Refocus, Refresh, Refuel: 3 Signs You Need Some After-implementation Help

Refocus, Refresh, Refuel: 3 Signs You Need Some After-implementation Help

ERP implementations can be stressful. They take months to complete and require constant communication with a team of experts who, most likely, are spread across the country in various time zones and with multiple responsibilities. Usually, because of the expertise of the ERP company and the dedication of the client, the process works. But even when a go-live is declared a success, sometimes the client is left with things that don’t work the way they hoped, or processes they don’t understand fully, or some employees who don’t grasp the system well enough to make use of all its features.

I’m frequently asked, “Should I accept that this is the best I will get? Or is there room for improvement? And will I have to go through another long, painful path to get it?” Sometimes the answers aren’t easy to determine, but here are 3 key signs that your company would benefit from an outside assessment after go-live.

1) Your implementation focused too much on specific details. If you stressed lot tracking as a firm requirement, chances are your ERP provider made every effort to give you top notch lot tracing functionality. But they may have lost sight of why. If your goal was to make QC and recalls easier, there may be other ways they overlooked in their zeal to get you the best lot tracking system possible.

REFOCUS: A new consultant can look at things from a different perspective and find a different approach. Sometimes knowing “why” you need a feature is more important than “what” you need. This doesn’t mean you’ll be spending more money on software – just utilizing the existing software better.

2) Consultant knowledge level is not even across all functions. If some teams at your company seem to struggle with the new system more than others this is probably why. Perhaps your trainers were quite knowledgeable about warehouse management but not as experienced in GL account set up. Or it could be that they felt they provided more than enough training on a topic and didn’t revisit it, even though your team hadn’t quite mastered it yet.

REFRESH: Bringing in a new consultant with a different skill-set could result in new and fresh ways to set up tasks or transactions. They can train your employees to get more comfortable and familiar with the software. A little extra time could greatly benefit your teams and help them improve their processes.

3) Your employees have low morale and confidence in the system. One of the most common complaints I’ve heard during go-live follow-up is that base-user employees are not happy with the new product thinking it’s too complicated or takes more time than their original process. Sometimes a client experiences turnover around go-live time which puts them in a position of training new employees on a system that they themselves barely understand. This can create a lot of frustration and even cause some employees to revert to the old ways because it’s ‘easier’. It’s so common there’s even a name for it – “Post Go-Live Funk”.

REFUEL: A new evaluation highlighting these difficulties can bring legitimacy to employees concerns and provide trust that things will get better. Whether through additional training or tweaks/updates to the process, it can bring fresh motivation and energy to a process that has grown tedious or stale.

Would your company benefit from a fresh look at your ERP practices?

Do you still have goals that weren’t quite met?
Want to avoid another long, lengthy process before seeing results?
Are there people in your company who could benefit from some additional training?
Want to get out of the “Post Go-live Funk?”