WBSRocks: Business Growth with Enterprise Software and Digital Transformation

Send us a textFinding the right system for the right job is more difficult than you would think. Most companies end up mixing the boundaries of the systems. While the journey of data science could be powerful, it’s hard to get meaningful insights that will be actionable and drive business outcomes with data siloes. So what do companies need to do to get results from their data science initiatives?In today's episode, our guest, Tony Aug, discusses the first steps enterprises need to take for their data science journey. He also discusses the architectural differences between decision science systems and operational systems. Finally, he discusses the budget planning for the data science projects and how to be successful with 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 textOperations are all about KPIs. You need a ton of KPIs to measure efficiencies. To lead your team. To motivate them. To make sure they are moving at the optimum speed. Manufacturing or non-manufacturing ops can't operate with KPIs. Don't have good data? Most likely misleading KPIs. Don't have data at all? How would you have KPIs at all? Have a ton of data but no insights? How would your KPIs be reliable? So which are the KPIs COOs need at their fingertips to ensure their success?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 COOs. We discussed the best KPIs that COOs should be measuring. Finally, we discussed how the KPIs might differ for a COO depending on the reporting and org structure. 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 smaller eCommerce platforms might claim to be cheaper than other mainstream platforms such as Shopify or BigCommerce. They might also have claims such as not charging the transaction fee. But let's face it! Most eCommerce platforms are owned or have an alliance with payment companies. That's how they make money. Running an eCommerce platform is expensive, and the fee that you pay barely covers the cost of running the platform. So is EKM Powershop really a deal, as they claim? In today's episode, we are going to independently review EKM Powershop’s capabilities. We covered many grounds, including the affiliation of eCommerce merchants with payment providers. Finally, we covered the risks with the smaller eCommerce providers and why these risks may not be worth the discount you might be getting on your transactions through smaller vendors.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 textThe systems designed for process manufacturing differ completely from discrete manufacturing. The process manufacturing verticals are also deep into logistics and transportation management, as the regulatory bodies might need to report as part of the traceability compliance. They also have very strong QC requirements with the shop floor equipment integrated.  Finally, recipe management and yield calculation are completely different from discrete verticals. So which system in the Aptean portfolio is designed for process manufacturing? If you have guessed Aptean Ross, then you are right.In today's episode, we invited a panel of industry experts for a live discussion on LinkedIn to conduct an independent review of Aptean Ross’ capabilities. We covered many grounds, including its unique features for the F&B industries. Finally, we discussed the nuances of process manufacturing industries and drew parallels with some of the discrete industries.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 textRunning a business is hard. But changing business at each inflection point could be harder. You need changes in people, processes, and technology to enable growth at each inflection point. But the hardest change management project that any organization can ever undertake is the ERP implementation, as the ERP implementation touches every discipline possible in the entire company. And regardless of how many times you have done it, you will still get surprises. But the more implementations you have under your belt, the easier the process becomes.In today's episode, our guest, Buddy Blattner, who discusses how CFOs can be successful with an ERP implementation. He also discusses how to plan for operational capacity during a growth inflection point, including an ERP implementation. Finally, he discusses several stories related to ERP rescues and the lessons learned from each of the stories.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 textMost smaller companies struggle to understand the importance of a CIO. In smaller companies, it's not uncommon to have developers, a CFO, a VP of Supply Chain, or a VP of marketing playing or claiming the role of a CIO. They might also not understand the importance of enterprise architecture, IT portfolio planning, and master data governance. But a CIO is a very specialized skillset that requires experience in managing complex enterprise applications and infrastructure. It takes many years of implementation to get used to enterprise architecture patterns and learn the best practices for managing large IT departments and programs. So which are the KPIs that CIOs need at their fingertips to ensure their success?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 CIOs. We discussed the best KPIs that CIOs should be measuring. Finally, we discussed how the KPIs might differ for a CIO depending on the reporting and org structure. 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 ecommerce shop owners are likely to be lured by the idea of open source. But once you start managing your store on an eCommerce platform, you might spend more time with technical issues than selling. osCommerce is one such platform that is often among the popular open-source cart options and has been installed on thousands of sites. Also, there was a time when osCommmerce was an OK option because the other options were equally outdated. But not anymore. And definitely not in 2023.In today's episode, we are going to review osCommerce’s capabilities independently. We covered many grounds, including why estimating the cost for open source may be harder than commercial options. We also discussed how evaluating software purely based on functional capabilities is likely to fire back. Finally, we discussed why speed, security, and SEO are perhaps the most important factors for a commerce solution.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 textThere are nuances right within the ERP system, such as most processes being driven using size, style, season, brand, and color. But then the integrations are super involved too. You have integration as thick as PLM, WMS, and a designer toolbox such as Adobe Illustrator. Then the supply chain processes are fairly unique as well, with the need for vendor collaboration, sampling, and order placement during R&D. So, which are the systems designed for the Apparel industry? If you have guessed Excenta, then you are right.In today's episode, we invited a panel of industry experts for a live discussion on LinkedIn to conduct an independent review of Aptean Excenta’s capabilities. We covered many grounds, including its unique capabilities for the apparel industry and why this industry has different needs for ERP and integrations. Finally, we covered why there are only a few solutions available in this industry unless you plan to use several add-ons on top of the horizontal ERP systems.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 textMost SMBs don’t understand the importance of the packing process. They might have a very serialized pick, pack, and ship process and might pack one order at a time. As companies mature, they gain efficiencies by decoupling the process steps and optimizing them individually. Packing is one step that is often ignored. Most SMB companies might simply send the order from their eComm or ERP to print the shipping label using the order or pick list, skipping the packing step. So not only having a good packing step is necessary, but there are several technologies available that can help you optimize the packing step by doing the math for you for the ideal packaging configuration, saving freight costs and losses due to misconfigured packaging.In today's episode, our guest, James Malley, shares his insights on the importance of the packing step of the pick, pack, ship process. He also talks about the importance of having good product dimensions and packaging data that can help to streamline the packing process. Finally, he discusses several other nuances of the packaging process and how other companies are taking advantage of advancements in packaging technologies.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 textCFOs need a ton of KPIs to ensure profitability. To ensure all revenue and expenses get accounted for. To maintain the debt-to-equity ratio. To get favorable terms from the bank. To maintain the price of the stock. But doing all of this might require thousands of KPIs. Also, as companies grow, CFOs might not have the bandwidth to keep track of every transaction of the business. So they require KPIs that are not only reliable but traceable in a manageable manner. So which KPIs are the most critical for CFOs?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 CFOs. We discussed the best KPIs that CFOs should be measured in several industries, such as manufacturing and healthcare. Finally, we discussed the KPIs that are typically meaningless to measure and might be counterproductive. 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.