Before jumping into to implementation of an ERP system, most companies and organisation trial a variety of different systems to ensure that the ERP system they choose meets all of there operational and business needs. Below is a simple walk through of what you can expect when you decide to trial a demo version of the ERP system you wish to implement into your business.
Understanding What is Being offered
What you get from a demo or trial version of an ERP system varies on your chosen software partner. Most ERP systems offer users the chance to trial a demo version of the software before agreeing to implement it into there business. Its important to note that is a system you are looking at does not offer any trial or demo of there product, it best to stay clear as this is not good practice and could be early warning signs.
For the most part, you as a potential customer of an ERP system will be given a variety of options, the most common are either a free trial period, were you can explore and use the system for a limited period of time. This way it allows you to be hands on with the system to see if this meets your requirements and is user friendly.
The other most common version of a is a Demo trail, this means the ERP system company will give you access t a variety of in depth and detailed videos, exploring all modules and features of the ERP system.
Its important to note that both of these trial / demo offering are usually limited to what they have on offering, and access to full systems would usually require discussions and agreements with the provider of the ERP System.
Support & Training
Most free trails do not give you the user any rights to any support or training as your have not purchases the product, however most trial versions implement simple tips throughout to ensure that you can grasp the basics and core features of the product.
The Next Steps
If after you Demo or Trial of the SERP System you wish to move forward, you can now start the agreements and processes of implementing your chosen product into your company or organisation.
Note though that all companies offering ERP Software differ in how they implement the software. Some ERP Systems are very much off the shelf products, and leave it up to the user to set up and manage by them selves. While other systems offer ful flexibility, support and mobilisations strategy to ensure a smooth, swift and success implementation.