United StatesThe Role of Operational Staff in SMEs: How to Highlight the Need for an ERP
In SMEs, strategic decisions—such as introducing a modern ERP—are often made by owners, general managers, or administrative directors. However, the people who experience processes every day are almost never the ones making the final decision: they are the operational figures.
We are talking about operations managers, sales managers, logistics, customer service, and the administrative department. People who deal daily with fragmented tools, manual steps, delays, errors, and the lack of up‑to‑date data.
They are the first to understand when change is needed. And they are the people who can become true drivers of improvement within the company, if they can clearly show management the real impact of these problems.
Real‑life examples
“It takes me 2 hours a week to prepare a sales report. With an ERP, it would be generated automatically.”
“At a trade fair, I cannot immediately reply to a customer request because I don’t have updated availability data.”
“To register an order, I have to rewrite it three times in three different systems, with a 15% error rate.”
These are not “requests for new software.” They are clear signals of inefficiency that impact productivity, customer service, and operational costs.
1. The greatest benefit: time
A manager can immediately grasp the power of this message: saving time. Fewer manual re‑entries, fewer errors, fewer low‑value activities. More time to sell, to support customers, and to make decisions calmly.
A ERP allows repetitive activities to be automated and dispersed information to be consolidated into a single system.
2. Faster customer response
Competitiveness today is all about response times. Delays or missing information are not just internal issues: they directly affect revenue.
With an ERP, quotes, availability, customer history, orders, and production data are available in real time from any device.
3. Data under control = better decisions
A modern ERP unifies data, eliminates duplicate files, and enables work based on updated, reliable, and shared information.
This leads to faster, less risky, and more consistent decision‑making. Automated dashboards help keep vital KPIs under control.
4. How to be heard by management
- Bring practical examples: “Here is a real problem and what it costs me every week.”
- Quantify: even a simple estimate speaks the decision‑makers’ language.
The key message to deliver to top management is simple and powerful: “With better tools, we can work better, faster, and with fewer risks for the company.”
FAQ
Who are the roles that can propose the introduction of an ERP?
Operations managers, sales, administration, logistics, and customer service: those who deal with processes every day and see where time and information are being lost.
Why is an ERP important for the growth of an SME?
An ERP like So Smart allows companies to centralize data, reduce errors, speed up workflows, and support decisions based on real information.
How can you convince management to consider a new ERP?
By bringing concrete problems, measurable data, and showing that adoption can be gradual. The focus should be on time saved, speed, and control.
Is So Smart suitable for SMEs that have never used an ERP before?
Yes. It was designed to be simple, modular, and quick to implement, keeping costs and complexity under control.
So Smart is the fastest and easiest way to enter the world of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. The solution that helps you automate processes, monitor data in real time, produce analytical reports and monitor compliance. So Smart is the cloud solution that can be accessed from any browser anywhere around the world. The system can be accessed from your computer, smartphone or tablet simply by installing the app. Now you can manage your business anywhere at your convenience, and it is 100 percent secure with the Microsoft Azure Cloud network.