Blog updated on 23rd February 2022 by Harry Procter
It has often been said that the choice of implementation partner is as important as your choice of system. But why is that? And what should you expect from your implementation partner?
SAP Business One is a flexible business management solution for sectors as diverse as Food, Retail, Manufacturing and Wholesale. That means it has the capability to fulfil the needs of companies in these sectors. It does not mean that it will work “out of the box". Capability needs the application of service to make it do what you need.
The short answer is no. A brief look at the range of skills you would need will tell you why it is unrealistic to think you could implement SAP Business One without outside help.
Not all partners are equals. Most SAP partners will have differing levels of experience and different complementary systems to go alongside SAP Business One amongst other factors. These factors should be considered when making this decision and this is what we will explore.
The right team can mould the system with plug ins, to ensure that your business is at one with the system. The experience and knowledge of the team are key to the success of any SAP Business One project. The understanding of the business processes and industry challenges will differ from partner to partner, and specialism here can prove extremely valuable.
The closer we get to the implementation stage; the more important this resource becomes. At this point, the focus is on the technical knowledge of the SAP partner and how the team can mould the software to your business's needs.
Here at LAKE, we leverage more than 30 years' experience in software and cloud implementation to support you through each stage of the implementation process and beyond. This experience in implementation allows you to get the most from your investment in SAP Business One.
We work closely with you to plan, execute, and control projects, enabling us to deliver them with a focus on rapid deployment and remaining within budget.
We follow a 13-step methodology which guides you from project inception through to project closure. These can be categorised into 4 main areas:
For a more information, download our SAP Business One Implementation Guide. The guide includes:
Speed regarding system implementation is key. Waiting for unnecessary periods of time while your system implementation is carried out is not what you want as a business.
Here at Lake, we are aware of how time consuming and cost ineffective traditional ERP implementation can be. What we offer instead is a rapid deployment approach that prioritises time in addition to other factors, to minimise time and resource wastage.
Implementing a new system can be daunting. Without proper training, getting up to speed can be a long and arduous process. An SAP Business One partner can provide you with the necessary training to ensure that this process runs as smoothly as possible.
Your superusers are trained, and work with selected users from across the business to put the new system through comprehensive acceptance testing.
Following successful testing, your superusers deliver training workshops, in which end users are guided through working examples of transactions and scenarios to ensure a smooth transition to live running.
Finally, we have support. The importance of this needs no explanation. As a new user of a system, you simply do not know enough to ‘support yourself'. This is where an SAP partner comes in.
Here at Lake, you will receive support during your first days using SAP Business One as well as receiving ongoing support should you need it.
Experienced Lake consultants will assist you during your first days using the system and past this point, you will be assigned ongoing support and care via your Lake Account Manager.
Technical support is provided from our dedicated service centre where you have access to members of the same team of consultants who carry out system implementations.
If you aren't already convinced, the following customer comments are an indication of the service you should expect from LAKE.
"We were blown away. In fact, it's fair to say we chose LAKE, actually, much more than we chose a software product." (Holyrood Distillery)
"When LAKE came to pitch for the business, they just hit it bang on. They were very honest and very candid with us and you could tell they knew more about our sector. It was clear they had researched our business and invested in trying to understand what we do." (H Walton Ltd)
If you want to tap into the power of SAP Business One and a trusted SAP Business One partner, please download our SAP Business One Implementation Guide, start a chat or call us on 0113 273 7788.
by Harry Procter
Blog Contributor.
