Driving Industry Growth With ERP Automation

07.11.23

Staying ahead of the competition requires more than just great products or services. Efficiency, accuracy, and agility in your operations are equally crucial factors for success. This is where Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) automation comes into play.

Being able to automate key tasks throughout your business operations takes away the need for human intervention, providing an array of benefits to any company.

ERP automation has become an indispensable tool for businesses, streamlining processes, reducing errors, and enhancing overall productivity. The advantages you can gain from automating processes benefits all stakeholders across the business from the highest levels of management to key ground warehouse or shop floor operators.

In this article, we'll delve into the reasons why businesses need automation to thrive in the modern marketplace, and what parts of your business you can automate.

Why Do Businesses Need ERP Automation?

As supply chains become more complex and customer demand grows, businesses need to implement automation technology to remain competitive. Automation can lead to improved efficiency, reduced human error, and cost savings.

Improved Efficiency

Efficiency is the backbone of a successful business. Automation from an ERP system eliminates manual data entry and repetitive tasks, allowing employees to focus on more strategic and value-added activities. With automated workflows, information flows seamlessly across departments, reducing bottlenecks and accelerating decision-making processes. This translates into faster order processing, reduced lead times, and improved customer satisfaction.

Enhanced Accuracy

Human errors are inevitable, but they can be costly in business operations. ERP automation minimises the risk of errors by eliminating manual data input, data duplication, and other common mistakes. When data is consistently accurate, it leads to more reliable financial reporting, better inventory management, and fewer billing discrepancies. This not only saves time but also ensures a more trustworthy and credible business reputation.

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Real-time Data Access & Strategic Decision Making

ERP automation doesn't just focus on operational efficiency; it also empowers business leaders with data-driven insights. In today's digital age, real-time access to data is crucial for informed decision-making. ERP software provides this capability by centralising data from various departments into automated reports. This means that managers and employees can access up-to-the-minute information on sales, inventory, production, and financials, enabling quicker responses to market changes and customer demands. By consolidating data from various departments, ERP systems enable more accurate forecasting, trend analysis, and strategic planning. This helps businesses make informed decisions, identify growth opportunities, and stay ahead of market trends.

The Importance of Big Data in Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Regulatory Compliance

Staying compliant with industry-specific regulations and standards is a must for many businesses. The automation that an ERP system gives, helps ensure compliance by enforcing consistent processes and tracking data accurately. With built-in audit trails and reporting features, businesses can easily demonstrate their adherence to regulatory requirements, reducing the risk of fines and legal issues.

Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is paramount in today's competitive marketplace. ERP automation enhances customer service by providing quick access to customer information, order status, and delivery schedules. This means faster response times to customer inquiries, fewer order errors, and improved order tracking capabilities, ultimately leading to happier customers.

MICROSOFT DYNAMICS 365

Some examples of how Dynamics 365 can automate various aspects of your business operations:

Financial Automation

Make use of automated data entry, invoice and payment processing, reporting, bank reconciliation and forecasting with Dynamics 365 Finance. Automating these processes saves your staff time which can be used for strategic planning.

Marketing Automation

Manage prospects, build and launch campaigns and track results with Dynamics 365 Marketing. Automate unique user journeys and pass on quality leads to sales teams with automated lead scoring.

Production Automation

Automated priority-based planning in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management can help put an end to stockouts by automatically prioritising the replenishment of popular items based on order priorities, stock levels and forecast inventory.

Learn More About Dynamics 365

What Areas of a Business Can You Automate?

Automation has become a driving force behind operational efficiency and productivity in modern businesses. It allows you to streamline processes, reduce human error, and allocate resources more strategically. But where exactly can you implement automation in your business?

Administrative Tasks

Administrative tasks are often repetitive and time-consuming, making them prime candidates for automation. This includes tasks like data entry, appointment scheduling, email management, and document processing. Automation tools and ERP software can handle these tasks efficiently, freeing up employees to focus on more strategic activities.

