information is updated in real time, sales reps are able to accurately inform clients of product availability and estimated delivery dates. Furthermore, as sales are made, integrated accounting software shows the details of each transaction as it happens – swinging that information back around to manufacturing and updating inventory.

This is just one example of what ERPs are capable of, and the beauty of these systems is that they can be used to manage just about any business process in any industry – finally integrating your software into a single location and getting your staff on the same page.

When is it Time to Consider an ERP?

When set up properly, ERPs save companies extraordinary amounts of time and money by reducing errors and streamlining record keeping and production processes.

However, depending on the size and complexity of your business, you may or may not need an ERP at this time. And if you’re just getting started, entry-level software like Quickbooks and Xero usually get the job done nicely.

That said, as your business grows – or if your business operations are already somewhat complex – finding a good ERP can be an absolute game-changer.

Keeping the value of ERPs in mind, if you and your staff are feeling the limitations of your current systems, it may be time to explore other solutions. And if you resonate with any of the following, it may be time to consider finding a solid ERP.

• Struggling to meet increased product demand
• Wasting time with duplicate entries across multiple platforms
• Clumsy imports and exports from one software to another
• Trouble keeping up with recurring tasks like order entry, inventory management or manufacturing processes
• Not being able to trust your financial statements and inventory logs
• Sales reps and staff unable to quickly answer client questions
• You have daily processes which aren’t managed or tracked using existing software
• Bottlenecks caused by lack of transparency between departments 

Ultimately, the goal of a good ERP is to save you time and money. Plus, having all of your data in a single location makes it possible to visualize your organization as a whole, leading to valuable insights and more confident decision making over time.

Along with the points above, it’s also wise to consider where your business is going. Since production inefficiencies tend to worsen with growth, streamlining your data entry before you’re in over your head can save you a lot of grief down the line.

Ask yourself:

• Do you believe your current software packages will help or hurt your company’s future growth? 
• Would having all of your information on a single platform make everyone’s lives easier? 
• How would addressing your company’s inefficiencies directly affect your customers’ experiences?

Considering these points will help you determine if it’s the right time to start looking into ERPs. And for the record, as a company grows, the question usually isn't if an ERP will help or not. Rather, it’s one of brainstorming ways to use your ERP most effectively to open up your business's potential for future growth and scaling.

Eagle Business Management Software: A Flexible ERP to Help Your Business Thrive

Eagle Business Management Software (EBMS for short) is a powerful, flexible and scalable ERP developed by Koble Systems. 

By using EBMS to organize your company’s data, your staff has access to all of your operations in a single, centralized location. And since EBMS offers customizable integrations, you can continue to take advantage of the software you already know and love.

While you can use EBMS to track just about any business operation, here are a few common ways business owners like yourself use EBMS: 

• Streamlining Sales: Input all order and customer information, generate quotes and proposals, point-of-sale stations and more.
• Managing Inventory: Connect multiple warehouse locations, refer to multiple units of measure, create flexible pricing options, multiple supplier SKU’s and more. 
• Updating Labor and Payroll Info: Manage commission and piecework payments, certified payroll, benefits and advanced pay and more.
• Creating Financial Statements: Flexible financial reports, audit trails, budgeting tools, fixed asset depreciation and more. 

One of the most convenient features of EBMS is that it can be used on the go, from any mobile device using the MyEBMS app. This allows you to edit and interact with your business’s data from the road or on the jobsite.

• record labor hours
• enter client information
• manage inventory
• create and edit order
• manage multiple job sites
• create and edit quotes
• and much, much more . . . 

. . . from anywhere, and on any mobile smart device.

How to Make the Most of EBMS for Your Company

While there are certain “out-of-the-box” solutions that companies tend to use ERPs for, the key to making the most of your experience with EBMS is setting it up for your unique business needs from the start. 

To help businesses make the most of EBMS, Integro offers user support for bookkeeping, payroll and software customizations. Our team has 40+ years of experience in EBMS development, and can get you set up and taking advantage of the full power of EBMS in no time flat. 

If you’re interested in learning more about how EBMS can help your business, book a free Discovery Call. Your call comes with zero pressure and is just an opportunity to share your business’s needs and frustrations. Then, you’ll get some advice on next steps to take and whether or not EBMS might be right for you.

Since your call is absolutely free, you have nothing to lose by taking a moment to learn about the value of EBMS. And who knows, it could be just what you need to finally scale your company in a healthy and sustainable way.

So there's really no reason to hold your business back from blastoff any longer. 

Schedule your free call now. 

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