The Importance of Ecommerce Platform Integration with Your ERP
In today’s modern Internet age, the market for products and services has expanded beyond country borders. Ecommerce has been a staple in several countries for years now, but its implementation in the Philippine market has been slow. As the COVID-19 pandemic affected businesses, big and small, across the nation, ecommerce’s importance and necessity have become more apparent than ever.
For businesses venturing into the online space, enterprise resource planning (ERP) programs have exceedingly useful features that will give you an edge over competition in the digital market. After all, you are not only competing against local companies, but also international enterprises. Thus, to stand out to customers, you need to step up your game and boost company performance. One of the most effective ways to do that is to connect ecommerce to ERP.
Perks of ERP and Ecommerce Integration
For a clearer understanding of how integrating ERP and ecommerce can help you improve your company’s performance, here are some of the key benefits of ERP integration.
Automated Processes
Behind the storefront of a company is a series of necessary tasks that workers need to accomplish each day. One of these is data entry. When your ecommerce platform and ERP software are not integrated you have to manually re-enter crucial data such as order information and customer details, among others. This manual process is not only time-consuming but also highly prone to human error.
When you integrate ecommerce with ERP, the distribution of information becomes automated. Say goodbye to manual re-entry and hello to easily accessible data. With this process automated, you can allot your resources to other parts of the company, like customer service.
Accurate and Up-to-Date Data
In ecommerce, information comes from multiple channels, like emails, website orders, and partner retailers. Navigating through all of this information is difficult without help. With ERP, however, this information is stored and updated in real-time in a centralized system. This means that different departments have access to the latest information immediately. Accurate data is especially vital to company management, who need the right numbers to make the right call.
Improved Tracking System
As the volumes of orders increase and the company becomes busier, keeping track of the orders (and their accompanying revenues) becomes substantially harder. ERP’s real-time updates and the consolidated system allow you to easily keep tabs on deliveries, payments, and deadlines. By effectively tracking these, you can immediately spot potential problems like supplier delays and out-of-stock items.
Efficient Order Processing
While it looks simple to customers, there’s a lot of steps in completing an online order. You need to first ensure that the item is in stock, wrap it properly, schedule a delivery, and track the parcel until it safely reaches the customer’s hands. Moreover, some customers constantly call and ask for updates.
With ERP, corresponding departments can immediately receive the order and process it as quickly as possible. Hence, fulfilling orders have become more efficient, and the order cycle becomes shorter. Consequently, when you finish orders more quickly, revenue will come in faster to your company.
Better Customer Services
All of the perks above lead to one vital contributor to a business’s success: good customer service. In an era where the customer is king, it is crucial to professionally accomplish transactions and build a rapport with your target market.
ERP can help you create personalized ads, update stock availability, shorten delivery times, and connect multiple payment channels. All of these create a better shopping experience for customers. Moreover, satisfied customers lead to referrals and recommendations, which directs more potential customers to your store.
Overall, in a digital age where several transactions are done online, ERP can help you build a more personal relationship with your customers. Engage with them, check reviews, process orders, and address complaints”all within ERP’s single platform.
Matching the Right ERP Software to Your Company
Right now, there are several different kinds of ERP software in the market. Finding the right match for your company can be difficult, so it is crucial to partner with a reliable systems provider like ANSI. Whatever industry your business is in, ANSI can help you identify problem points, install the most suitable software, and streamline business operations. Take a solid step into the ecommerce age with ANSI, and make your mark in a changing and highly competitive online marketplace.
