Management tools are one of the main solutions that organizations continue to use despite the time they have been with us.Despite their age, they are still more than necessary today.All companies have implemented a management system.Whether it is an ERP to manage company assets or a CRM to establish customer control, both solutions have not found a substitute.The data is more than clear.And we are not talking about large companies in which the implementation of this type of system is more than widespread.We do it from small and medium-sized companies, whose digitalization is less than that of the largest ones.According to Softdoit and Aberdeen, 82% of Spanish SMEs have ERP software installed.Companies that have these programs experience improvements in many aspects.A 33% improvement in warehouse profitability, operational (14%) and administrative (13%) costs, and improvements in temporary work and billing flows (17 and 18%).Currently, the most demanded software among Spanish SMEs is ERP (49%), followed by CRM (14%) and human resources software (12%).Among those who already have an ERP, the most common is to change it because it is outdated (58%) and to optimize the company's processes (integration of processes 54% and problems with orders 50%).There are not a few companies that have problems with duplicate data (38%).So, as Eva Mirás, Commercial Director of Zucchetti Spain, affirms, it can be affirmed that “the ERP software market is in a moment of expansion and renewal, thanks to the advance of digital transformation in companies.The vast majority of companies of all sizes have business management software.The main challenge right now is to use solutions that integrate the role of new technologies and adapt to the reality of the digital age”.This type of solutions has been evolving in a more than significant way.The cloud, the model as a service, Big Data or Intelligence are some of the technologies that are influencing this evolution.Although, of all of them, it is the cloud that has given CRM and ERP the greatest boost, even among small and medium-sized companies.Continuing with the Softdoit study, 65% have already opted to migrate their systems to a cloud environment due to the advantages it provides.And it is that, as Francesc Núñez, ERP Product Manager of Wolters Kluwer assures, the reason for this impulse is that “the cloud as such does not change the tools.We understand the cloud as a great opportunity to make new ways of working available to companies, which provide values ​​that until now were more complicated to satisfy due to the difficulty of accessing locally installed software.The cloud has been a great opportunity to offer new services and adaptations of applications”.In general, many companies start their journey to the cloud to equip themselves with the necessary IT agility, but also, and increasingly, to equip themselves with innovative and disruptive applications that must run in the cloud to take advantage of its transformative capacity.From Ibermática that “that is the key to current migrations to the cloud.Enterprise cloud usage is growing rapidly, and for good reason.With the flexibility and scalability that the cloud offers, businesses can take advantage of new technologies, increase resiliency, and adapt to changing demands at an unprecedented level.But throughout this cloud migration process, it is essential to have clear goals and a precise plan that is measurable and achievable.Understanding the concepts of migration methodologies, tools, and best practices is essential to planning a successful migration project.”Juan Chinchilla, director of the Business Applications Business Unit at Microsoft, believes that "at this time companies want to adapt their processes to improve the service they offer to their customers and, to do so, they need to trust the cloud as an enabler of change and competitive improvement.Cloud computing is providing flexibility, security and scalability, making it possible for millions of people to work collaboratively in the current context.In this sense, SMEs seek to optimize performance in terms of operations and scope, improve time and cost in updating processes to new versions and, on the other hand, redo all software adaptations with a global approach”.But, beyond the cloud and the SaaS subscription models, the truth is that it seemed as if it was difficult for companies to value the use of management systems to make their processes profitable.However, the pandemic gave the necessary visibility to understand the contribution of ERP software to the business.And that has made the market continue to grow ever since.For this reason, Pablo Couso, commercial director of Datisa believes that "there is a greater acceptance of the cloud and pay-per-use solutions, and a change in the mentality of the companies themselves - the fear of contracting services has definitely been lost. in the cloud- have promoted the use of this type of ERP applications.So much so that the ERP offer in the cloud has grown a lot in the last two years.Implementing software online is also easier than implementing an application locally.And, this has also helped many SMEs to take the step that, initially, were afraid of long, expensive and, often, uncertain implementations”.Companies are aware that the cloud is one of the key elements for business digitization.The COVID19 crisis has shown the need to design scenarios in which working remotely is not only possible, but also necessary and profitable.In this sense, the role played by technology is being decisive.From