ERP software solutions are the tool of choice to facilitate the organization of work when initiating or accelerating digital transformation within a company. An ERP or Enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution is a system that centralizes and facilitates consistent management of a company’s business processes.
For an efficient, sustainable and secure implementation of your ERP solution, it’s preferable if not necessary to call on a qualified software package integrator. Lemon Learning is a specialist in the adoption of business software solutions. In this article, we’re going to break down the importance of an ERP integrator during your digital transformation project.
What is the role of the ERP integrator?
An ERP integrator is responsible for managing the technical and functional aspects of an ERP project based on the specific needs of a company. They have extensive knowledge of the software package and industry best practices, allowing them to properly configure and deploy your specific solution. What’s more, an ERP integrator is responsible for updating or replacing outdated management software within your company’s ERP.
Depending on your company’s long-term strategy and operational requirements, an ERP integrator can also optimize the software package and develop customized IT solutions. Their ultimate goal is to create a centralized and efficient ecosystem that enables real-time management of customer relationships, as well as human, financial, and material resources.
What is the technical profile of an ERP integrator?
An ERP integrator typically holds a Bachelor’s degree or higher in software engineering or information systems integration. They may also specialize in overall architecture or specific software components such as Dynamics 365, Oracle, SAP, or Sage. The ERP integrator is responsible for overseeing, managing, installing, and maintaining the information systems that support your company’s business processes.
What technical skills do companies look for in an ERP integrator?
Their primary concerns are the information system hardware and software integration. The ERP integrator masters the information system’s functional and technical architecture, allows them to develop and implement agile solutions to help entrepreneurial businesses. The ERP integrator also has a basic knowledge of collecting, sorting, processing and analyzing activity data. They should have a good command of management software (e.g., CRM, ATS, inventory management software) and office software useful for carrying out business processes.
What are the qualities of the ERP integrator
Aside from these technical skills, an ERP integrator has certain qualities that facilitate the management of your company’s ERP project. They must have an excellent communication and listening skills to effectively provide solutions to specific business problems in the integration of the software package.
Reactive, pragmatic and possessing a very good grasp of analytics and synthesis, the ERP integrator offers a flexible approach which adapts to the evolution of the activity. When it comes to choosing the ERP integrator for your business, we would suggest a professional with more than 2 years of experience in this field.
An ERP integrator with the knowledge of several completed ERP projects has obviously dealt with a wide range of ERP integration issues. This experience can save you time and increase efficiency when carrying out your project.
ERP integrator objectives
The goal is to simplify and digitize business processes to prepare for future challenges. To achieve this, several objectives need to be met. They include identifying a company’s management processes, analyzing and auditing processes, determining the ideal ERP solution based on the study, demonstrating the relevance of the software package to management and employees, adapting the ERP to the specific needs of the client, and facilitating technology use among departments.
To achieve these objectives, your ERP integrator will need to perform a range of activities.
ERP integrator missions
Once the company has agreed to the implementation objectives, the ERP integrator can begin their technical intervention. At this point, the integrator is responsible for drafting functional specifications for the implementation. They adapt existing processes to the new integrated management tool by installing updated versions of technology modules and configuring the ERP according to the client’s business needs. Additionally, a software package integrator is able to analyze the interface requirements between each configured module and other software in the IT ecosystem. Finally, the expert can write an operating file to document the installations and settings made.
At the functional level, the software integrator must ensure that there is no risk of error for the deployed technology to operate properly. This includes:
- revising the functional specifications
- reviewing the configuration file
- planning and conducting tests associated with the configuration (such as unit and integration tests)
- analyzing test results
- identifying any incidents that occurred during testing
- correcting settings to eliminate errors when operating the ERP
The ERP consultant can then focus on training collaborators in good usage practices once the reliability and normal operation of the solution are confirmed. The ERP integrator can also be called upon for preventive or corrective maintenance of the technology and to manually update modules as the activity evolves.
How much does it cost to hire an ERP integrator?
The cost of the software solution deployment can vary depending on the size of the company, the number of processes involved, and the complexity of the functionalities to be developed. Generally, the more complex the project, the higher the consultant’s rate. The hourly rate of an ERP integrator can range from 35 to 70 euros, depending on their level of experience.
What are the most deployed ERPs on the market?
In today’s business landscape, companies of all sizes and industries can leverage tailored software solutions that fit their unique needs. It’s important to rely on an experienced ERP integrator to make the right choice for your company. There are many popular options available, such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle, Odoo, Oracle NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Deltek Vision, Acumatica Cloud ERP, Epicor ERP, and FinancialForce ERP. Cloud-based ERP solutions are often the most practical choice, as they allow for real-time operations from any location and make module updates more seamless.
Get started on an ERP with Lemon Learning
Your ERP integrator’s training materials may not be enough for your employees to fully grasp the new solution. That’s where Lemon Learning comes in – we offer a more efficient and intuitive way to help your team adopt the enterprise ERP solution faster. By accelerating the adoption process, you’ll see a positive return on your investment much sooner. We guide users directly from the installed software modules, so your employees can take advantage of our many features – tooltips, data checker, smart launcher, conditional guides, and more – from anywhere at any time. Our engaging and easy-to-access content provides the appropriate information to each user in an interactive and fun way.
With Lemon Learning, you can easily tailor each training path to the individual user with just a few clicks. Plus, updates on using the ERP solution are shared in real-time with your employees.
This approach will help your employees become more self-sufficient in using the software solution, resulting in better outcomes for your business. By reducing the need for extensive support and training, you can save on ERP project costs. You can trust our expertise to enhance your employees’ efficiency in executing business processes.
