WBSRocks: Business Growth with Enterprise Software and Digital Transformation

Send us a textSome entrepreneurs might not choose to hire help just because they might make less. Also, their ego might prevent building a business with the exit strategy in mind. But the others already have their game figured out. They know when to delegate and how to decouple the business from them to ensure that the business is completely decoupled from the founders. In today's episode, our guest, Roger Knecht, discusses the challenges entrepreneurs face with business growth. He also discusses why it’s important to build a business with an exit strategy in mind. Finally, he discusses the art of delegation and why skillsets and the ability to hire the right expertise play an important role in why certain entrepreneurs are wildly successful while others are not.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textThe KPIs for operations managers would differ based on their responsibilities, the size of the org, and the industry. The role of ops management could be as diverse as managing tactical roles such as logistics to strategic roles such as procurement. Weak operations management leads to weak sales and operations planning, which might, in turn, lead to operational disruptions and inferior customer experience. So which are the KPIs that are most relevant for the operations managers to ensure streamlined operations? So which are the KPIs that are critical for operations managers?In today's episode, we invited a panel of cross-functional experts for live interview on LinkedIn who brings significant expertise to discuss the Top KPIs for operations managers. We discussed how the role of the operations manager could drive their KPIs. We also discussed several KPIs in various different industries, such as professional services, manufacturing, and many more.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textWhile most people might want to put ERP into generic categories such as make-to-order vs. make-to-stock, you need a much deeper analysis to identify the right software packages. Even inside the engineer and make-to-order verticals, there could be nuances such as program management and contract compliance for the automotive verticals. Also, the companies that own the software might drive specific capabilities depending on their strategic alignment. So where does Glovia G2 stand today? And how does it differ from other automotive-centric software?In today's episode, we invited a panel of industry experts for a live discussion on LinkedIn to conduct an independent review of Glovia G2 ERP capabilities. We covered many grounds, including their strength in automotive capabilities and their evolution as a company. We also covered their weaknesses with their technology and why upgrading to the latest cloud capabilities might be a challenge for them.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform. 

Send us a textThere will always be confusion about the role of MES vs. ERP because of so many different feature sets that are common in both systems. The role of MES is limited to the shop floor, while the ERP is responsible for the enterprise workflows. Also, the MES systems come in many different shapes and sizes, some with very deep capabilities for a specific industry, while others may be technically sound. So where does Epicor advanced MES fits?In today's episode, we invited a panel of industry experts for a live discussion on LinkedIn to conduct an independent review of Epicor advanced MES’ capabilities. We covered several topics, such as how Epicor advanced MES and ERP differ and their role in the enterprise architecture. Finally, we covered different feature types that Epicor is working on to advance its MES capabilities.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe to your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textMost people understand why unit economics is critical as that drives profit margins. They might use different names for it. Some might call it cost accounting. Depending on the industry, different terms may be used. But the intent is very similar. To understand the cost to produce a product. Cost accounting is also a unique profession, as it sits at the intersection of finance and operations. You need to understand the depth of both worlds to be effective as a cost accountant. So which are the KPIs that are critical for cost accountants?In today's episode, we invited a panel of cross-functional experts for live interview on LinkedIn who brings significant expertise to discuss the Top KPIs for cost accountants. We discussed the maturity of cost accounting in different organizations and how that might impact KPIs that cost accountants might track. We also discussed different challenges, such as currency fluctuations, regulatory requirements like market pricing used for regulatory reporting, and how overhead allocation might impact the cost accounting KPIs.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textThe add-ons come in various shapes and sizes. Some of them were so well done (and tightly embedded with some of the most popular packages) that they became gold standards. The process industry is particularly unique, with each micro-vertical having its nuanced needs. And there aren't a ton of solutions out there that are particularly suited for the process industries, especially with the native experience and robust functionality like BatchMaster.In today's episode, we invited a panel of industry experts for a live discussion on LinkedIn to conduct an independent review of BatchMaster ERP capabilities. We covered many grounds, including their corporate strategy, how they evolved as a solution, and where they are really strong. We also covered unique capabilities such as super jobs, safety capabilities, and the NPD and PLM capabilities that might typically reside in a PLM system.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform. 

Send us a textB2B companies have very different needs for eCommerce than B2C. In some B2B verticals that might be slightly service-oriented, even the product model might not be defined. But to be successful with B2B eCommerce initiatives, having a refined product model is essential. By the way, that’s not the only challenge. The bigger challenge would be the integration of eCommerce with ERP. And while you might feel that it might be plug-and-play, it rarely is because of the ever-changing interfaces and APIs.In today's episode, our guest, Arno Ham, discusses the importance of pre-integrated eCommerce platforms for ERP systems. He also discusses the challenges with ERP and eCommerce integration, such as the need for eCommerce to be real-time while the ERP systems require downtime for maintenance and upgrade. Finally, he discusses the industries that are fit for the configurator and B2B commerce business model.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textThere will always be a divide in opinions about who should lead the design of business software. ERP platforms designed by CPAs argue that CPAs design the best software. The manufacturing packages designed by shop floor owners tend to argue that they design the best manufacturing packages. The firms started by software engineers and architects might be perceived as disconnected from the needs of business users. Like it or not, software design fundamentals still matter, and most standard packages that scale follow the core software engineering and database design fundamentals. So where does BizAutomation stand?In today's episode, we invited a panel of industry experts for a live discussion on LinkedIn to conduct an independent review of BizAutomation ERP capabilities. We covered many grounds, including their strength with their design and architecture. We also converted their weaknesses, such as their infrastructure and documentation.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform. 

Send us a textHow different could electrical and HVAC industries be? Shouldn’t their processes be as simple as distribution and field services? What is so complex about their eCommerce processes? Well, electrical and HVAC industries are unique as their products need to be aligned with the trade associations. If they don’t follow the same coding standards, there might be issues in integrating with the buying groups and other collaborators. They also have unique processes such as electronic signature and dispatch to delivery confirmation.In today's episode, our guest, David Gordon, discusses the eCommerce challenges for the electrical and HVAC industry. He also discusses why these industries are lacking compared to their peers in innovating their processes and providing a cutting-edge customer experience. Finally, he discusses why these industries are unique in their ERP needs and why the vanilla system would fail for them.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textThe debate between what's an add-on vs. what's an ERP is not new. The add-ons will never have the traceability requirements that regulated industries such as Med Device and Pharma require. But unfortunately, due to the limited technical background of auditors, they can't distinguish whether a record is traceable inside the system. Or would it require manual steps to establish the linking? Also, because of the fragile integration between QuickBooks and Sage50, there are likely to be significant data integrity issues. Most QuickBooks add-ons suffer from the same problems, but they all have a tendency to call them ERP. So where does QT9 stand?In today's episode, we invited a panel of industry experts for a live discussion on LinkedIn to conduct an independent review of QT9 ERP capabilities. We covered many grounds, including their strength with document management and quality workflow processes, including how it compares with other life sciences-centric ERP systems such as Deacom, Blue Link, and Sage X3. We also converted the weaknesses with their data model and how it will suffer from the same traceability issue as other Quickbooks add-ons such as Katana MRP.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.