

WBSRocks: Business Growth with Enterprise Software and Digital Transformation
Sam Gupta
WBSRocks podcast features in-depth conversations on customer experience, digital transformation, supply chain, eCommerce, industry 4.0, and enterprise software categories such as CRM, ERP, or analytics suites. The purpose of the show is to help CFOs, COOs, CEOs, and business owners with their daily commercial, operational, or financial challenges by taking a deep dive into business cases and processes, technology strategy and architecture, transformation initiatives, and business models. The show also offers an independent analysis of technology trends, various enterprise software vendors and solutions, and their mergers and acquisitions. Subscribe today to stay on top of digital transformation trends!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 15, 2023 • 57min
WBSP447: Grow Your Business by Understanding 2Checkout/VeriFone’s Capabilities, an Objective Panel Discussion
Send us a textHow hard could it be to choose a payment provider? And what could go wrong with eCommerce integrations? Well, if you don't understand how to integrate them, you could be locked out of your account. You might not be able to access your funds for the products you may have sold. But that all might be necessary if you want to protect yourself from fraud. So how would 2Checkout help?In today's episode, we invited a panel of industry experts for a live discussion on LinkedIn to conduct an independent review of 2Checkout/VeriFone’s capabilities. We covered why payment providers are the hardest to work with among eCommerce technologies. Finally, we discussed how different payment processors differ and why companies will need a payment processor such as 2Checkout/Verifone despite their negative reviews and clunky technology.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.

Feb 14, 2023 • 58min
WBSP446: Grow Your Business by Understanding Abas ERP’s Capabilities, an Objective Panel Discussion
Send us a textDo you know an ERP from Germany, but it is not SAP? Do you know an ERP system that has a similar look and feel as the other manufacturing software such as Infor or Aptean? Do you know an ERP system that has similar workflows built up as NextWorld? Do you know an ERP system that might not be as penetrated in North America? If you have guessed Abas ERP, 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 Abas ERP’s capabilities. We covered many grounds, including its origin, architecture, and target market. Finally, we analyzed several user reviews to explore the strength and weaknesses of the 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 on your favorite podcasting platform.

Feb 13, 2023 • 42min
WBSP445: Grow Your Business by Learning the Business Model Nuances of Machinery Dealers w/ Noah Graff
Send us a textBuying a machine is an expensive investment that most companies would think twice before thinking about replacing. Also, replacement decisions could be complex as various factors need to be considered including buy vs maintain, and the overall cost of ownership for both of these decisions including taxes. If you are thinking of replacing, machinery dealers could not only help you maintain but might be able to sell at the carrying costs on your balance sheet, if not for profit.In today's episode, our guest, Noah Graff, shares insights about the business model of machinery dealers. He also talks about the best practices of working with a machinery dealer. Finally, he compares different machines and how a different strategy might be required for each of these cases.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.

Feb 9, 2023 • 58min
WBSP444: Grow Your Business by Learning Job Sequencing Best Practices, a Live Interview w/ a Panel of Experts
Send us a textHow hard could job sequencing be? Isn't it all about the order of the jobs? Yes, but there could be several rules that could be used depending on your strategy. Earlier due date, Longest Processing Time, Shortest Processing Time, First-Come, First Serve, and Least Setup Hours - to name a few. So what are the best practices when it comes to job sequencing?In today's episode, we invited a panel of cross-functional experts for a live interview on LinkedIn who brings significant expertise to discuss Job Sequencing best practices. We discussed how the competing priorities could be problematic for the shop floor and how job sequencing rules affect the outcome for on-time delivery. Finally, we covered several stories related to job sequencing.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.

Feb 8, 2023 • 55min
WBSP443: Grow Your Business by Understanding Amplience’s Capabilities, an Objective Panel Discussion
Send us a textDo you know a CMS platform that is often installed alongside commercetools and SFCC? Do you know a CMS platform that is completely headless and not part of the suite like HCL Commerce? Do you know a CMS platform that is designed for a best-of-breed composable experience? Do you know a content modeling platform in the headless world? If you have guessed Amplience, 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 Amplience’s capabilities. We covered why it’s so popular among other headless platforms and why most enterprise companies end up using it regardless of the choice of their eCommerce platforms. Finally, we covered why it would require changing the mindset and consulting help to come up with the data 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 to your favorite podcasting platform.