Customer Support

Providing excellent customer support is essential for retaining loyal customers, but it can also be resource-intensive. Many businesses are now using chatbots and AI-driven systems to automate responses to frequently asked questions. In Dynamics 365, the Intelligent virtual agent identifies and automates common support issues. This not only improves response times but also reduces the workload on support staff. You can also provide great customer service by sending automated and timely email notifications about their case or order status.

How ERP Software Can Help Improve the Customer Experience

Marketing and Sales

Automation plays a crucial role in marketing and sales by streamlining lead generation, nurturing, and conversion processes. Email marketing automation, for example, allows businesses to send personalised messages to leads and customers at the right time, increasing the chances of conversion. Sales teams can benefit from automation by using CRM systems to track leads, automate follow-ups, and forecast sales trends.

In Dynamics 365 Marketing, sales teams can benefit from automated lead scoring, which can be based upon factors such as recent interaction with emails and specific website visits.

Financial Management

Financial tasks, such as invoicing, expense tracking, and payroll processing, can be automated to minimise errors and save time.

The financial modules in both Dynamics and Syscom ERP8 software can generate invoices automatically, categorise expenses, and even reconcile bank transactions. Plus payroll automation ensures accurate and timely salary disbursements while staying compliant with tax regulations.

Discover the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance Module

Inventory and Supply Chain

For businesses that deal with physical products, automating inventory management and supply chain processes can prevent overstocking or running out of essential items.

Automated inventory tracking in ERP software monitors stock levels, triggers reorder alerts and optimises stock turnover, ultimately reducing costs and ensuring product availability.

Human Resources

HR processes, including employee onboarding, performance evaluations, and leave management, can be streamlined through automation. HR software can automate the hiring process by posting job listings, conducting initial screenings, and scheduling interviews. It can also track employee performance, automate reviews, and manage leave requests.

Data Analytics and Reporting

Analysing vast amounts of data and generating reports can be time-consuming. ERP automation tools can assist in data collection, analysis, and report generation. They can create dashboards that provide real-time insights into key performance indicators, enabling faster and more informed decision-making.

Syscom ERP8 integrated with power BI offers automatic updating of reports, which can give your teams excellent visibility of the most up-to-date information, which aids with decision making.

Quality Control

In manufacturing and production environments, automation can ensure consistent product quality by using sensors and machines to detect defects and deviations from standards. Automated quality control processes reduce the risk of human error and increase production efficiency.

How do some of our Syscom ERP8 customers use automation?

Castle Clothing

Castle Clothing have an automated Amazon webservice function that accepts or rejects orders based on stock levels, which saves their staff hours of time. They also use the automatic allocation of stock function, that allocates stock at the point of order entry (there are numerous parameters available for automatic allocation processing).

Read the full Castle Clothing case study

Herbert Parkinson

For Herbert Parkinson, the Production Activity Control module of Syscom ERP fully automates the production process. It imports the order files and creates sales orders, eliminating data entry errors, then it automatically creates works orders and sends them to the factory, and then it automatically creates invoices.

Read the full Herbert Parkinson case study

Want to find out how your company can benefit from ERP automation?

If your business does not utilise automation throughout its operations, you could fall behind your competition.

Syscom can tailor ERP solutions to any type of manufacturer, distributor, or wholesaler to allow them to take advantage of the benefits it provides.

Get in touch today to discuss your options. Call us on 01384 400 600, email info@syscom.plc.uk or submit a contact form below.

Further Information

Further information on ERP Solutions from Syscom PLC

MICROSOFT DYNAMICS 365

Transform the way you run your business using Microsoft’s suite of cloud-based, intelligent business applications - Dynamics 365.

DYAMICS 365 DYAMICS 365

SYSCOM ERP8

ERP8 is a modern and dynamic ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system for manufacturing and distribution businesses of all sizes.

ERP8 ERP8

CHOOSING AN ERP PARTNER

Choosing the right ERP partner can save you time, money and resources. So what should you consider when selecting a partner?

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