the point of view of business resource management, ERP platforms, hosted in the cloud, provided the service expected of them, providing immediate, simple and secure access to the necessary information.They also made it possible to articulate different operations, whether commercial, production or financial, without the need to leave home.The Datisa spokesperson considers that "although current technology provides the necessary support to operate remotely, the truth is that in Spain there was not enough culture to implement more flexible work models in a generalized way.It has been this emergency situation that managed to value the capacity of technology so that companies did not have to interrupt their activity.This "pilot" experience has served to analyze how teleworking impacts the organization's productivity levels.And, of course, in employee satisfaction and engagement rates.The ERP business resource management platforms that operate in the cloud provide the necessary coverage to safeguard the commercial, financial-accounting, productive function, etc.without having to operate in person.Organizations that have an ERP in the cloud can maintain their levels of competitiveness and functionality without hardly changing anything in their day-to-day activities.The workers simply access the application remotely and operate, via the web, with the solution”.The transition to a cloud environment must be perfectly studied, because if not, unwanted problems could appear.In many cases, this strategy is not developed because many companies base migration solely on the cost savings it can provide.However, it seems that this mentality is beginning to change and as Marc Canela, Product Marketing Manager at Ekon, affirms, "there is an evolution, and from presenting an offer a few years ago in the cloud accompanied by an ROI so that the client could see the benefits economics that the change brought;We have moved on to offers where the value of the cloud is provided by services, functionalities, mobility and practicality, in short.In no case strictly the change of location of the server, nor the savings of space, copies, energy, hardware, etc.Let's say that the market has learned to value the cloud offer as a whole, in all that it contributes”.For her part, Pilar Fernández, Product Marketing Manager at Sage, believes that when it comes to migrating to the cloud “there are all kinds of companies.There are those who do not understand a solution if it is not in the cloud, due to the important advantages in terms of ease of access, availability and investment savings.And there are those who prefer to have the data “at home”, although they are already the fewest.Access to decision-making positions in companies of people more related to technology in their day-to-day activities is facilitating this change of vision, and that cloud environments are increasingly in demand”.Finally, from Ibermática they assure that "digital transformation is a business innovation driven by the cloud, artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), which provides companies with new ways of understanding, managing and transforming their business.Cloud technology generates an intrinsic strategic value in those companies that use it, since it means that they are companies that are more agile than the competition, capable of adapting to the latest technologies easily and safely, promoting collaboration and optimization of work, having access to equipment from anywhere and at any time”.Both CRM and ERP face a number of challenges.For the Sage spokesperson, “an ERP/CRM must always be up-to-date with current regulations, this is quite changeable and makes it a great effort on the part of the provider.On the other hand, the move to the cloud and digitization means that users demand simpler interfaces, adapted to mobile devices and that facilitate the learning curve.It is necessary for a user to be productive with the tool from day one, which can be facilitated with an ERP with digital assistants or very simple start-up tools”.The great challenge of ERP-CRM solutions today is to facilitate the technological evolution of organizations and adapt to change.For Eva Mirás, “tools that do not provide versatility and flexibility to the user become obsolete in a short time.That is why we have opted for innovation with solutions such as Solmicro ERP, our constantly evolving management software, where the client or its developer can access the source code and customize it according to their needs.Any customizations made in the latest version of Solmicro ERP are maintained with future software updates, so companies benefit from a state-of-the-art solution while facing a reality of the digital age: changes are continuous and fast. ”.Another challenge that companies face is when they want to change their management software and implement a new one.What is better?Opt for a generalist software and adapt it or go for a vertical one?For Pablo Couso, “a standard ERP software should cover 90% of the processes of an SME and for that remaining 10%, which is usually very specific, it is usually convenient to use specialized verticals.In this case there is no reason to choose.The best option is to use a powerful ERP in the areas of management and accounting with the ability to integrate with specific verticals.We are talking about the functionalities of a standard ERP software.No, so much of a vertical software.In case your sector was very specific and required special functions, the ERP with which you would operate would be more