Feb 7, 2023 • 58min
WBSP442: Grow Your Business by Understanding Blue Link ERP’s Capabilities, an Objective Panel Discussion
Send us a textDo you know an ERP that has one of the strongest functionality for pharma? Do you know a pharma ERP that is targeted at SMB wholesale distribution customers? Do you know an ERP that might have pre-baked functionality for CSOS reporting? Do you know an ERP that has POS and eCommerce built as part of the ERP? If you have guessed Blue Link ERP, 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 Blue Link ERP’s capabilities. We covered many grounds, including its superior design compared to another tier 4 systems. Finally, we covered its pharma-specific functionality and why it would be a heavier lift for pharma companies to develop this functionality on top of the vanilla 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.

Feb 6, 2023 • 40min
WBSP441: Grow Your Business by Learning On Time Delivery Performance Issues w/ Meagan Elkes
Send us a textLogistics planning requires an understanding of constraints and building relationships with carriers. While your KPIs might appear OK on the surface, there might be other issues such as packages arriving damaged or the carriers sub-contracting most of their operations. Understanding the root cause of these issues requires you to simplify your KPIs. But ensure that KPIs are well communicated and understood by everyone involved. As they say, change for the sake of change is not good. Similarly, creating KPIs just for the sake of tracking is not good. In today's episode our guest, Meagan Elkes, shares insights about the On Time Delivery performance issues. She also talks about how OTD and carrier performance is correlated and how the declining performance may be a sign of issues with the other one. Finally, we discussed concepts such as lane design, supply chain planning, and network mapping.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.

Feb 2, 2023 • 60min
WBSP440: Grow Your Business by Learning Consignment Inventory Best Practices, a Live Interview w/ a Panel of Experts
Send us a textConsigned inventory could be a great strategy for startups trying to get space in retailers' warehouses. It could also be a great strategy for distributors and retailers to carry an inventory of unfamiliar brands without committing too much capital. But consigned inventory complicates the business processes for all parties involved. So what are the best practices when it comes to incorporating consigned inventory as part of the business model?In today's episode, we invited a panel of cross-functional experts for a live interview on LinkedIn who brings significant expertise to discuss Consignment Inventory best practices. We discussed the differences between consignment and borrowing. And how the inventory will be treated in each vendor’s and customers’ ERP systems. Finally, we discussed the issues related to international consignment, along with several fun 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 to your favorite podcasting platform.

Feb 1, 2023 • 57min
WBSP439: Grow Your Business by Understanding Algolia’s Capabilities, an Objective Panel Discussion
Send us a textIf I had to describe eCommerce in three words, it would be search, recommendation, and personalization. And 90% of the eCommerce sites are extremely poor at these three things. But fear not; headless is changing that. While Algolia is used in the context of headless, you could have the same search experience even with monolith platforms. So what is Aloglia, and where does it fit in the eCommerce value chain?In today's episode, we invited a panel of industry experts for a live discussion on LinkedIn to conduct an independent review of Algolia’s capabilities. We covered why the best-of-breed search capabilities aren’t as threatening to the composable commerce experience. Finally, we discussed its capabilities such as AI synonyms, tweaking search results for each query, and personalized search.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.

Jan 31, 2023 • 59min
WBSP438: Grow Your Business by Understanding Priority ERP’s Capabilities, an Objective Panel Discussion
Send us a textDo you know an ERP system that is from Israel but is not SAP Business One? Do you know an ERP system that has a similar look and feel to SAP Business One but is way ahead in the cloud? Do you know an ERP system that can support configurable mobile workflows right within the app without requiring developers? Do you know an ERP system that has thousands of installations in Israel but is virtually non-existent in North America? If you have guessed Priority Software, 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 Priority ERP’s capabilities. We covered many grounds including its look and feel very similar to SAP Business One and its deep manufacturing capabilities. Finally, we covered its evolution, strategy, roadmap, and its strengths and weaknesses.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.