In any ERP implementation or migration, change is inevitable (and kind of the point). What’s more, resistance to these changes are to be expected seeing as it is human nature for people to oppose the unknown that comes with changing the systems they’ve come to know and at least tolerate, if not love. But is this resistance futile?

With a fair amount of expectation management and lending a thoughtful ear, this resistance can actually HELP a company grow. It is important that your ERP implementation partners lend their ears just as much as their minds, in that talking WITH your employees at all levels and not just at them can greatly increase your success rate with what can sometimes turnout to be sweeping changes across your platform. Taking the time to gather feedback and customize solutions that fit within the existing framework can substantially increase the effectiveness of a standard upgrade. On a larger scale, not taking in that feedback can, in and of itself, be futile!

Of course, some people will resist any form of change and others may simply become fatigued or frustrated. It is still imperative, however, to take the necessary time to keep everyone on the same page throughout the change and even have the foresight to think about how these changes will be handled prior to bringing on a new consultant or ERP partner.

Change management will be a vital part of the planning process with, again, this resistance being expected. Being the project psychologist might not be the most fun part of going through these changes, but with the success of your ERP hinging greatly on the warehouse workers actually USING the systems that are put in place, it becomes more important than ever to keep everyone up to speed and on the same page with the progress of the process. Taking in feedback can also be an opportunity to be creative and/or to train employees on the underlying “whys” of what they are being expected to adhere to so the ultimate goals can be met.

Embracing the change as best as you and your employees can is ideal, but there will always be reason for concern when the systems that have been used for years are evolving. The right ERP partner knows this and takes it into consideration throughout the entire process. NSA knows this first hand because we’ve been listening to our clients and customizing solutions for them for over 30 years now and have been extremely successful in doing so.

Ready to experience the human side of ERP for yourself?

Contact NSA today to schedule a free consultation at (516)240-6020.