7 Signs it is Time to Replace Your ERP

With over 3000 ERP digital transformations over the three decades, we’ve come across hundreds of reasons for replacing an ERP. Some are entirely unique, while others we hear over and over again. And it’s not just us. There are a lot of articles that list the top reasons for replacing your ERP. Our value has always been in providing answers to pain points, though.

So with that in mind, we’ve rounded up seven top reasons we see for clients to upgrade or replace their ERP – and we’re going to show you how we helped those clients overcome the issues with a new solution.

1. All of those little workarounds you need to keep operating are piling up

Maybe your organization has grown quickly, maybe your implementation wasn’t carried out properly. Regardless of why you have those workarounds, the fact is they eat into your resources – both time and money. Instead of looking and moving forward, you spend too much time in “maintenance mode”.

That was a big issue for Superprem Industries. They grew quickly and were running separate instances of Sage 50 in each of their offices. This meant that every month, their Controller spent two or three days consolidating the data from hundreds of invoices just so they could get a full picture of their financials.

With Acumatica, that double data-entry was eliminated and all of their processes improved in efficiency. Plus, their Controller got to do much more valuable things with that time.

2. The needs of your customers are not being met

Your team may be the only people accessing your ERP, but plenty of people are impacted by the efficiency of its outputs. For example, your suppliers and your customers. They want information relevant to them, they want it easily and they expect it to be accurate. No one wants to spend huge chunks of time on the phone trying to sort out small details.

Style in Form had a sprawling operation, multiple warehouses, and with disjointed systems keeping their customer information and inventory & product information segregated. They lacked centralized information that’s critical for anticipating customer needs and ensuring the buying journey is frictionless. By consolidating inventory data and centralizing information in Acumatica ERP for Wholesale/Distribution, Style in Form gained deeper insights into customer preferences and top-selling products. This improved access has driven more personalized offerings and enhanced customer service throughout the organization.

3. Your system no longer works for your business

As your team grows, the cost of new user licenses might ramp up. The operations may become more complex, possibly including new territories or facilities. Your current set-up may be difficult to scale up, meaning your employees often face stalled or crashing programs.

Dominion Lending Centres Banks had that exact problem when they came to The Answer Company. As they grew, they acquired other companies, which brought a mish-mash of accounting systems. This made it impossible to get the kind of whole-organization visibility they needed, and it was time to replace their ERP. Acumatica was ideal for them as it not only gave them that visibility, and handled their unique and complicated organizational structure, but the cloud-based platform was also built for scaling. If they continue to grow, Acumatica poises them perfectly for scaling their internal systems when and how they need to.

4. Industry regulations are clashing with your ERP

Regulation and compliance rules change regularly. Your heritage ERP may not be up to the task of shifting alongside the landscape. If you operate in more than one legal jurisdiction and must adhere to various regulatory regimes, this challenge is amplified tenfold.

North America Home Finance‘s ten separate entities operate in various industries—construction, real estate and financing—each with its own functional needs from a business management system. Before they rolled Acumatica out, they had a chaotic web of disconnected data on different systems, with no communication between them. NAHF’s unique role in property development led them to Acumatica Cloud ERP for its adaptability to diverse documentation and data management needs. Plus, with Acumatica’s powerful functionalities in a range of industries, like manufacturing and professional services, new entities can get what they need all in one place. For NAHF, centralizing invoices and automating data entry has reduced their annual audit time from three months to just one, saving both time and resources.

5. You don’t have the time and resources to set aside every time an update needs to roll through

With older ERPs, especially on-premise systems, an IT team is needed to maintain and monitor the hardware and software to ensure it’s always up and running. When updates or patches are needed, this is a drain on resources. Replacing your ERP with a true cloud-based solution, such as Acumatica Cloud ERP can take that sting out.

Updates are rolled through automatically, meaning less IT manpower needed on the ground. They happen on a biannual basis, usually outside of peak times. Best of all, there are no retroactive adjustments needed to customizations that you have in place.

6. You can only see where you’ve been, not where you’re going

The places we work are not the only thing that’s changed about business. There is more of a focus now on real-time, up-to-the-minute data. Older systems without real-time reporting require human input to extract the data, compile and consolidate it, and convert it into thorough reports. That leaves companies in a position where they can only look backwards.

Northern Savings Credit Union struggled with fragmented data that hindered decision-making and delayed access to essential financial insights. Their outdated ERP system required manual work to generate reports, leading to inefficiencies. After implementing Acumatica, they centralized their data, gaining real-time visibility into operations and reducing the time needed to compile reports. This shift empowered them to move from reactive to proactive planning, enabling faster, data-driven decisions that positioned them for future growth.

7. Your organization no longer fits the 9-to-5 cubicle office model

Currently, 47% of Canadian employees work from outside one of their employer’s main offices for more than half of the week. So, if your organization is like many others, your workforce works on-the-go or from outside the office. This means everyone has to have access to the system – and they all need to be able to use it.

HERD needed a flexible ERP system to support its evolving, remote-first business model (spurred by the global pandemic). Their previous system lacked accessibility, making it difficult for staff to work efficiently from various locations. By adopting Acumatica, they enabled their team to access crucial business data from anywhere, streamlining operations and allowing seamless collaboration. This flexibility proved essential for a growing company like HERD, accommodating diverse work arrangements while maintaining productivity and supporting an on-the-go workforce.

If you’re considering replacing your ERP, you might have recognized some of these frustrations, and have many more besides. The next step is finding an ERP that solves all of your pain points, and an ERP implementation partner that can help you put it in place.

Want to chat about what’s next for your organization? Request a free discovery.