specialized.And, perhaps it would lose the financial “magic” that the more general systems provide.Remember that financial and/or commercial management is essential whatever the sector in which the organization operates.That is why it is important that this environment is perfectly covered.And then you can opt for a software with less sectoral functionalities.Or, better yet, by integration between different applications.That said, a priori, the more complete the ERP is, the better.On the other hand, there are manufacturers who have accumulated a lot of experience in specific sectors: production, restoration, construction, etc.And they have chosen to add to their ERP proposal, specific modules that respond to the specific needs of certain sectors.And, many others who have opted to "open" their applications to third-party software, via integration.For this reason, when we think of an ERP system, we no longer only think of financial, commercial or warehouse management.Rather, we immediately thought of a unique tool with which to manage other areas of our organization.eye!and not only manage, but also evaluate, analyze and plan”.For the Wolters Kluwer spokesman, virtue lies in the middle ground.And it is that, he considers that “the tools designed for a sector of activity are undoubtedly much better adapted to the requirements of the company and, in that sense, it is always good to have specific software.The key, however, is that verticality ends up connected to standard software.It is preferable that the entire burden of regulatory compliance and legal change, as well as standard circuits, be the responsibility of standard software, which, as in our case, incorporates legal change and functional adaptations with a guarantee that it could not offer a vertical”.And that same opinion is shared by the Ekon spokesperson who considers that “a very vertical solution can really cover the idiosyncrasies of our activity or sector, but normally it does not give us the same intensity in all areas.On the other hand, we could say that standard solutions are on the other side of the pendulum, offering balanced functionality, but without going into details.In our case, Ekon offers the best of both worlds, with the possibility of customizing the processes that make you different, and that will accompany you throughout the technical evolution of the solution, as well as throughout your business evolution, being able to modify them, stop using them or include new procedures according to the needs of each moment”.Artificial intelligence, Big Data and Machine Learning are elements that are being incorporated into management solutions.Business Intelligence (BI) has been massively incorporated into these tools, with one purpose: to make decisions correctly and to do so, the faster, the better.For safe, agile and precise decisions, the support of BI solutions is essential.With them it will be easier to deepen the analysis of the operational processes.And ensure greater efficiency, optimization and business growth.SMEs that use an ERP with native BI will be able to transform their day-to-day data into key information and knowledge to drive intelligent decision-making.Data-driven decisions involve building a critical reading of scenarios.Analyze business indicators.View and use market data.And keep in mind all the variables that, directly or indirectly, can impact the results.A BI system searches for data from different sources.Identify the information to be analyzed.It processes it and generates responses to specific aspects.For example: if the organization needs to understand and predict the behavior of sales in a certain region;or know why there is an unexpected drop in sales in certain periods of time.By analyzing patterns, BI solutions help answer these questions.Part of the data it uses comes from the day-to-day operations of the business.Data received through internal records, stored in an ERP or similar systems.Another part comes from market movements: news, studies, reports, …For Pablo Couso of Datisa, “as the volume of data increases, inside and outside organizations, digital tools improve the speed, confidentiality and assertiveness of these analyses.ERP and BI can be used separately or integrated.In the separate ones, you have to look for the data in different sources.Whereas, in integrated systems, it is possible to find the data in the same digital environment.This is what we call native BI.In these systems, business intelligence tools are responsible for transforming the data into optimal information.And they constitute one more module of the ERP.We speak of Native BI when it is part of the ERP's own functionality.The integration is automatic.It facilitates analysis from reliable databases, practically in real time”.And what about Artificial Intelligence?The Microsoft spokesperson assures that “with AI it is possible to add value to each of the data analysis layers, allowing to automate specific tasks and improve the related activities and the general decision support process.Likewise, it allows you to benefit from improved operational processes, since they help to manage simple or repetitive tasks.And, in addition, it allows to draw conclusions to make better decisions, boost productivity and reduce operating costs.All of them are factors that, now more than ever, make the difference between success and failure.In this sense, Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a solution that encompasses multiple business applications in the cloud and connects the processes of production, sales and