ERP Vendors Confront Rising Pressure to Deliver Measurable Value After Go-Live

The period immediately after ERP deployment is receiving more attention from buyers than it once did. Organizations investing in enterprise systems are placing greater emphasis on what happens after implementation rather than treating go-live as the final milestone of a project.

This issue affects ERP vendors as well. It makes it necessary to give some proof that the systems will help users reach their goals and will continue to be relevant. Besides, the discussion goes much further into the adoption process and usage.

As far as it was before, many projects were evaluated based on how long it took to implement them. While it is still an essential indicator, it is not the sole factor that should be taken into account. Procurement professionals and other stakeholders now ask about how ERP success will be measured once the system is launched.

These changes arise for objective reasons. There can be cases when an ERP platform works perfectly, but employees do not use it and stick to manual approaches and other similar options. Consequently, an organization cannot benefit from its investment despite successful deployment.

ERP vendors have started addressing this concern. They give much consideration to post-deployment collaboration, training and user support. Nowadays, buyers want to hear more about how employees will adapt and switch to a new work model.

Besides, a long-term perspective plays an essential role when organizations choose a solution to invest in. It affects usability, and the systems that are too complicated and have numerous features are of little value when employees use a limited set of them.

Finally, ERP platforms rarely become completely irrelevant. The business environment changes, and there is always a need for improvements and adjustments. That is why customers prefer to deal with vendors who will support them for the whole life cycle of their solution.

This trend makes it hard for providers to ignore the necessity of developing long-term strategies for each client. Customer engagement programs and other similar initiatives attract more attention from buyers than ever before.

It does not mean that everyone expects to get tangible results in the form of financial gains right after system deployment. Buyers simply look for proof that the company uses the tool in the proper way. These things are becoming more critical due to increased attention to ERP expenses.

For ERP providers, it is crucial to monitor the process and find problems. Otherwise, the lack of proper customer experience may affect future contracts, partnerships and other important factors.