There are still a number of small and midsized businesses making their way to enterprise resource planning and many of them are seeking to learn more about ERP features. While they have some understanding of the software system, they are none the less a little confused about what all the enterprise platform offers. That is not so unusual, because this software offers more than meets the eye. It provides more within one system that they can get out of software suites. This is integrated software after all and it is distributed. It includes all of the software a business requires within one database. That seems to be what surprises many smaller firms.

ERP Software

Working with ERP Features

How can one software system do so much? Some of the confusion can be traced to their thoughts about this software being something that only large corporations utilize. And while that may have been true some years ago, it is not necessarily the case today. Traditional, on-site installed ERP is still applicable today and it is something that only large corporate entities can afford, for the most part. However, there is now Web-based ERP, and it is something that can be applied by small and midsized businesses.  

What is also a little bit confusing for these smaller firms is the fact that this is software that they don’t have to purchase; it is offered as a service. ERP online, on-demand, is software as a service (SaaS). You pay for it on a subscription basis. Part of the cost is based on the number of users or, “seats” assigned to the business. You can give each of your employees a seat, or you can designate which employees get one. Having a seat gives employees access to the system whereby they can share, collaborate and communicate information and data across the whole of the enterprise. This means that business processing tasks for accounting, manufacturing, sales, marketing, supply chain management, distribution, whatever, are all linked and work in concert on one platform. As mentioned above, this is an integrated software system that is also automated, as well.

All of the business processing tasks for things such as accounting, sales and marketing, manufacturing, etc. are placed on application modules can be either stand alone or bundled. Many accounting tasks such as accounts payable, accounts receivable and bank reconciliation, are often bundled  onto one platform for the sake of convenience. But there are more ERP features to consider as well. The automation aspect of this software means that the processing of all business is handled automatically, so that all tasks are transmitted quickly. This of course saves much time. Another aspect of the system is that you get real-time visibility of what is taking place, as it happens.  

There is also a set of tools associated with the system that you can use for reporting, analysis and business intelligence that can be helpful to management. Web-based enterprise software is generally administered through electronic dashboards accessible through your computer’s browser. This is a software system that can grow with you as your business grows and you are always working with updated software applications.

That gives you some idea about ERP features.