Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software exists to help businesses manage, collect, store, and communicate data across all functions of your organization. ERP solutions work for many different types of businesses and manufacturers, but for this piece, we’d like to talk specifically about distributors.
How can distributors benefit from ERP software? Let’s take a deeper look.
What Is Distribution ERP Software?
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems allow businesses to share real-time data across all departments and manage their back-end processes. This can help streamline your operations and automate common, time-consuming tasks. An ERP solution does that by putting all areas of a business, such as product planning, development, HR, accounting, supply chains, inventory, manufacturing processes, sales, marketing, and more, into one complete enterprise system.
ERP systems are intimately tied to the manufacturing and distribution industries. With an ERP distribution system, all of your organization’s data will be kept in one safe, organized, accessible space. One program keeps track of all the moving parts and gives you a clear picture of your day-to-day operations.
When we’re specifically talking about distribution, this is helpful for order quantities and volume. Depending on the size of your enterprise, you may deal with small or large orders and therefore have a different volume to manage.
Your distribution ERP software can help you through every step, from placing the bulk order with the manufacturer to selling the smaller quantities to stores or end-users. Your ERP will help with logistics and marketing that are difficult and time-consuming to handle in-house. These are vastly different areas of your supply chain, but the right ERP will be flexible enough to manage these needs.
You’ll also be able to take advantage of tools that provide insights into your customer buying habits in addition to ways to optimize your end-to-end solutions. Distribution ERP software can help with inventory management, fleet management, marketing, shipping, and more.
Why You Need Distribution ERP Software
Your distribution ERP software will streamline your processes into a single database and be there to catch issues before they spiral out of control. No matter where an error occurs, whether it’s product issues, shipping, supply chain, or fleet management, your ERP system will alert you to a problem and help you take immediate action. This response time could save your company thousands of dollars.
Your ERP software can also help you manage pricing and forecast changes in your marketplace, helping your business to stay competitive in the rapidly-changing distribution marketplace.
Here’s a quick rundown of the many benefits of having distribution ERP software in place:
- Keep everything in one place — accounting, sales, operations — everything! Stop wasting time tracking down all of your different departments and moving parts. Let your ERP keep you organized and make faster, better decisions.
- No more data errors/redundancy — When your data is all over the place, repetition and mistakes are common. But when you integrate an ERP into your distribution business and gain complete visibility into your operations, you can greatly decrease the opportunity for human error.
- Increase revenue and scale faster — You can use real-time sales and revenue data to make better use of your resources and manage cost variances, leading to increased revenue. When revenue grows, you’ll be able to scale fast without feeling overwhelmed, focusing on managing the increased volume while your ERP handles the data.
- Improve your customer experience — An ERP allows your team to use accessible, real-time data to better serve your customers. Keep your customers up-to-date without ever putting them on hold.
- Make smarter decisions — By now you see that an ERP solution helps you make difficult decisions, fast. Not only faster, but armed with real-time data, you’ll also consistently make the best possible decision. That’s a powerful distribution tool.
See How aACE Is The Distribution ERP Software You Need
Want to learn more about how an ERP can benefit your business? Check out our success stories to learn how real customers have been able to take their businesses to the next level with aACE.
