The increased productivity, flexibility and information sharing that a mobile Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system can provide would help small enterprises prepare to receive supplier development, says Don Pitsoe, Business Mentor at The Hope Factory, in this month’s SmartProcurement.
Being an entrepreneur is challenging at times: managing everything on your own while keeping track of customers and suppliers can prove difficult. Having poor visibility of accounting, legal, human resources, black economic empowerment (BEE) and marketing contributes to business failure.
Mobile ERP makes this data available where and when needed and presents it in a consolidated view of different business functions through a single mobile dashboard interface.
In so doing, mobile ERP systems provide small businesses with foundational business systems and basic business knowledge (which is often missing from an entrepreneur’s skills).
Customers can also benefit from increased mobility in accessing services through mobile devices. “Customers no longer accept “I’ll get back to you” – if a company has a mobile ERP system it can respond to customer queries even when away from work premises as it provides access anywhere and anytime on the mobile device,” says Pitsoe.
Consider the following factors when choosing a mobile ERP system:
• Cost of ownership
• System reliability
• Service and support
• Compatibility with the current systems
• Vendor references
• Internet accessibility
• Software security
• Training cost
Prepare your business for increased access to markets and more Supplier Development opportunities.
Begin your search with Sage, SAP, Microsoft and Oracle.
