Making Sure You ERP Software Doesn’t Become Shelfware

Buying the software is just the beginning. You need additional services to get your accounting system up and running,convert your data and train your staff.This is where choosing the best ERP Partner and asking the right questions proves extremely valuable. An honest Partner with a proven track record, repeatable processes and experienced staff will take less time and save you money.

Making Sure You ERP Software Doesn’t Become Shelfware

Buying the software is just the beginning. You need additional services to get your accounting system up and running,convert your data and train your staff.This is where choosing the best ERP Partner and asking the right questions proves extremely valuable. An honest Partner with a proven track record, repeatable processes and experienced staff will take less time and save you money.

ERP Maintenance Fees

Maintenance Fees is a Insurance you actually need for your ERP Software

Just about every software vendor will require you to pay an annual fee based on a percentage of the software list price.

This fee has various aliases such as maintenance fee or enhancement plan.

The percentage can lower after the first year. The plan may not always be required, but it is always strongly recommended.In addition, your Partner may have their own annual maintenance plan for support calls, preventative maintenance checks or other services.

Tips to Save on maintenance fees :
Buy only what you need for Phase 1 of your project. The lower your initial software list price, the less money you will pay for maintenance. If you buy something you dont implement for another year, you just wasted money on the maintenance fee.

Maintenance fees are like insurance. We all wish we didnt have to pay it but when we needed it,we are sure glads it;s there. So, just add the maintenance fee into your annual budget and leave it there

Is the software server-based or web-based?

Is the software server-based or web-based?

Server-based software is installed on a server in your office.

Web-based software is kept in a data center far, far away, and is accessed over the internet. Some web-based systems may appear to have a lower per-user cost, but in many cases you are only getting core functionality and may have to pay extra for additional features/modules.

Be sure to compare the costs over a 10-year period as this is the average amount of time a company keeps their accounting software. A rising trend is to buy software on a subscription model,For some companies, this makes sense. However, be sure to consider all of the costs to determine if it really is less expensive overall.

ERP project Category

Any good Partner should be able to give you a ballpark dollar figure after an initial requirements discussion, but the final quote is usually presented after several conversations and demos.

A complete ERP project has many components and we will break it down into three categories:

Section 1: Software

· Licensing Fees
· Enhancement Fees
· Add On Product Fees
· Discounts

Section 2: Services

· Implementation
· Data Conversion
· Integration
· Customization
· Training
· Support

Section 3: Hardware

· The Server
· SQL Operating System
· Deployment Options