You’ve invested time, money and resource in to implementing Unit4 Business World (Agresso), and now you can start to realise some of that value you’ve projected for.
However, one of the key challenges in keeping a well-managed ERP solution is ensuring the system is maintained, supported and continually developed post implementation, and that the investment is continually working for you and adding value.
Whether or not you should employ an internal team to support your Unit4 Business World (Agresso) system or outsource the requirements to a specialist support supplier is one of the key considerations when it comes to maintenance of the software.
Nearly all mid-size and above businesses find that they do not have the resources to support it internally. This is before they even start to consider how to compete with specialist IT companies for the best accredited talent.
With this mind, we have compiled a list of reasons why outsourcing your support requirements could be the answer.
No Recruitment Process
No matter what nature of business an organisation undertakes, recruitment can be one of the most time-consuming tasks.
Outsourcing your support requirements allows you to forget about the time and cost involved with hiring staff, dealing with absences, as well as all other subsequent staff factors (wages, pension. etc.).
Channelling your businesses’ finances and energy into finding one suitable service delivery partner, can not only provide you with an optimum level of service within your budget, but also enable you to have a support service up-and-running within a much shorter time frame, with there being no need for you to go through the time-consuming recruitment/notice period process.
Reliable service
Whilst some businesses may like the idea of their Unit4 Business World (Agresso) support service being in-house, it is unlikely they are going to have the resources to hire a full-scale team, instead relying on two or three members of staff who each bring their own particular skill-set.
With responsibility placed on such few shoulders, the personnel factors that come along with any member of staff (annual leave, sickness, disciplinary. etc.) can become even more of an issue, with businesses leaving themselves vulnerable at being left short of cover and expertise in a critical area of the business at extremely short notice.
By the time you calculate the finances and time involved in covering your staff members responsible for the support of your Unit4 Business World (Agresso) system, it is likely to have to been more cost and time-effective to have opted for an outsourced support service in the first place, subsequently freeing yourself of the associated personnel problems too.
Extra Resources
As touched upon above, businesses that choose to have their own internal support desk can be severely hamstrung by staff absence. Whilst of course external service suppliers suffer from all the same staffing problems that any business does, the difference lies in the resources that they have available to them.
They are backed by a team of numerous consultants, meaning that if they do have to deal with short-notice staff absences on the support side of the business, they are able to utilise one of their consultants to minimize the level of disruption.
Staff issues aside, dedicated ERP service suppliers, due to the specialised nature of their work, will also be better equipped with the latest support tools, predominantly due to the fact they must stay abreast of the latest technological advances in their industry to ensure their offering remains attractive to prospects and customers. Not having to invest in the necessary technology, such as support management software, should also be factored into any decision of whether you should outsource your Unit4 Business World (Agresso) support requirements or not.
Remain focused
Whether it is recruitment, meetings, investment considerations or another task, any business that decides to have their ERP support desk in-house is likely adding to the workload of numerous members of staff, and the IT team in general.
Outsourcing your Unit4 Business World (Agresso) support requirements to a team of specialists frees up those at the top-end of your business from another distraction, enabling them to focus on the businesses core objectives as much as possible.
The original article can be found on our CIO blog, ERP Talking Points: https://www.cio.com/blog/erp-talking-points/
