One of the buzz words going into 2020 is “Digital Transformation”.  So what does “Digital Transformation” mean?  Well if you look at WIKIPEDIA, it is defined as “the use of new, fast and frequently changing digital technology to solve problems.”

So in the world of Sage 300cloud what problems can Net at Work help you solve through Digital Transformation?

The simple answer to this question is, we are addressing many problems through Digital Transformation, let’s take a look at a few examples:

• eCommerce technology is not new, but what has evolved and has been a traditional issue for many companies is the connection between the eCommerce site and the Back Office ERP. For companies running Sage 300 implementing an integrated eCommerce solution is a key part of their digital transformation.  The ERP system becomes the single source of truth, from customer terms and pricing to item pricing and availability, truly extending your ERP functionality to your eCommerce Shopping Cart.  Companies have plenty of options when it comes to eCommerce solutions, but most don’t offer a true real-time integration to an ERP system, talk to us about how to bridge the gap.
• Document Management, is a game changer for businesses for a number of reasons. Imagine if you will, a typical AP process as the Invoice comes into the organization.  First the Invoice has to be opened, matched to a PO, routed for approval, coded, verified for budget, entered into Sage 300 AP, approved before posting, a check created and signed, invoiced filled and hope that you don’t have to find it again when you get audited.  Imagine doing this 500 or 1000 times a month, at some point this is not scalable. So some companies are looking for ways to streamline or eliminate some of these processes so they can scale with the demands of their growing organizations.  To do this we implement a Document Management solution that removes the need to open mail but rather receive it electronically, we match it automatically to the PO, the documents get digitally routed for approval with a full audit trail of where they approval workflow has stalled.  Coding can be streamlined with AP invoice entries automatically being imported into an AP Invoice Batch within Sage 300, followed by a payment via Check or ACH with an automated check advise email being sent to the vendor.  Last but not least all of the documentation captured in the process being either the originating PO, the Invoice or the subsequent check are all now stored digitally.  Meaning they are searchable and easily available at your fingertips when the auditor comes knocking.  This gives the organization the ability to scale, not to mention back some office space after they get ride of all the unnecessary paper they are storing.
• Sales Tax Compliance is an overwhelming challenge for may organizations, one that has seen an immense amount of change in 2019. Last year, only a handful of states had established economic nexus, as of the time of this article 43 states have established economic nexus.  Over that period of time multiple states have had a number of changes since nexus was established making it near impossible as a business to keep up and maintain compliance.  Insert your next wave of digital transformation in the form of Avalara.  Like an Iceberg the majority of the risk is below the surface. Calculating sales tax rates is the obvious challenge that needs to be solved, but your risks don’t stop there you have to think about these 6 risks as well.
  1. Nexus Compliance
  2. Product Taxability
  3. Jurisdictional Assignment
  4. Exemption Certificates
  5. State and Local tax prep and filling
  6. Audit Readiness

  Transforming the way you handle your tax compliance is the key to eliminate the risk when the tax auditor walks through your door.

• Our Cloud at Work service, provides businesses with a frictionless hosting service that takes the risk and complexity away from managing your server infrastructure in house. With the cost of servers and related software on the rise along with increased security concerns, hosting makes both tactical and financial sense for many small businesses.  Going to the cloud has been a key element for many Net at Work customers as they transition to a centralized digital platform.

• Supply Chain Management includes transforming manufacturing, warehouse management, Inventory, Demand Planning EDI components and the logistics of your business to go digital by integrating them so they are one cohesive solution. At Net at Work we have helped hundreds of companies transform their supply chain platform to drive automation, improving customer experience, establish compliance and effectively reduce operational costs to positively impact profitability.
• With Field Service it’s imperative to capture time, equipment, inventory being consumed, job details, such as, notes, scheduling and route planning to effectively manage multiple Field Service reps. With smart phone in hand, these reps can easily transform to a digital process giving them visibility to the job details, tracking the consumption of inventory, the use of equipment and of course capturing billable time all connected to Sage 300.
• Credit Card Payments all too often are done in silos, separated from your ERP system simply because that’s what the bank told you to do. There is a better way to connect the process of collecting payments, maintaining PCI compliance, with full integration into Sage 300.  Net at Work has helped hundreds of clients save money on credit card fees and eliminate unneeded reconciliation processes by integrating and batch processing credit card payments.
• CRM is about creating a digital footprint painting the picture of your relationships with prospects, customers and vendors. At Net at Work we have an entire practice dedicated to helping clients change the way they interact with customers, putting customer data and defined processes in the hands of the sales team, driving visibility to management related to Sales Pipeline, Customer Service and Marketing success.  We are focused on providing an integrated CRM solution that connects your front office with your back office helping organizations unleash their full sales potential.
• Business Intelligence (BI), is the collection and organization of data that you have captured as a result of your digital transformation. BI without data in a digital format is limited to basic Financial Statements, but capturing data in a key areas of your business allows you to create dashboards and Key Performance Indicator  (KPI) reports that can see the direction your business is going, and not limiting to just where it has been.  At Net at Work we have help hundreds of customers create a BI strategies that starts first and foremost buy looking at the areas of your business that need to go digital.  By going digital we are definition using “new, fast and frequently changing digital technology to solve problems.”  BI is like the wrapper on the entire process that provides the output, final presentation if you will, for all of the data that you have captured as a result of your digital transformation.

As you can see from the numerous examples, Digital Transformation can mean different things for every organization.  Priorities will be different, some examples don’t apply to everyone, but nearly every company we talk to is somewhere on the path to their digital transformation.

Digital Transformation is a journey, one that needs to be planned out to get the maximum value for any organization. Talk to us about where you are on your journey and how to make that plan by using our free Business Health Assessment tool that has been designed to help businesses to assess where you are today in your digital transformation process and where you want to be in the next 3 to 5 years.   Creating a roadmap to allow the journey to have a clear direction and a clear definition of success.  Enjoy the Journey!