When looking for an ERP implementation support partner, there are many options. Large consulting firms such as PwC and IBM Consulting offer ERP implementation support, and smaller boutique firms such as Navigator Business Solutions make implementation support the core of their businesses.
An implementation support partner is essential for mid-market businesses rolling out a new ERP solution, because ERP is complex and configuring the system and its processes is greatly helped by support from an experienced hand. An ERP implementation support partner helps mid-market businesses avoid the many “gotchas” and rollout delays that are typical with ERP.
But which support partner should a business choose? The answer isn’t always obvious.
There’s safety in choosing a big consulting firm on account of its size and name recognition. But smaller, specialized ERP implementation firms bring several benefits over the likes of PwC and IBM Consulting that are worth noting. Here are five key benefits from choosing a support partner such as Navigator Business Solutions.
ERP implementation is the marriage between vendor technology and business needs. An effective ERP rollout takes industry and business needs into account, then matches these needs with ERP technology and frameworks.
Navigator Business Solutions does this need and technology marriage better than big consulting firms because it is a small group of highly experienced industry veterans who have been working closely with businesses on ERP implementation for more than 30 years.
This deep experience with actual business needs is the special sauce that helps Navigator deliver ERP implementations that roll out fast and avoid the headaches typical of other ERP projects. We start with a strong understanding of actual industry needs from having done it many times before for similar businesses, and we combine that with a focus on understanding your business first before moving onto the technology.
We’re not focused on the technology, although we know ERP solutions like the back of our hand. Instead, we’re focused on matching the needs of your business and your industry with the technology. Having deep, practical industry experience helps us quickly find tested solutions and suggest workflows that have already worked for other businesses in the past.
When you need help, you want a partner who understands you quickly and intuitively. You also don’t want any language or cultural barriers getting in the way.
This is the value proposition for US-based support, something you get with Navigator Business Solutions but frequently do not get from large consulting firms such as PwC and IBM Consulting. With Navigator, your implementation and support team is entirely US-based, and reaching them is the same as connecting with a colleague in the next room.
One of the things we hear most from customers is how we just “get” their business, and how we act like a true member of the team.
We understand you immediately when talking about your processes or needs, and we mix easily and natively with your internal implementation team. “When we have a problem, we just call them up, and Navigator understands us and almost immediately has a solution.” That sort of thing.
While it isn’t always politically correct to say that US-based support matters, it does matter. A lot.
Big consulting firms such as PwC and IBM Consulting support a range of ERP solutions. They are broad but not deep.
We’re deep. Navigator is an SAP Gold Partner that focuses exclusively on SAP solutions. This means we’re not the right fit if you’re going with something like Oracle NetSuite, but it means that we’re exactly the right partner for an SAP ERP implementation. We live and breathe SAP technology, which helps us find implementation solutions faster and more comprehensively than firms that support a wide range of solutions.
We’re always up to date on SAP technology and its latest methodologies, and we have deep experience matching these with specific business needs around workflow and functionality. Sometimes we even quietly guide SAP on how to support businesses better, which is why some customers say we’re like having SAP on staff.
Outcomes are what really matter, so we stress templates, prepackaged industry solutions, and fit-to-standard implementation methodology instead of bespoke solutions. These bring faster implementation times, reduced costs, and best practice process improvements without sacrificing needed workflows or what makes your business unique.
We can expedite the ERP implementation process better than large consulting firms because we’re so in tune with both SAP solutions and your actual business needs. We at Navigator can show you why best practices make sense and help you transition your existing processes into best practice methodologies since we understand your needs and how your process requirements can play together with the larger ERP landscape.
Because we understand your industry and have seen it before, we can also start you out with a standard implementation for your industry that meets most needs out of the box, then help you define and configure the system for the few areas where non-standard processes or technology are required.
Most large consulting firms stop after ERP implementation. When the job is done, your consultant is gone. But that’s not how we do it at Navigator Business Solutions.
With Navigator, we provide ongoing support services for helping your business after launch and as your business evolves. When you have a need, our ERP team is there. We know your system inside and out because we helped implement it, and we can provide both ongoing Cloud Application Management Services or spot support as needed.
This extends to the actual consultants who helped you implement your ERP solution. Many of our customers are surprised and delighted that they are still in contact years later with the consultants who helped them implement their ERP solution initially. This brings deeper levels of understanding about how the system works, which leads to faster and better adjustments and workarounds when something goes wrong later.
Navigator Business Solutions is a true partner with your business, not a hired gun that shows up for implementation and then disappears. There’s continuity of support and a true partner relationship.
So big consulting firms such as PwC and IBM Consulting often are on the shortlist when it comes to mid-market ERP implementation support, but they aren’t the best for actually implementing a new ERP solution. We, and our many clients, know there is something better.
Start the relationship and learn more about how we can help you roll out a new ERP solution on-time and under budget by calling one of our experienced ERP consultants at (801) 642-0123 or by writing us at info@nbs-us.com.