I think there are many classifications of consultancy/advice. One of them refers to client relationship with the truth. From this perspective, the consultancy would divide into two types: one where the client has access to truth (to informations), but this does not involve the participation of self manager, and another in which access to truth and its use implies an unconditional change in self-manager, spoke in terms of the ancients, that means that only who can self-govern, can govern.
Just recently I came, incidentally, in possession of a study conducted in August 2010 by IFS North America and Affinity Research Solutions, Boston, on a sample of 325 executives at large/middle-market manufacturers and focus on a possible marriage between ERP / CRM and social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN). According to the study, social media has begun to influence, more powerful, the ERP market.
As a result, vendors are experimenting with integration between enterprise software, typically involving customer relationship management (CRM) with social media tools like Twitter or Facebook. In some cases, software vendors are already offering functionality to deliver benefits of enterprise 2.0, enterprise functionality with integrated, built-in Web 2.0 technologies.
The conclusion that emerged was that ability to integrate with external social media tools on the public internet does not weigh heavily on the selection process for ERP. However, the adoption of social media functions to include collaborative and communication capabilities is viewed with importance but is not seen as a major influencer. Also, manufacturing executives are optimistic about the potential benefits of social functionally embedded in ERP and realize that there could be great value if their ERP application includes features that mirror the functionality of online social networking tools.
The decision to purchase a software solutions business - ERP, CRM - is not easy to take, is quite a complicated and elaborated process. This involved also, indirectly, the inability to test the product in advance, as result of inevitable customizations required for an ERP solution to fold perfectly, or as perfect, to client's business. The existence of demo sites and other average test helps only in addition of names to the list of potential suppliers.
Therefore, in this field of integrated management systems, perhaps more than in any other field, purchases are made based on the reputation of the solution. And, in some cases, on the provider promises, which often are not sustainable by the ERP system.
With regard to the reputation of ERP, or no-name ERP, that are responsible mainly buyers. Since the solution sold to a client does not exist when signing the contract, the beneficiary needs some security. Other words, he must know whether the supplier's ERP has already completed similar projects. And guarantee that the candidate has carried out with succes previous similar implementation is given by references. What has become, lately, the
subject preferred by marketing departments of companies providing ERP solutions. In a very small market, customer reputation sells. Especially if they are "la crème de la crème" of the respective vertical.
When a potential new client has before it a wealth of customer lists and case studies on successful implementations, the first thing he needs to do is to seek common skeleton of the system. It is therefore important to distinguish between the company and product references, because it is totally unnecessary for a purchaser a reference about a Web portal or e-commerce solution developed by the supplier, which did not interest the customer. Also, make references to international products, mainly imported and distributed without specific standard adjustments for the market in Romania, are irrelevant for the local market. On the one hand, because the implementation there was made by another team, not by romanian supplier, and on the other side, because the fundamental differences between the Romanian and external business model.
Faced with an avalanche of references and ERP solutions, customer will have to read beyond the marketing messages and to start in choosing of business solution on the premise that his business is unique and, as such, he needs a product that would be reliable for him.
For me, the person in tangential relationship with management software, accounting software, human resources software, etc., SocrateOpen has brought more like philosophy than IT. And after I read and re-read about it, I realized that it is just philosophy. Pure philosophy. Of life. The principles and practices that allow you access to knowledge and sharing, implemented in a manner that does nothing but relieve you, and to facilitate access to some software whose source code is available under a license that permits users to use, change, improve and to redistribute the software.
Implementation of ERP solutions has become lately a subject "fashionable". More and more employers want such a system, as more and more software vendors „enrich" their product range with Enterprise Resource Planning solutions, more or less integrated, more or less at their own.
The avalanche of ERP / CRM have put pressure on existing users or potential beneficiaries of an ERP system, benefits listed by providers causing the companies to switch to buying an ERP software without taking into account the particularities of their business and, may be the most important thing, without prior verification of compliance of ERP software and its own particular business.
Therefore, the signing of the contract between the potential customer and supplier ERP / CRM must be preceded by an important milestone, represented by analysis of business process and real needs of the client. It is the time when the customer and software provider know and understand each other. Now is the time when provider identifies customer workflow, available resources and objectives, to see if he is able to cover all its needs. All these preliminary data allow, on the one side, configuration of ERP system to meet fully the expectations of the beneficiary, and the otherside, to the customer to utilize human and financial resources efficiently and economically.
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Do you know your customers? Mostly yes, but perhaps not quite as good as you think. Ok, you ask, what must I do to improve this aspect? Nothing more simple: control the relationships with customers using CRM solutions. Or, in free translation, public relations management. This program includes a wide range of tools for understanding and serving customers and potential customers. It seemed an unnecessary expense, but the focus will increase revenue per customer, we will reduce costs, or both.
One of the promises of cloud computing is that it allows you to leverage resources more efficiently, with a cost of acquisition, deployment and use much less. For the moment, the majority of open source applications are addressed, in particular, to companies. And less or not at all to the governments. Although the local and central government area is one that should not be neglected. Why? First of all, because the local and central government is notorious in the inefficient use of technology, because each of the entities or public institutions have implemented separately and independently of each then have the other systems, more or less own.
Cloud computing has disrupted the venture capital industry in a big way. One of the changes can be observed is the reduction of capital expenditures required to start a new business. Where before you needed expensive servers and an army of people to maintain them, now you can call to Amazon Cloud and the problem resolved without fuss.
Periodically, something is trendy: flaring pants, mini skirt, hair in the wind, desktops, notebooks, Windows, Linux, mobile, iPad's, and more. And each time, the broad masses of people adopt the fashionable. Not because they believe in it, need it or because they couldn't live without it. But just to be „cool”.
