Sage 100cloud is an established Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, designed for ease-of-use to help growing businesses cut costs and increase productivity. Sage 100cloud is a business management solution that serves small and mid-sized businesses (SMB) in a variety of industries. When it’s time to change software, a proven solution like Sage 100cloud may be a good fit for you.
Unfortunately, a great majority of companies exceed their ERP implementation budget. Luckily, these days, SMBs have an advantage when adopting new SaaS / cloud ERP technology.
In our experience working with Sage 100cloud (formerly Sage 100, Sage 100 ERP, MAS 90) for over 20 years, there are steps you can take to avoid costly mistakes and set your implementation project up for success. Here are a few insights we gathered while helping hundreds of companies with their ERP software evaluation and implementation. While our expertise is in Sage 100cloud and NetSuite, these best practices apply to all ERP evaluations and implementations, regardless which system is the right fit for your business.
How to Avoid 5 Sage 100cloud Implementation Mistakes
- Don’t skip a thorough needs analysis before software selection - Sage 100cloud is a great fit for manufacturing, distribution and service industries. It’s a modern solution with over 30 years of development based on customer feedback. Since there are many ERP solutions, it’s critical to make sure you select the right solution to meet the needs of your specific business requirements. Sage 100cloud is the latest version of Sage 100 (also known as MAS 90, Sage 100 ERP) and is a great option for businesses that want an on-premise solution. Before selecting an ERP, determine if an on-premise or cloud/SaaS solution best meets your particular business needs. The key to any successful ERP implementation is starting off with the right ERP for your business.
- Get buy-in from stakeholders and end-users - Change is a hard thing, in general. You are likely to face challenges with any ERP implementation regardless of which solution you select. To setup yourself up for success, you’ll need to enlist an executive sponsor who will champion the project and pay bills. However, all too often, companies fail to include the end-users in all departments. For adoption to occur, it’s crucial to involve them in the needs analysis to identify their issues with the current software.
- Find a trusted ERP consultant with ERP experience in your industry - In our experience, the odds of a successful implementation are extremely favorable when you work with an ERP consultant. We’ve helped plenty of businesses who engaged directly with the ERP software company post-implementation clean up the messes that were left.Your business will likely go through 2-3 implementations while experienced ERP consultants like ours have success with dozens and hundreds more! Learn more in our blog Why Work with an Implementation Partner?
- Test before you go-live - Your ERP consultant will guide you on the best way to roll out your new system. A phased approach or a parallel roll-out is typical, however, there are many options. If you made it a priority to ensure the data going into your system is clean, your go-live will be smoother.
- Invest in ongoing training - Don’t skimp on ongoing training and communication. When you get a new ERP system, it’s not just your accounting and operation processes that are changing. You’re also improving many business processes. Especially in the first few months, you’ll need an ERP consultant and internal project manager to guide you and help your organization adapt to the software and work more efficiently. You may discover the need for modifications as you begin working in your new system. You may need custom reports, extra training or workflow modifications. Keep an open line of communication with all users of the system to ensure the new ERP is adopted across the board. If users still work outside the system, it’s not as effective as full adoption.
If you decided to implement Sage 100cloud, then you’re already off to a great start! It’s flexible, customizable and robust enough to help your business be more productive for the long-term. Our ERP consultants are available to help you avoid costly mistakes before your next ERP implementation.
The Oasis Difference
Since 1991, Oasis Solutions has been serving businesses throughout North America with software consulting, development, training, and support. Oasis is an award-winning business management software partner for Sage software, NetSuite, and Adaptive Insights.
Oasis has been around since before technology was a buzzword, assisting businesses in assessing, attaining and supporting business management software.
Our team has more than 350 years of combined industry experience. Our software specialists offer expertise in accounting, human resource management, and custom software development. Unlock your company’s full potential and discover how to start improving your business today with your custom Oasis Analysis.
If you are planning to implement a new ERP or have recently implemented an ERP, contact us at Oasis Solutions to objectively evaluate the project. We will provide value by helping you achieve the success you expected and help you grow and thrive with your business. Let's Chat!
RELATED OASIS ARTICLES:
3 Ways You Can Avoid A “Nightmare” Software Implementation: Part I
7 Easy Steps to Success: ERP Implementation
Choosing Business Management Software
