Why it is important to choose an ERP/CRM company with an international offering.
Until about thirty years ago, companies had to be really big to operate beyond their own national borders and call themselves “multinational”. But since the introduction of the internet, this has changed significantly. In today’s world, medium and even small companies can sell and deliver their products and services all over the world. This, of course, has implications for the scale and readiness of their IT systems. Therefore, when choosing a new ERP/CRM solution, it is important to always check whether a provider you are shortlisting also has an international offering.
Although our world has rapidly globalised over the last 2 decades, the differences between individual countries are still impressively large. And this is not limited to obvious aspects such as language and currencies! Almost every single country has special features in terms of accounting, tax regulations and special reporting obligations. In addition, there are always the well-known cultural differences.
The impact of all these differences on the international implementation of systems is drastic. If you want to implement a global ERP/CRM solution that is not localised for all the countries where you operate or want to operate, you run the risk of not being compliant in all aspects. Using different local solutions for each country, on the other hand, leads to confusion, a complex organisation and significantly higher costs.
It is better not to fall into the trap of starting with a local provider and running into problems right from the first step across your home country’s borders. Unfortunately, many companies have had to pay an expensive lesson for this important lesson. Microsoft has an attractive international offering for its Dynamics 365 solutions including:
- Localised versions for their Dynamics 365 solutions for 45 countries around the world. Localised means that a solution is offered in the local language, local currency, and in compliance with local laws and regulations – on an ongoing basis;
- An availability of local implementation partners in all these countries who have a thorough knowledge of all aspects of the localised version, speak the local language and understand the local culture.
- Access to a local helpdesk, support in the local language and time zone.
As you can imagine, these are all aspects that will improve the quality of your implementations and international roll-outs. And last but not least. Perhaps you run a business that is local today. And you now think that this information is really interesting for someone else. But just imagine where the future growth of your business might be. In the next 3, 5 or maybe even 10 years. You don’t know?
So why should you limit yourself when choosing a new ERP/CRM solution today?
