Acumatica seeks to solve the common problems that many companies face. As the new ERP on the block (est. 2008, a decade after the next newest ERP), they are built on a framework designed to change as business processes do. One extremely recurrent theme that businesses everywhere are asking ERP to solve: disparate systems. Disconnected processes wreak havoc on workflows, corrupt databases, and even jeopardize sales. The benefits of a cloud ERP platform are immeasurable: everything is integrated, with the same user interface throughout, updating in real time. THAT is what Acumatica is referring to when they say “single source of truth” or SSOT, for short.
Let’s look at an example.
A Disconnect Between Departments
Imagine this scenario: a salesperson is on site with a customer, who has agreed to a quota-smashing sale. The excited salesperson checked before leaving the office that their account is in good standing, the desired items are in stock, and lets the customer know the order can be shipped today! She calls her internal reps to finalize the PO who inform her that, well actually, it looks like the report was old and accounting says the customer has invoices overdue and they heard from the warehouse that a big order went out, and they don’t have stock.
That [real] story has quite a few different versions of “the truth.” Outside sales had one source (in the form of a report) telling them everything was a-OK. The A/R department’s truth was saying the opposite. Not to mention the warehouse, for whom the truth evolved throughout the day. This causes a great deal of whiplash for the customer which is unprofessional and unproductive.
There is a solution to this way-too-common problem: a cloud-based, truly mobile-ready, single-source ERP solution like Acumatica.
How Cloud ERP Solves Disconnected Systems
Acumatica users would never have that problem; SSOT ensures that everyone in the organization was basing their decision-making on the same data. The sales rep would have access to real-time, up-to-date reporting right on their mobile device. If there was a billing issue, they’d be aware of it. Accounting could be on the phone in seconds, viewing the exact same dashboard that the sales rep was seeing, and they could clear up any confusion. The informed salesperson would also be tracking the warehouse live – seeing exactly what is in stock, what is planned to ship, alternative items, and when any items would be replenished.
Every single employee of the company knows “the truth,” which in turn allows them to do their jobs properly. Employees are more efficient, customers are better-served, and management is thrilled.
End-to-End Connectivity and SSOT
A lot of legacy systems claim to provide an integrated system. In reality, you simply add on additional pieces to your system. Each additional external module introduces risk of discordance between employees and departments, which is why it is paramount to adopt a system that allows for all processes to be housed in one place. A modern cloud ERP like Acumatica is a true “end-to-end” connected platform. Only Acumatica is both robust and customizable enough to handle all the complexities of many varying industries. Acumatica industry editions are suites of modules designed to be the SSOT for companies that may never have even considered disparate systems an issue before, but now recognize the need in an evolving business landscape.
In summary, end-to-end connectivity allows users to:
- Gain real-time business insights from a single source of truth (SSOT)
- Automate workflows across multiple departments (more on that in the next blog!)
- Get consistent, coordinated views of current accounts
- Maintain compliance with ease (GDPR, SOC Type 1 & 2, PCI DSS, and more)
- Collaborate company-wide to serve and delight customers
And so much more. Lifeway Mobility struggled with disparate systems, too – until they called CAL. Now their processes are centralized, acquisitions run smoothly, and the CEO tracks the performance of every department, in every branch, right from his cell phone. Read more about their switch to the cloud here.
Truth doesn’t need to be subjective – if you can handle the truth, you need Acumatica and CAL Business Solutions. Call us today!
By CAL Business Solutions, Acumatica and Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner, www.calszone.com
