5 ways mobile ERP helps you ditch the desk

Mobile information access: we use it to stream videos, scan news, message friends and buy online. It’s a staple of our personal lives, and an ever-increasing influence in our business lives, too.

What's more, mobile access to your ERP system means mobile access to mission-critical information - and all the benefits that brings to your business.

As such, we've compiled a list of those benefits for businesses looking to embrace the mobile functionality provided by their ERP solution.

1) Mobile ERP, mobile information

A well-implemented ERP solution can provide your business with a range of insights and capabilities, from a consolidated overview of your customer base to the paperless management of your business expenses.

Making that information mobile, then, unlocks the ability to make business decisions on the go. Decisions that were previously relegated to the confines of the office can now be made by anyone, anytime, anywhere.

From stocking levels and customer account information to debtors and creditors, seamlessly extending your ERP system to a mobile device empowers you to make that decision based on things as they are now – not as they were when you were back in the office.

Attend meetings in the confidence that you have access to the information that matters to both you and your customers.

2) Capture as you collect

A customer meeting: times, dates, order volumes - each piece of information critical to providing a satisfactory service, the provision of which is essential to ensuring repeat custom and recurring revenue in the future.

But instead of trying to remember those figures, or pen them for later reference, mobile ERP functionalities offer the ability to actively input data into your ERP system.

Recording data at the moment of receipt is likely improve the accuracy of your information, and unlock the opportunity to check it against its original source, whether that be a person, a presentation or a read out – something you can’t necessarily do back in the office.

3) Embrace the unexpected

Something’s come up - and you’re on the way to a conference.

You're away from your desk, away from your ERP system and away from the information it provides. You have the authority to make that much-needed decision, but lack the ability to make that decision effectively: you simply don’t have the right information at the right time.

With mobile ERP, you can make those decisions when you really need to, not only when you can.

Without that remote ERP access, your decision-making downtime might only add to the situation. That decision needed to be made two hours ago, and you’re still three hours away from being back at your desk.

4) Take control on the go

There's another distinctive benefit to mobile ERP: the simple ability to use your system's functionalities on the go.

This allows you to place ad-hoc orders for customers, confident in the knowledge that stock levels are accurate and able to accommodate that order.

And should your stock levels not be up to the task of fulfilling that particular request, just having that information means you can effectively communicate and coordinate with customers in the moment. Real-time business visibility ensures you don't accidentally make promises based on outdated information. 

You might not be back in the office for another two days - but your order can make it back instantaneously, and be doing the work for you in the meantime.

It also bypasses the issue of miscommunication: instead of relaying that information to another employee who might misplace the order, you can conduct business with confidence knowing the order is first-hand, placed by you.

5) Never leave the office

Downtime is the enemy of the mobile professional. Travelling can present vast quantities of wasted hours during the working day, hours that could be spent inputting data and reviewing reports.

Mobile ERP can effectively enable the mobile professional to take the office with them. And so not only will mobile ERP let you make better decisions on the go – it'll simply let you do more on the go, too.

In short…

Smartphones, tablets, laptops - your workforce is already using mobile technology. And that means you won’t necessarily have to invest in a new set of devices to accommodate mobile ERP.

It also means you won’t have to invest in new software, either, as mobile ERP functionality should be built into your existing solution.

And as an extension of your existing system via existing devices, mobile ERP use isn’t the mammoth task you might expect – it’s simply another portal through which you access your ERP.

Remember: mobile ERP means your existing ERP made mobile - maximum business visibility with minimal effort.