How to Spot a Great ERP System in 5 Minutes

Alright, so you’re looking at ERP systems. Maybe the sales guy is throwing a bunch of big words at you, or you’re just clicking around on some demo screen wondering, “How do I know if this is any good?”

Here’s the deal. You don’t need hours to figure it out. Five minutes is plenty.

First, check how easy it is to navigate. If you feel like you need a map to find basic stuff, that’s a red flag. Good ERPs let you find things without reading a manual the size of a dictionary.

Second, test the search bar. No joke. If the search doesn’t pull up what you need, it’s going to waste so much time later. Type something random like “invoice” or “customer details” and see if it works.

Third, think about integrations. Does it play nice with your other tools? Like your accounting software or inventory tracker? If not, you’ll be stuck doing manual work forever, and trust me, no one has time for that.

Fourth, speed. Click on a report and see how fast it loads. If it’s slow during a demo with barely any data, imagine what it’ll be like when your entire company is using it.

Last, think about future you. Will this system still work when your business grows? Or are you going to outgrow it in a year? A great ERP grows with you.

And that’s it. Five minutes, five steps. Done.