Since Enterprise Resource Planning Systems have existed, they have been at the forefront of business digitization; these digital wares bring tangible value to a business and automate a myriad of accounting functions. Today, companies must deploy applications at scale, with interconnectivity and interoperability among one another for operational efficiency across the organization. As these necessities make their way into the small and midsize enterprise arena, Advisory leaders at Withum—a Management Consultancy Practice—believes it is the right time for brands to rethink how their ERP platforms interact with other digital tools within their brand and externally with customers, suppliers, vendors, bankers and others. The advisory firm has updated its operational structure to include various utilitarian functionalities in ERP system integration to present the dominance of knowledge that the company can leverage to help its clients proceed in the right way. Withum’s mission is simple, teach and support its clients to increase revenue and profitability. Led by business partners and ERP industry veterans Walter Merkas and Joseph Riccie, Withum employs a team of experts that specialize in various ERP platforms such as Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Business Central, and Sage Intacct. Dedicated to delivering a handson experience from start to finish of ERP system integration and beyond, the technology consultancy allows clients to follow suitable measures backed by knowledge-driven analytics and aftermarket support. Bringing in a substantial experience set to the ERP marketplace, Merkas (Cloud Technologies Leader) and Riccie (Market Leader) have over three decades of service advising clients in their digitization and ERP system deployment drives.
To reduce the costs of an ERP software implementation, Withum assesses clients’ needs to ensure that they invest in the right solution based on their requirements and avoid missteps going through this process. Withum starts its process orientation with the question, “Why Are You Here?”
Encouraging clients toward more enterprising opportunities, Withum assesses their digital woes and teaches them to do more with less, further combatting the shortage of talent that continues to affect business. “We have specialization across 15 different industry sectors, and our collective team allows us to support clients in those areas with expertise for a wide range of ERP platforms,” expresses Riccie.
Building Internally to Expand Externally
As a continuous knowledge-driven approach is necessary to build a definitive professional services workforce, Withum invests its time and monetary resources in educating its internal auditors, tax, and private wealth management personnel on the latest, modern and innovative ERP trends. Predominantly an East Coast practice, Withum has also merged seven different professional services firms across the country to offer advisory services from coast to coast. Presently, Withum has expanded its business area with a firm in Rhode Island and five offices on the West Coast. The partnerships have opened an entirely new base of operations that enabled Withum to propel its way forward as a bestin-class ERP consultation provider.
In one case, a company was faced with a delay in preparing tax returns, as they were unable to collect vital financial records from their accounting system. To quickly resolve the situation, the Withum tax services partner suggested changing the ERP system. Consequently, the client met with Withum’s team where they deployed their “Why Are You Here?” approach. The client was immediately impressed by the ERP and tertiary systems acumen that was brought to the table. At the end of the initial engagement, the client decided to perform a sizeable international ERP implementation with multiple add on solutions to meet their desired goals and objectives.
To reduce the costs of an ERP software implementation, Withum assesses clients’ needs to ensure that they invest in the right solution based on their requirements and avoid missteps going through this process. Withum starts its process orientation with the question, “Why Are You Here?”
Encouraging clients toward more enterprising opportunities, Withum assesses their digital woes and teaches them to do more with less, further combatting the shortage of talent that continues to affect business. “We have specialization across 15 different industry sectors, and our collective team allows us to support clients in those areas with expertise for a wide range of ERP platforms,” expresses Riccie.
Building Internally to Expand Externally
As a continuous knowledge-driven approach is necessary to build a definitive professional services workforce, Withum invests its time and monetary resources in educating its internal auditors, tax, and private wealth management personnel on the latest, modern and innovative ERP trends. Predominantly an East Coast practice, Withum has also merged seven different professional services firms across the country to offer advisory services from coast to coast. Presently, Withum has expanded its business area with a firm in Rhode Island and five offices on the West Coast. The partnerships have opened an entirely new base of operations that enabled Withum to propel its way forward as a bestin-class ERP consultation provider.
In one case, a company was faced with a delay in preparing tax returns, as they were unable to collect vital financial records from their accounting system. To quickly resolve the situation, the Withum tax services partner suggested changing the ERP system. Consequently, the client met with Withum’s team where they deployed their “Why Are You Here?” approach. The client was immediately impressed by the ERP and tertiary systems acumen that was brought to the table. At the end of the initial engagement, the client decided to perform a sizeable international ERP implementation with multiple add on solutions to meet their desired goals and objectives.
Empowered by the delivery of a new ERP system structure, the client was able to propel forward and adapt to the constant changes in ERP system connectivity to other technologies in an IT application stack.
