Cloud 9 ERP Solutions Blog

Field service is an area of business operations that looks easy, but isn’t. That’s because so many companies do it badly. Let’s say your refrigerator breaks. You call for a service appointment. They say they’ll be there between two and four, just in time for hundreds of dollars’ worth of food to go bad. They actually show up at six, only to discover that they’re missing a critical part. They’ll be back the next day, between and two and four... Meanwhile, you’re in a mood to call someone else.

Food waste is a serious problem. With hunger a pervasive crisis in much of the world, it’s simply wrong to waste food. Additionally, growing food that won’t get eaten is bad for the environment. It wastes resources and causes pollution. And, if nothing else, wasting food is the same as wasting money. It’s bad for business. The scale of food waste is a real eye-opener, too. Per capita, North Americans and Europeans throw out over 200 pounds of food a year—worth about $165 billion in the US alone. While some food waste is probably unavoidable, there are many ways to reduce it. Technology can help. Advances in Enterprise Resource Management (ERP) software now give food producers and distributors new ways to cut down on waste.

Cloud-based ERP solutions are being adapted by organizations in all industries — the opportunities they provide to improve efficiencies and in turn increase profits are undeniable. 

Companies in the Field Service industry have different needs than businesses that work predominantly in office. Employees are working remotely and have limited contact with supervisors and other team members. It comes as no surprise that field service companies require the proper technology to ensure that all employees are connected and able to conduct business just as smoothly as in-house staff.

ERP solutions are innovating businesses across every industry and sector — manufacturing is certainly one of those that is seeing more and more businesses implementing this modern technology that will improve internal procedures for increased efficiency and drive business growth.

Sanitation practices, documentation of food safety plans, and the traceability of materials and ingredients used to make food products are areas companies are looking more closely at due to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) implementation.

CFOs have traditionally been charged with three main tasks: the company’s books and records, financial reporting, and statutory compliance. Known as number crunchers, CFOs often operated behind the scenes, saying “NO!” to requests based on budgetary concerns. With strategy and decision-making left to the rest of the C-Suite, the CFO was accustomed to signing off on tasks, versus leading the charge.

A flexible and comprehensive financial management system meets the needs of the diverse Professional Services Industry, which is known for meeting business requirements that can change project to project.

ERP and eCommerce are two very different platforms with unique utilities and architectures. Integrating them, however, can improve business functions throughout the organization, adding benefits to the business in the areas of Sales, Marketing, IT, Operational and Customer Services.  

After a lot of strategic planning, and cross-company meetings related to usability and near-and-far reaching goals, a modern, cloud-based ERP system is in place. While it may seem that congratulations are in order, not so fast…