4 ms·

Ask: ERP/CRM software for small businesses

10 points by h34t 19y ago

I'm helping out a consumer goods startup mfg in China, and selling in US/Canada. We're looking at solutions to manage inventory, warehousing, order tracking, finance, customer relationship management, ecommerce, etc... the whole package. Does anyone have experience in this and have some recommendations/thoughts? Our top two options here are Everest and Netsuite, which are "all-in-one" systems. I've just started researching this today, so I'm all ears! Thanks..

edw519 19y ago
I just converted a client OFF of Everest to something 20 years OLDER and much easier to use. Frankly, I was stunned to see how difficult Everest was to use and how poorly it was designed. Examples: Even though Everest maintains 160 columns for each Order Header, "Time Entered" is not one of them. So go ahead and try to schedule a call center with no Time Of Day history. To review a single customer's history (and presumably answer their questions while they're on the phone), you have to open up 6 different windows! My general suggestion: Write a "Test Drive" based explicitly upon your client's business. Have them enter an order and take it through every stage of it's life (reserve or commit inventory, print, pick, ship, confirm, bill, collect, post, etc.) The test drive should also hit every function needed to do this, setup a customer, SKU, GL Chart of Accounts, etc. Then have the appropriate person working for your client do their job on that system. DO NOT touch the mouse or keyboard. DO NOT let the vendor touch the mouse or keyboard. If they can't enter, ship, and bill an order in a couple of hours with less than one day's instruction, eliminate the system and save yourself a lot of expense and headaches down the road. Naturally, most sales people will object to this approach and use any tactic to avoid it. Make it clear to them and your client that this must be the plan. The test drive method is infinitely more effective than the old RFP approach. When the poor systems are clearly failing the test drive, the saleman may object with questions like, "Are you going to train your people or not?" which you'll calmly answer, "Not if it takes until 2012." Good luck.
ra 19y ago
Have you checked out TinyERP?
davidw 19y ago
You might have a look at Apache OFBiz.
subwindow 19y ago
This is exactly the problem my startup is trying to solve. We'll have the materials management portion (purchasing, inventory, warehousing) soon- June is the tentative target. There seems to be a pretty big gap between excel spreadsheets and huge business ERP/MRP/SCM/CRM software. Unfortunately, I think what you describe is right in the center of it. My first client is transferring off an amalgamation of Intacct Small Business and Salesforce.com. I wouldn't recommend it based on my experience, but it has worked out OK for them for about two years. They're at about 8M/yr in sales right now, and if you're under that, that pair might work OK for you.
wave 19y ago
Take a look at the following two solutions: Compiere is open-source system of software applications that provides ERP, CRM, SCM for the small and medium-size enterprise. Versions are available for Linux, Unix, Windows, and Mac. Openbravo is a web based ERP for small to median sized business. It's function include finance, supply chain, project management, manufacturing
thinkcomp 19y ago
Check out Exponent Enterprise on my web site. It's better than the others at a fraction of the price. (I've spent the past seven years building it.)
izak30 19y ago
A company I worked for a long time ago was called TDCI, (http://www.tdci.com http://www.tdci.com) They are big into manufacturers. I can get you in contact directly if you want, e-mail in profile.
chaostheory 19y ago
http://www.compiere.com/ http://www.compiere.com/ This is pretty mature and open source
adrianwaj 19y ago
SugarCRM (a LAMP-based CRM) I set it up a company that also runs ZenCart (an OScommerce derivative) It's pretty good, but you need to work out the business processes that it should support.
alaskamiller 19y ago
I had to use Everest for a year and it was the most painful thing ever. The website integration for it that I made was also really painful.

10 points by h34t 19y ago

edw519 19y ago

I just converted a client OFF of Everest to something 20 years OLDER and much easier to use. Frankly, I was stunned to see how difficult Everest was to use and how poorly it was designed. Examples: Even though Everest maintains 160 columns for each Order Header, "Time Entered" is not one of them. So go ahead and try to schedule a call center with no Time Of Day history. To review a single customer's history (and presumably answer their questions while they're on the phone), you have to open up 6 different windows! My general suggestion: Write a "Test Drive" based explicitly upon your client's business. Have them enter an order and take it through every stage of it's life (reserve or commit inventory, print, pick, ship, confirm, bill, collect, post, etc.) The test drive should also hit every function needed to do this, setup a customer, SKU, GL Chart of Accounts, etc. Then have the appropriate person working for your client do their job on that system. DO NOT touch the mouse or keyboard. DO NOT let the vendor touch the mouse or keyboard. If they can't enter, ship, and bill an order in a couple of hours with less than one day's instruction, eliminate the system and save yourself a lot of expense and headaches down the road. Naturally, most sales people will object to this approach and use any tactic to avoid it. Make it clear to them and your client that this must be the plan. The test drive method is infinitely more effective than the old RFP approach. When the poor systems are clearly failing the test drive, the saleman may object with questions like, "Are you going to train your people or not?" which you'll calmly answer, "Not if it takes until 2012." Good luck.

ra 19y ago

Have you checked out TinyERP?

davidw 19y ago

You might have a look at Apache OFBiz.

subwindow 19y ago

This is exactly the problem my startup is trying to solve. We'll have the materials management portion (purchasing, inventory, warehousing) soon- June is the tentative target. There seems to be a pretty big gap between excel spreadsheets and huge business ERP/MRP/SCM/CRM software. Unfortunately, I think what you describe is right in the center of it. My first client is transferring off an amalgamation of Intacct Small Business and Salesforce.com. I wouldn't recommend it based on my experience, but it has worked out OK for them for about two years. They're at about 8M/yr in sales right now, and if you're under that, that pair might work OK for you.

wave 19y ago

Take a look at the following two solutions: Compiere is open-source system of software applications that provides ERP, CRM, SCM for the small and medium-size enterprise. Versions are available for Linux, Unix, Windows, and Mac. Openbravo is a web based ERP for small to median sized business. It's function include finance, supply chain, project management, manufacturing

thinkcomp 19y ago

Check out Exponent Enterprise on my web site. It's better than the others at a fraction of the price. (I've spent the past seven years building it.)

izak30 19y ago

A company I worked for a long time ago was called TDCI, (http://www.tdci.com http://www.tdci.com) They are big into manufacturers. I can get you in contact directly if you want, e-mail in profile.

chaostheory 19y ago

http://www.compiere.com/ http://www.compiere.com/ This is pretty mature and open source

adrianwaj 19y ago

SugarCRM (a LAMP-based CRM) I set it up a company that also runs ZenCart (an OScommerce derivative) It's pretty good, but you need to work out the business processes that it should support.

alaskamiller 19y ago

I had to use Everest for a year and it was the most painful thing ever. The website integration for it that I made was also really painful.