Withum garners a fundamental knowledge of issues common to a modern enterprise ERP workflow and shares the wisdom with internal tax and audit partners and marketing personnel. The communication allows Withum’s staff and partners to engage with customers and help them address issues such as difficulty working remotely, securely, collaboratively, and productively to conduct business on a connected modern ERP platform. Withum’s operational design empowers its partners and staff to open new gateways for companies to maximize the true value of a well-defined ERP system. “As all stakeholders begin to understand the potential of the ERP systems, people get busier, and that drive has allowed us to grow double while also elevating client success,” elucidates Merkas.
The Target Market
On the operational front, Withum tackles and solves many challenges. Withum often sees companies struggling with inventory and supply chain issues from front to back. More companies continue to move to multiple sales channels and embark on the chase of the elusive Omnichannel. No surprise here as the supply chain disruption including increased border controls, customs regulations, trade wars have impacted supply even before the pandemic. Beyond these disruptions, people remain in global shortage throughout the entire value-chain and this factor is a key consideration driver in Withum’s consulting engagements. With monumental changes occurring in inventory management, Withum enables its clients to consider alternatives to the concept of just-in-time inventory and opt for solutions that can assist in stabilizing the supply chain and increasing likelihood of reducing stock outs. Enabling its clients to cross these barriers, Withum leverages a genuinely collaborative and consultative approach until they find the right answers to the clients’ problems and encourage correct platform implementation.
For a wholesale client that imports finished goods from suppliers in international countries, the effectiveness and transformation of the fully-integrated ERP system allows for an efficient and collaborative stream of communication while sharing required information on the products with US Excise Duty Boards. With a comprehensive knowledge of the marketplace, Withum was able to implement an add-on tool that could bring all data from supplier to customer in a manner that value chain participants more easily understand. Withum likes to keep things straightforward.
Withum garners a fundamental knowledge of issues common to a modern enterprise ERP workflow and shares the wisdom with internal tax and audit partners and marketing personnel. The communication allows Withum’s staff and partners to engage with customers and help them address issues such as difficulty working remotely, securely, collaboratively, and productively to conduct business on a connected modern ERP platform. Withum’s operational design empowers its partners and staff to open new gateways for companies to maximize the true value of a well-defined ERP system. “As all stakeholders begin to understand the potential of the ERP systems, people get busier, and that drive has allowed us to grow double while also elevating client success,” elucidates Merkas.
The Target Market
On the operational front, Withum tackles and solves many challenges. Withum often sees companies struggling with inventory and supply chain issues from front to back. More companies continue to move to multiple sales channels and embark on the chase of the elusive Omnichannel. No surprise here as the supply chain disruption including increased border controls, customs regulations, trade wars have impacted supply even before the pandemic. Beyond these disruptions, people remain in global shortage throughout the entire value-chain and this factor is a key consideration driver in Withum’s consulting engagements. With monumental changes occurring in inventory management, Withum enables its clients to consider alternatives to the concept of just-in-time inventory and opt for solutions that can assist in stabilizing the supply chain and increasing likelihood of reducing stock outs. Enabling its clients to cross these barriers, Withum leverages a genuinely collaborative and consultative approach until they find the right answers to the clients’ problems and encourage correct platform implementation.
We Have Specialization Across 15 Different Industry Sectors, and our Team Allows us to Support Clients in those areas with Expertise for a Wide Range of ERP Platforms
For a wholesale client that imports finished goods from suppliers in international countries, the effectiveness and transformation of the fully-integrated ERP system allows for an efficient and collaborative stream of communication while sharing required information on the products with US Excise Duty Boards. With a comprehensive knowledge of the marketplace, Withum was able to implement an add-on tool that could bring all data from supplier to customer in a manner that value chain participants more easily understand. Withum likes to keep things straightforward.
Another issue that Withum identifies is the payment methods utilized by companies to settle account payables to their vendors. Currently, at most companies, the transaction involves sending a paper check to and from multiple offices for approval/signature before reaching the payee. Often taking days, the approach was also susceptible to loss or misplacement of a document or similar discrepancies. Withum, to remove this corrigible scenario, created a plan that allows for the accounts payable and receivable procedure to be converted to digital card payments and assure that vendors and suppliers have a better online payment experience. Trusted vendor relationships matter in the supply chain.
The All-Inclusive Onboarding Experience
From ERP implementation strategy to application optimization, Withum leaves no stone unturned in understanding and addressing client digitization challenges. From a strategy perspective, the ERP implementation services specialist spends much time understanding clients’ requirements and performs a two-day operational diagnostic process to gather a rapid and broad overview from internal customers as to what is going on. What emerges are themes, such as relying on email for automation and approvals, hundreds of Excel worksheets outside of accounting software, access to data challenges, data reliability concerns, and more is what Withum tries to uncover very quickly. On creating a key information base and depending on an ERP platform such as NetSuite, Microsoft Business Central or Sage Intacct, Withum performs a health check on the current setup and integration of the add-ons that clients have selected for their operations.
