Bringing Order to Order Management
So many changes continually take place with regards to order management systems that it is difficult to keep up with them unless you’re doing it full time. So many choices: Sigma Micro announcing plans for Software as a Service and acquiring 3rd party fulfillment provider Stark Bros.; Avexxis offering an “off the shelf” version that can be implemented without full customization; Natural Solutions set to release their next version with full integration to CommerceV3; Micros Retail with their SQL version CW Serenade; and Escalate Retail moving towards SOA design. In addition, many ERP applications are making a bigger push in to this industry with products from Adonix, Junction Solutions/Microsoft Dynamics, SAP and others.
How realistic is it to have a rock solid single application for direct and retail? Are there ERP systems being installed in direct? What progress are Order Motion and ProfitCenter Systems making in developing and installing their SaaS models? How do you know about the stability of the vendors and the management changes that are taking place? How do you stay current, make sense of it all and know which option is most suitable for your business?
There are three essentials. One, it comes back to adopting a solid methodology and strategy for evaluating and selecting the solutions that are best for your company. The first task at hand is to have the right expectations. This means having realistic expectations for the time frames, tasks, responsibilities and level of investment necessary. This comes from experience. Are you better off continuing to develop your own application or moving to a commercial system?
Two, it’s important to have the right expectations and understanding of the capabilities and limitations of various software applications. In order to do this, a company must develop highly detailed business requirements as well as integrations to outside applications and service bureaus. It is nearly impossible to compare applications and to know if your expectations can be met, if you have not clearly defined what it is you are looking for in a software solution.
And essential number three, consider using an experienced consultant to temporarily augment your staff’s knowledge about the applications that are installed in this rapidly changing marketplace, and the most reliable vendors.
The vendors’ job is to sell. Your’s is to match up the applications against your requirements and to aquire or develop the best application strategy. For help with evaluating your application strategy, vendor application knowledge and determining the steps and tasks necessary to select your next order management system, call us today.