Making the transition to a new business management/ERP software system is a significant decision for any organization. Chances are the existing basic entry-level system worked well for your business, however, as your company expands your ERP cannot keep up.  As with any business system that companies outgrow, your requirements must be met to keep up with demands and scale for growth.  Keep reading to learn more about moving from QuickBooks to Microsoft Business Central.

There are of course numerous ERP Business Management Systems on the market today and making the choice can be difficult.  QuickBooks certainly has its benefits and can perform basic and even some advanced functionality well.  However, when a company’s performance is hampered by its business management system, it either has to live with and try to manage the software’s shortcomings, perhaps cobbling together potential add-on solutions, or frequently will look for other options.  Some of the warning signs of outgrowing entry-level business management systems are displayed below:

Entry Level Business Systems Warning Signs:

You cannot scale operations to support business growth.  A growing business typically requires more people, more productivity, and more collaboration across all departments to keep up with demand.  As you expand product lines and enter new markets, your business processes become more complex.  With basic accounting software, even the simplest processes, like invoicing and month-end closing can take hours. Even days to complete.  In addition, if your business is stifled by the number of people who can access information, transaction limits, or the size of your database, it’s time to find a solution that can scale with your business to allow for growth.

You can’t wrap your arms around your business anymore.  The used to be a one-to-one correspondence between your employees and the business functions they managed.  Now, data moves from desk to desk and you don’t have the controls in place to ensure a detailed and accurate audit trail.  If multiple users can make changes to financial entries in entry-level accounting software, it’s difficult to trace who has done what.  Protect yourself with a business management solution that supports and enforces well-defined roles and processes and gives you tighter control over critical functions like payments, purchasing, and inventory management.

Your business is reactive and needs to be proactive:  Sure QuickBooks can give you a snapshot of your sales performance for the past quarter, but do you know which products produce the highest margins and which customers are likely to purchase the highest volume of those products? Instead of looking at reports of past performance, you need insight into current activities and developing trends to move your business forward.  The right business management solution can give you full visibility into what drives your profitability and the ability to turn those profits into the cash flow that will support your future growth.

 You cannot meet customer expectations:  Are you using QuickBooks to manage your finances and a whole different set of tools to administrate contracts, track customer interactions or manage delivery systems?  If you don’t have the right system in place to track customer interactions and forecast demand, and those systems don’t talk to each other, you may find yourself unable to meet customer expectations.  To compete in an increasingly completive global economy, you need a well-tuned supply chain and the ability to manage customer and vendor requirements.

Modern Microsoft ERP Systems Selection:

If any of these business scenarios seem common and your company is exploring new ERP systems, you should know that transitioning to Microsoft Business Management Systems makes sense and could be a great option.  In the era of Modern Business Systems along with Digital Transformation, the optimal choice for small to mid-sized organizations is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Backing this Microsoft Business Solution is an enormous amount of research and development for ERP systems.  Microsoft Business Central is the “next generation” of Microsoft Dynamics NAV; Microsoft’s most popular business system with 100,000+ customers worldwide.  This newly launched system is “cloud-ready” however, can also be deployed on-premises as well.  All of this research and development is apparent when your business needs become more complex, you need access to real-time data, and the ability to scale your business to meet demands.  These are the strong point of this Microsoft ERP:  robust business functionality, tremendous reporting capabilities, and the power to scale and grow as your company expands.

Furthermore, Microsoft has created an extensive ecosystem of business applications called Microsoft AppSource, in which developers write specific business functionality to tailor your solution. Microsoft Business Central licensing is based on a per-user basis and there are 2 main Licensing Types: Essentials and Premium.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central “Essentials”: Pricing is $ 70/user/month.

The “Essentials” version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a robust set of functionalities from Microsoft Dynamics NAV: Microsoft’s most popular ERP system.  There are over 100 unique business capabilities in the Essentials Version of Business Central.  Below are some of the highlights of each Key Business Area.  This version of Business Central is $70, per licensed user, per month for the Cloud Version. There is different pricing for the On-Premises version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

  • Advanced Financial Management: Cost Accounting, Inter-Company Postings, Bank Account Reconciliation, Insurance, Maintenance, Fixed Assets Allocations, Advanced Dimensions, and Cash Flow Forecast.
  • Customer Relationship Management:  Contact Management, Outlook Client Integration, Dynamics 365 for Sales (CRM) Integration, Opportunity Management, Interaction/Document Management.
  • Project Management: Jobs, Time Sheet, User Tasks, Multiple Costs, Estimates.
  • Inventory and Supply Chain Management:  Requisition Management, Item Cross References, Nonstock Items, Location Transfers, Item Substitutions, Item Categories, Stock Keeping Units, Shipping Agents,
  • Sales: Pricing, Discounting, Sales Tax/VAT (depending on the country), Return Order Management, Invoices, and Order Management.
  • Human Resource Management:  Basic Human Resource Management.
  • Warehouse Management: Automated Data Capture System (ADCS), Warehouse Management Systems, Internal Picks, Put Aways, Bin Set-Up, Warehouse Receipt, Warehouse Shipment.
  • Other Business Functionality: Unlimited Companies, Multiple Currencies, Extended Text, Embedded PowerBI (Business Intelligence).
  • Mobile ERP Technology:  Gain the same ERP powerful and rich functionality experience on either your Desktop, Laptop, Tablet, or Smart Phone.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central “Premium”: $100/user/month.

The “Premium” Version, however, includes all of the functionality in the “Essentials” version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central plus 2 powerful modules of Service Management and Manufacturing.  This version of Business Central is $100, per licensed user, per month for the Cloud Version. There is different pricing for the On-Premises version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Service Management

  • Dispatching
  • Planning
  • Service Contract Management
  • Service Item Management
  • Service Orders
  • Service Price Management

Manufacturing

  • Agile Manufacturing
  • Basic Supply Planning
  • Capacity Planning
  • Demand Forecasting
  • Finite Loading
  • Machine Centers
  • Production Orders
  • Version Management

Next Steps:

Learn more about Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

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Posted by iCepts Technology Group, Inc. A Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Partner in Pennsylvania