marketing, customer service and field services, or the management of finances and the talent of a company.With the benefit of full integration with productivity tools like Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 is an AI-powered cloud platform that breaks down the traditional silos between ERP and CRM systems.”Both artificial intelligence and Machine Learning will have a positive impact on ERP or CRM.In reality, they will do it on the entire operation of an organization.Although, to tell the truth, the truth is that this type of technology is still in a very embryonic phase in the SME environment, so its impact is not yet relevant.If SMEs have a basic level of digitization, it is normal that they do not have the focus on this type of technology.Where progress is being made is towards the development or integration of BI solutions with ERP platforms.This combination is key to providing the business intelligence that organizations need.We are certainly in the era of data.Pablo Couso believes that it would be better to talk about knowledge: “Knowledge that is extracted thanks to the application of BI in the business environment.An ERP with “Intelligent” functionalities, either through integration with this type of platform, or through its own development, provides automated, real-time, solid and refined information that generates knowledge.The customer is in the center.Surely you have heard this phrase countless times in recent years.Is it really in the center?The Customer Experience is a terminology that has taken over both the companies that develop management solutions and the organizations themselves on their way to retain and expand the number of customers.So what does a CRM need to provide to make that statement a reality?For Pilar Fernández, from Sage, “the Customer experience goes much further than traditional customer service.It deals with everything that the customer experiences in contact with our product or service, from how he perceives the brand to how he uses the product and of course how he receives attention to the needs related to the product.And all of this must be excellent.Every point of contact of the client with our product or service is experience and must be taken care of.The entire organization has something to contribute to this experience, therefore, issues from branding, marketing, sales to support and product or service development must be addressed”.The customer experience is one of the primary objectives in any digital marketing strategy today.Good customer service is not enough, it is necessary to understand the challenges that companies are currently facing.In this sense, Eva Mirás de Zucchetti considers that “it is vital to provide personalized treatment to clients, which is impossible to carry out effectively without CRM solutions for commercial management.Omnichannel is one of the characteristic features of the digital age, so companies must have tools prepared to manage this complexity.On the other hand, customer service goes much further, as it involves many processes, from quality control to logistics management”.And for this to be fulfilled, it is necessary to establish a correct strategy, which is why Mirás considers that “it is essential to manage the entire life cycle and relationship with the client, from the moment they come into contact with the brand for the first time until they make their purchase.A Customer Experience strategy must start from a customer-focused culture, with a LEAN philosophy.The customer is the first, and our products or services must be aimed at solving their needs.For this, it is essential to know the client well.Using CRM solutions that help with the segmentation and management of contacts is essential to be able to achieve a good customer experience”.In the end, CRM is nothing more than a business management model that is based on increasing and improving business relationships with the market, and allows us to optimize the customer experience and loyalty to the company.But it is not simply about implementing a CRM technology, but it is going to be the tool on which we are going to have to support the CRM strategy of our organization.Many companies still do not have an adequate CRM strategy deployed that fulfills its fundamental objective: to improve the income statement by increasing new business (more sales opportunities, greater probability of completing these successfully) and customer retention, in addition to increasing business with them.For this reason, Ibermática believes that "in recent years many companies have initiated transformation processes such as: adapting the size of the company to a new reality of demand, launching internationalization processes and searching for new business opportunities, in addition to the implementation of diversification processes to reduce business risks.This situation causes companies in our country to turn towards strategic CRM projects that support the process of change towards improvement in business generation, sales and customer retention processes.A CRM strategy allows supporting the paradigm shift in organizations, in which marketing departments focus on Business Generation, commercial areas are oriented towards high-performance models and company managers assume a deeper commercial role.Login to leave a commentDownload the latest issue of Byte TI MagazineI accept the Privacy PolicyThe Byte TI Magazine is mainly aimed at those responsible for the IT area (CIOs, CISOs, IT Managers, Systems Directors...).Subscribe and receive it for free every month.