"As all Stakeholders Begin to Understand the Potential of the ERP Systems, People Get Busier, and that Drive has Allowed us to Grow Double while also Elevating Client Success"
Built off a hybrid model, the Withum Implementation Methodology (WIM) is a proprietary technique that allows the quick deployment of the right platform and add-ons after the client ERP system selection process. WIM allows Withum to scale the implementation and customize it to fit a client’s ERP system and empower them to achieve the ROI goals established upfront. In terms of optimization of an instance after ERP system deployment, the management consultancy has an account management program that is ready at the go-to assist clients if they run into any fundamental mishaps or have trouble utilizing the implemented ERP system. By ensuring that clients have the right administrators and data governance model, Withum educates clients on making the most use of the installed platform.
As new CPA professional services firms come into the forte and warrant ERP coverage and the need for new talent, Withum will continue to add to its internal workforce a mixture of experienced and newcomers to the industry. “Talent will win the day; when you have the right people, clients will see the difference, and that helps us win,” conveys Riccie. Exemplifying the art of promoting new talent is the latest iteration of Withum’s innovative podcast—Take Me to the Cloud—hosted by Merkas’ team. The idea is to create a following of interested stakeholders from within the enterprise ERP sector and discuss software implementation, optimization, health checks, and more. Withum also invites experts from its partner companies into these conversations to bring additional knowledge and specialization to listeners.
The All-Inclusive Onboarding Experience
From ERP implementation strategy to application optimization, Withum leaves no stone unturned in understanding and addressing client digitization challenges. From a strategy perspective, the ERP implementation services specialist spends much time understanding clients’ requirements and performs a two-day operational diagnostic process to gather a rapid and broad overview from internal customers as to what is going on. What emerges are themes, such as relying on email for automation and approvals, hundreds of Excel worksheets outside of accounting software, access to data challenges, data reliability concerns, and more is what Withum tries to uncover very quickly. On creating a key information base and depending on an ERP platform such as NetSuite, Microsoft Business Central or Sage Intacct, Withum performs a health check on the current setup and integration of the add-ons that clients have selected for their operations.
"As all Stakeholders Begin to Understand the Potential of the ERP Systems, People Get Busier, and that Drive has Allowed us to Grow Double while also Elevating Client Success"
Built off a hybrid model, the Withum Implementation Methodology (WIM) is a proprietary technique that allows the quick deployment of the right platform and add-ons after the client ERP system selection process. WIM allows Withum to scale the implementation and customize it to fit a client’s ERP system and empower them to achieve the ROI goals established upfront. In terms of optimization of an instance after ERP system deployment, the management consultancy has an account management program that is ready at the go-to assist clients if they run into any fundamental mishaps or have trouble utilizing the implemented ERP system. By ensuring that clients have the right administrators and data governance model, Withum educates clients on making the most use of the installed platform.
As new CPA professional services firms come into the forte and warrant ERP coverage and the need for new talent, Withum will continue to add to its internal workforce a mixture of experienced and newcomers to the industry. “Talent will win the day; when you have the right people, clients will see the difference, and that helps us win,” conveys Riccie. Exemplifying the art of promoting new talent is the latest iteration of Withum’s innovative podcast—Take Me to the Cloud—hosted by Merkas’ team. The idea is to create a following of interested stakeholders from within the enterprise ERP sector and discuss software implementation, optimization, health checks, and more. Withum also invites experts from its partner companies into these conversations to bring additional knowledge and specialization to listeners.
Company
Withum
Headquarters
Princeton, NJ
Management
Walter Merkas, Partner and Cloud Technologies Leader
and Joseph R. Riccie, Partner and Market Leader
Description Read the success story from Withum
A stalwart in the ERP technology consultancy sector, Withum assists enterprises to derive the best value from their ERP systems and add-ons. From ERP implementation strategy to application optimization, Withum leaves no stone unturned in understanding and addressing client digitization challenges. From a strategy perspective, the ERP implementation services specialist spends a lot of time understanding clients’ requirements and performing a two-day diagnostic process to gather a very quick and broad overview of the current reporting software and avenues to try and uncover the reason for some of their predominant pain points. On creating a key information base, and depending on an ERP platform such as Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Business Central, or Sage Intacct, Withum performs a health check on the current solution by key business process and ensure the company is optimizing the solution and consider potential add-ons that clients consider before the final iteration of the project.
