Enterprise resource planning software is (typically) a suite of integrated applications that make up business management software. It’s intended to help companies streamline and automate the daily functions of business operations.
ERP Integration in Salesforce connects relevant data and automates it’s records across departments. For example, taking information from a sales order, and sending the financial data to your organization’s accounting program.
It’s pretty inefficient to manually take data generated from your ERP and type it into all the necessary cells in an additional software program. ERP integration with Salesforce streamlines this process, and reduces human error. Typos or misplaced data may not be life or death, but it’s time consuming, and causes inaccuracies in your metrics and analytics.
As your organization grows, it’ll become even more important to streamline these kinds of processes. Bigger data can either mean better insight and more possibilities to infer insight, or it can create clunky processes and a lot of time and energy put into fixing problems. Your choice. ERP software integration improves collaboration and creates better synergy between departments. This positively influences cooperation and ultimately the company’s bottom line.
There are obvious benefits to ERP Integration in Salesforce.
You’ll enjoy a single, centralized location for your data, which helps to facilitate communication across departments.
Automated processes will reduce the amount of manual entry needed from end users. This ultimately results in reduced human error.
Improved visualizations of priorities and tasks facilitates workflows by allowing your team to see what their coworkers are working on, especially when integrated with project management software.
When there is a reduced need for data entry, there is more time for creative thinking and productive tasks.
There are ways to avoid potential challenges with ERP Integration in Salesforce.
Integrating ERP with Salesforce is a strategic choice that needs to be aligned with your goals and your team leaders. If you go into it blindly, it’s probably going to fail. That’s why an experienced Support partner is key to a successful integration with Salesforce.
Consider the type of functionality that will help make your business run more efficiently.
Create a list of needs and work with a support team to develop a specified strategy to support those needs.
Discuss with your support team what kind of maintenance and upkeep will be needed. Consider upgrades and elements that will need to be added or removed.
Discuss expected support costs or get yourself on a prepaid support plan with a team that has specialized knowledge, to keep your bases covered.
Get all major stakeholders and decision-makers on board with the plan, at the appropriate times.
Lay out a timeline and estimates in order to coordinate all involved departments accordingly.
In order to make decisions in a timely manner, it’s important for employees to have access to real-time data that is updated, and reliable, particularly in regards to current or prospective clients. Without ERP Integration in Salesforce, employees have to switch gears between disparate systems, or worse, disparate departments. This means that customers might be passed back and forth between departments in order to solve issues, which can be frustrating for both the client, and your employees.
The ability to perform self-services is increased through the use of technology. This has allowed opportunities in every vertical to reimagine the operations of their business, ultimately creating benefits for sales.
ERP Integration with Salesforce means deeper customer insights, and easy access.
ERP Integration in Salesforce also encourages more defined sales processes. What activities need to be orchestrated and communicated, such as how leads will be pursued and closed?
More benefits in favor of integrating ERP with Salesforce:
Both Salesforce and your ERP is used to store account and contact information. Integration between your ERP and Salesforce transfers customer information from your ERP, then a two way system can be configured so that when one platform is updated, both are updated.
If the accounting department creates a new invoice for customers or update a payment in the ERP system, it should be reflected in Salesforce as well so that the sales team and your finance department can work together towards possible measures to collect debts.
One of the most difficult tasks for a service provider is to provide accurate quotes and effectively manage orders. ERP integration with Salesforce should create a solution that integrates proposals in Salesforce with actual orders, which are processed in the ERP. These should work simultaneously and update regularly.
Inventory data that would normally be stored in the ERP can be integrated with Salesforce, making it easier for the company’s sales team to identify the actual availability of stock and provide accurate expectations, such as shipping and delivery times.
Integrating your ERP with Salesforce helps your sales team to see the prices and price books in order to quote the correct amount to customers. This is particularly useful if your prices frequently fluctuate, or are contingent upon a lot of variables, such as support.
Salesforce has an existing relationship with ERP vendors SAP and Oracle.
SAP and Salesforce integration
SAP, being one of the more popular ERP systems, plays a central role in the most critical business processes. However, true automation of processes between departments requires organizations to integrate SAP with other applications, such as Salesforce.
Oracle and Salesforce integration
Oracle has pre-built integration kit for Salesforce and their ERP system. With the right developers and support, further customizations are always possible.
If you have an ERP that is not quite as popular, don’t worry. Salesforce’s API allows for a variety of custom integration opportunities. Talk to your Salesforce Support Consultant to discuss and define what is possible for your business.
