Many business experts will agree that your business is only as successful as its most skilled and motivated employees. You are likely already aware of the significant positive impact happy, well-trained and enabled people can have on your business performance and reputation.
What you may not have considered however, is the role an ERP solution can play in streamlining your processes and promoting efficiency across your organisation, which in turn empowers your on-site and remote employees to spend more time doing what they do best.
Let’s explore how an ERP solution can empower your employees and what this would mean for your business.
What is ERP and how can it benefit my business?
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software unifies your business’s day-to-day operations under one secure, accessible roof, from accounting to project management, resource allocation, and procurement.
It provides a single source of truth, empowering employees in your office, facilities, and even remotely to make data-backed decisions in real-time. What’s more, ERP automates tedious tasks, giving your team more time to focus on core duties and growth-driving activities.
An ERP system enhances visibility across all of your operations and streamlines critical processes – and that’s why organisations benefit most from industry-specific solutions.
For example, an industry-specific ERP solution for a manufacturing business might cover the following:
- financial management
- CRM
- sales management
- project and contract management
- production management (MRP)
- job costing
- supply chain management
- service asset management.
In contrast, a solution for an aged or home care business should feature these industry-specific capabilities:
- resident management
- billing and funding
- facilities and asset management
- procure to pay.
Why is empowering your employees invaluable to ensuring your business success?
People are the heart of every business, and yours will be no different. Here are some reasons why empowering your employees can repay dividends and propel your business to new heights
The level and quality of work will improve
Empowered employees have access to the tools they need to execute their core duties and innovate and explore opportunities for continuous improvement. So it’s no surprise that businesses with motivated and highly engaged team members are 21% more profitable than their competitors.
Empowered employees feel valued and satisfied
Empowerment is a type of recognition, and when you empower your employees, you acknowledge the value they add to your organisation
Confident employees can become more collaborative
Collaboration is integral to a business’s success. One study found that companies that encouraged collaborative work practices were five times as likely to be high-performing. Still, employees need confidence and self-belief to make their voices heard in group settings.
Reduced employee costs due to lower turnover
According to one survey, the cost of hiring a new employee ranges from $9,772 for entry-level positions and $34,440 for executives. This is a significant expenditure, and that’s why keeping turnover low is a priority for many organisations. Empowered employees that feel heard and valued are less likely to seek opportunities elsewhere.
Empowered employees trust leadership
According to an analysis published in the Harvard Business Review, leadership teams that empower employees are more likely to be trusted.
How can an ERP solution empower your employees?
Technology is a tool your employees can use to improve their output, increase their productivity and elevate their overall workplace experience.
Here are four ways an ERP solution can help your team feel empowered:
It minimises time spent on mundane tasks
Your people are talented – that’s why you hired them. However, suppose an employee is spending hours on mundane tasks that don’t utilise their skills, align with their interests, or provide an opportunity for continued learning. In that case, they may feel they are wasting their time and energy. ERP can automate tedious tasks, gifting your employees more time to focus on work which has a better strategic alignment or helps them to realise their potential.
ERP allows employees to make autonomous decisions that benefit the organisation
An ERP provides a single source of truth, which means it secures data integrity across an organisation. With real-time on and offsite access to up-to-date information, employees are empowered to make more decisions autonomously. For example, they can evaluate data in context via meaningful reports and insights and make choices, devise strategies, or formulate plans that benefit the organisation, with improved accuracy and in a timelier manner.
It increases opportunities for collaboration
Collaboration is vital to high-performing workplaces, but teams have fewer opportunities to communicate ideas and work together toward a shared outcome without the right technology enabling them to do this easily. Even if many of your staff are working remotely, ERP opens the door to seamless collaboration, with shared data and insights across the business.
Cloud ERP enables remote access and flexible work arrangements
It’s no secret that talented employees seek positions that enable a healthy work-life balance. As a result, the workplace has changed significantly in the past few years, and flexible work arrangements have become the norm. This poses a new set of tech challenges for organisations, many of which a robust ERP solution hosted in a cloud environment can solve. ERPs enable secure, remote access so that employees can work anywhere, anytime.
5 steps to start the empowerment process through an ERP solution
Step 1: Define your business challenges
Consider your most significant business challenges. Are you scaling rapidly? Are bottlenecks in your supply chain wreaking havoc on your bottom line? Are you paying a premium for employee time to accomplish menial tasks? Do you need higher quality data?
Step 2: Identify your business objectives
ERP solutions are long-term – from day one, you want to keep the future of your organisation front of mind. Where do you see your business in a year? What about three or five years from now? Are you looking to expand into new markets? Open a new facility? Change your operating model?
Step 3: Decide on the most suitable ERP system for your business
When researching ERP solutions, consider the following:
- What are your business needs? Take note of industry-specific needs.
- Which aspects of an ERP system are essential, and which can you compromise on?
- Would an on-premise or cloud solution make the most sense for your business?
- How big is your business? Small, medium, large, or enterprise?
Then, find an ERP partner to help you with the process. Look for providers who deliver the best-fit software solution for your industry and a proven implementation approach. Your relationship with your ERP partner is critical to ongoing success – think of them as an extension of your team.
Step 4: Note potential issues with change
Change management is integral to the rollout of your ERP platform. Map out the change journey and highlight potential issues. Appoint change ambassadors and keep in constant communication with them. Provide comprehensive education before, during, and after implementation, emphasising the new system’s benefits through every stage.
Step 5: Collaborate with your employees
Keep your team involved in the ERP implementation process. Collaborate to identify the methods that can be automated and those that may require unique customisations.
Start the process today
Discover how we can help you empower your employees with a powerful, industry-specific ERP solution. Schedule your 15-minute informal discussion with one of our ERP specialists today.