an image of employees celebrating new year erp implementations with fireworks

Going Live In The New Year With ERP

I’ve been reading many opinion articles lately about New Year ERP implementations. Namely, shooting for the New Year,

I’ve been reading many opinion articles lately about New Year ERP implementations. Namely, shooting for the New Year, January 1, as the day the new software goes live. None of them had a particularly rosy outlook on that goal: Your employees, if they’re not all still on vacation, won’t be back into the rhythm of things after the holidays, will still have work to attend to and catch up on, and so on.

I agree, it seems impractical, maybe even impossible. But this is where Encompass shines. In fact, we are, RIGHT NOW, taking four of our clients to Go-Live over the new year on their brand new Epicor ERP 10 systems. It can be done, and done well! Here are some of our tips and tricks we keep in mind while we get our clients running right out of the gate.

Consider This For New Year ERP Implementations

If you’ve got your sights set on a New Year Go-Live, consider these important factors to make your implementation and subsequent onboarding a much smoother process.

Strong Employee Support

It’s not a bad idea to postpone a launch of new software until everyone at the organization has had the time to settle back into the rhythm of the day-to-day, to catch up with outstanding items, and, of course, serving customers and processing deliverables. While all this means that there is less focus on system adoption, an external company such as Encompass can provide the support needed to take your users through it successfully and painlessly.

Walking Before Running

Some argue that business is slower at the start of the year, and that there are not enough transactions happening that will test the full functionalities of the system, or allow it to run at full capacity. This is a good thing! Your team, already spreading their focus onto ramping back up into the new year, won’t be under pressure to process orders while learning the new handles, or to do so at full speed. Rushed mistakes are costly to any company!

Change Management

Preparedness is key. Before the New Year begins and the switch happens, you need to be ready for it, and that also means being ready when things start to go wrong. Our post on Change Management provides a glimpse at the solutions we can help provide.

Feel the Fear

… And do it anyway! Rip the band-aid off, tell your dad to let go of the bike seat, jump right in the deep end. The best way to learn something is to do it, so don’t mistake hesitating for preparing. The time you lose waiting is time you could be using learning and improving.

We at Encompass Solutions would like to wish all of you a smooth and successful start to the New Year!

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of Industry.