Six Important Things To Keep In Mind When You're Looking For An ERP Consultant

Working with an ERP consultant makes choosing and implementing an ERP system much easier for your company. However, you need to choose your consultant carefully.

The following are six important things to keep in mind when you're looking for an ERP consultant. 

Working with an ERP consultant can help you make more informed decisions regarding vendor proposals. 

One of the most important reasons why you should hire an ERP consultant is so that you gain insights on selecting between vendor proposals. It's therefore important to discuss vendor proposals with your consultant in detail to take advantage of their expertise in this area. 

You should discuss time frame considerations before contracting with an ERP consultant. 

Before you contract with a particular consultant, it's important to discuss your time frame and how quickly you would like to have your ERP system implemented. You no doubt want to move forward with your ERP system quickly, so make sure you express this desire to your consultant.  

You should work with an ERP consultant who isn't partial to a particular vendor.

Discussing ERP vendor options with your consultant is essential. However, it's important to be sure that your consultant is independent and doesn't have any partnership in place that will make your vendor partial to a particular vendor.

Some consultancy firms out there have agreements with particular vendors that make it so that they receive a commission when a client works with that particular vendor. Make sure you find an independent ERP consultant so that you know you're getting recommendations on the vendor selection that's truly best for your company. 

You should have a list ready of the ERP consultant services you need.

Different ERP consultant firms offer different packages of services. Possible services an ERP consultant can offer include implementation, evaluation, and selection services. Before you start looking for a consultant, you should make a list of all the consultant services you'll need to achieve your goals with your ERP system. 

Different ERP consultants have different methodologies.

One thing you should discuss with consultants you're thinking of working with is methodologies. It's best if you can work with a consultant with the expertise to develop a unique methodology.

Some firms out there might only offer canned methodologies that have been developed from business training organizations alone. You want to work with a consultant with the expertise and insight to provide you with exceptional advice and services when it comes to ERP system development. 

Employee training assistance is a key factor to look into.

You and your staff are going to struggle with ERP implementation if you haven't put enough thought and planning into employee training. When you're looking for a consultant, discuss employee training assistance.

Ideally, your consultant should offer some training assistance to make it easier for your staff to adapt to the changes ERP system implementation will bring about.