Service organizations face unique challenges when it comes to managing their operations, finances, and workforce. But those difficulties are just the tip of the iceberg.
Beyond simply running their businesses, service organizations face additional obstacles, like having to adapt to rapidly changing client needs and market conditions. As such, service-based businesses often need to juggle complex processes, resource allocation, customer service, financial tracking, and so on.
In this type of environment, having a flexible, configurable, and easy to customize enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution is no longer a luxury, but rather a necessity. Your business needs an ERP system that scales with your requirements, integrates with other tools, and provides real-time insights so that you can better serve your customers and constituents.
And while there are a number of cloud-ERP solutions on the market, some are better than others when it comes to those that work in healthcare, the public sector, and utility organizations.
Infor CloudSuite stands out as an innovative solution that can meet these demands, offering powerful configurable options and seamless integration capabilities. In this post we’ll take a closer look at why, and how Infor’s ERP stacks up against some of the other major cloud system providers.
Let’s explore how Infor ERP can help your service organization operate more efficiently.
Infor CloudSuite’s Key Configuration Features
1. User-friendly configurations: A key challenge for service organizations is tailoring software to meet their specific needs without requiring a team of developers. Infor ERP solves this problem with its user-friendly configuration options, including industry-specific capabilities, extensibility frameworks, and valuable connections to other products.
For example, Infor OS Portal was designed with an eye toward enhancing the user experience to help your people be more productive. End users will find it easier to navigate, multitask, and complete their work with Infor OS Portal; it focuses on simplicity and offers various workplaces and widgets to configure CloudSuite to suit their specific needs.
As a result, service organizations can easily configure workflows, dashboards, and reports without the need for extensive coding. This empowers both technical and non-technical users to create a workspace that fits their business requirements, enhancing productivity and reducing the burden on IT teams.
2. Industry-specific flexibility: Infor ERP solutions are pre-built with capabilities designed specifically for various service industries, include healthcare and local government.
Such pre-built features reduce the need for extensive modifications. This allows service organizations to deploy a cloud-based ERP faster, as the system is already aligned with best practices for their industry.
Plus, the word from Infor, as stated at their recent Velocity Summit event, is that more industry-specific applications are on the way. These solutions will help organizations like yours optimize your ERP investment, drive efficiency, and deliver stronger customer outcomes.
3. Personalization with extensibility: Infor is also empowering customer success with its new Mongoose platform. Mongoose is a fully configurable tool that helps organizations become more self-sufficient—by making it easy to build simple applications from the ground up.
For example, Mongoose users can create custom financial dashboards, supplier performance/quality control applications, customer service and support portals, custom employee self-service tools, and more.
Plus, the intuitive Mongoose platform includes a simple interface and automatically sets up a database on the backend for performance and data insights. Simply put, Mongoose empowers companies to address their unique ERP needs.
Advantages of Infor ERP Integration
1. Open API ecosystem: This is one of the standout features of Infor ERP. It allows easy integration with third-party tools and systems.
So, whether your service organization uses specialized software for customer relationship management (CRM), project management, or analytics, Infor ERP can integrate with these solutions seamlessly, ensuring that all data flows smoothly across the organization.
2. Infor ION & IPA platforms: The Infor Intelligent Open Network (ION) is a game-changer when it comes to connecting disparate systems. It’s a middleware platform that enables data to flow seamlessly between Infor and third-party applications.
With ION, service organizations can eliminate data silos, automate workflows, and ensure that critical information is always up-to-date across all systems. This results in greater efficiency, fewer errors, and more streamlined operations.
Also, Infor Process Automation (IPA) is a Business Process Modeling (BPM) tool that enables users to design business processes for Infor products. It uses visual representations of steps to automate tasks and eliminates the need to modify source code.
3. Cloud-native compatibility, security, & managed updates: Infor’s cloud-native architecture ensures that its ERP system integrates smoothly with both cloud-based and on-premise applications. All without the headaches that come with managing multiple systems.
Infor ERP offers the flexibility to integrate across different environments, whether your organization is maintaining some legacy on-premise solutions or moving entirely to the cloud.
Security has matured significantly in the cloud environment, protecting internal data with various privilege controls. Infor security systems reduce risk and eliminate the need for third-party connections. AWS also provides data security and management protection to Infor’s CloudSuite users.
Regarding updates? Well, with Infor multi-tenant support, updates are pushed live like a mobile device—behind the scenes and without disruption, it’s just one of the many advantages of their latest cloud platform.
In addition, bug fixes, regulatory updates, and new functionality happen routinely. In the event of unexpected CloudSuite downtime, organizations will have on-demand support from Infor and AWS.
What Makes Infor ERP the Stronger Choice for Service Organizations
While other ERP providers such as SAP and Workday offer solutions that work for businesses, Infor ERP is often the stronger choice for service organizations that require greater flexibility and integration.
This is due to Infor ERP’s industry-specific capabilities, cost-effectiveness, and seamless integration of essential features, such as project management, field service, and customer relationship management functionality. What’s more, Infor ERP is approachable and adaptable, providing a smooth user experience for service organizations without a steep learning curve.
Plus, Infor’s open API, and ION platform make it easier for your service organization to configure your ERP system and integrate it with existing tools. This helps reduce costs while improving operational efficiency.
Maximize Infor ERP Capabilities with Expert Guidance
While Infor ERP offers powerful configuration and integration capabilities, working with an expert partner such as RPI Consultants will help your organization optimize these features. Here’s how:
Discovery & planning: RPI can help your organization assess its specific needs and align them with Infor features. During this initial phase, we will gather insights about your processes, workflows, and business goals, then create an implementation plan to maximize your system investment.
Tailored implementations: Once we understand your organization’s needs, our experts can configure Infor ERP to support your goals and requirements. Whether it’s setting up specific workflows, dashboards, or integrating third-party applications, RPI ensures the system is setup for your business and industry.
Ongoing support: Our work doesn’t stop once your Infor system is live. We’ll provide ongoing support to ensure smooth integration with other systems, help troubleshoot any issues, and provide guidance on future enhancements as your business grows.
RPI is an experienced partner in deploying Infor solutions for service organizations. Our deep expertise ensures that your Infor ERP will deliver the full benefits of its customization and integration capabilities.
RPI Consultants: Expertise Rooted in Partnership
To get the most out of Infor’s CloudSuite, it helps to have an expert by your side to guide you and your teams through what the software can do. RPI Consultants has over 25 years’ experience delivering successful outcomes to service organizations. Our team of experts can help you configure, integrate, and support a solution tailored to your company’s unique needs.
Contact us below to schedule a consultation or reach out to us directly to learn more about how we can help you maximize your Infor ERP investment.
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