3 Tips for B2B Integration When Planning Your ERP Implementation

• January 24th, 2017
• By Morse Data

The complexities of integration has led some to classify “best of breed” as a passing fad. Having a system that already tightly integrates your Order Management System (OMS), Customer Service, Warehouse Management System (WMS), A/R, A/P, Marketing and Email campaigns, and especially your eCommerce, is more valuable than previously thought. These enterprise-level systems have definitely come of age, minimizing the need for so many critical integrations and allowing you to focus on the integrations that are truly necessary areas of system specialization.

In more than three decades, the biggest mistake we see companies make is to not create an action plan that covers all aspects of the implementation. When it comes to B2B integration, here are three simple things to consider when planning your ERP implementation.

• Any time you are dealing with third parties / additional software interfaces, this often introduces unexpected obstacles and delays from simple things, such as point of contact vacation schedules, to mapping mismatches due to terminology misunderstandings, to more complex issues, such as errors in an integration partner’s API documentation. Allocate resources to integrate with any business partners you have (shippers, payment gateways, trading partners, etc.). Schedule these activities during the planning stages to avoid delays, unexpected expenses, and customer service issues.
• Consider any new partners and service providers that are not part of your current processes before implementation. With all the new processes, training, data conversion, and other activities, they could easily be overlooked if they’re not included in your implementation plan.
• When planning your implementation schedule, keep in mind the schedules of your service providers. If they need to make any adjustments, test, or assist in any way, they may also need time that could cause your schedule to be adjusted.

For more valuable information about Implementing your ERP system, download our “Ten Tips for a Successful ERP Implementation” paper.

Whether you’re considering a new ERP system or you’re just beginning an implementation, this paper will help you keep your implementation within budget and on time.