The bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend has been picking up steam for some time now. More companies are finding that they can reduce expenses and improve productivity by allowing their employees to access company materials with their personal devices. According to a recent study issued by iGR, titled "SMBs: The Ongoing BYOD Trend," 62 percent of IT managers reported having an official BYOD policy in place at their companies. Furthermore, 73 percent of respondents said that although their company does not officially sanction BYOD practices, it has not disallowed the use of personal technology either.

With BYOD becoming a more common occurrence, businesses should consider integrating that practice into their ERP systems. One major benefit would be allowing employees to access company information at any time from their smartphones, tablets or laptops, according to CloudTweaks. This feature could be especially helpful for employees who frequently work offsite. For instance, sales team members could use a mobile device to tap into company records to provide potential clients with information on a business' operations that might convince them to begin using its services.

Companies may also find that implementing BYOD policies with their ERP software could save them money down the road. If a business needed to make a significant IT hardware upgrade in the near future, those costs could be mitigated by allowing employees to use their personal devices instead.

CRM software tools have provided businesses with a number of resources to increase operations. Using CRM, companies can consolidate and streamline their sales, marketing and customer communication processes. With the advent and rise of social media, software has to accommodate the changing landscape of customer relations, integrating features that monitor a business' social media presence and interactions. These can be great tools to ensure that a company's social media marketing campaigns are as effective as possible.

Social media has become an essential aspect of any marketing effort. According to a report released last year by Social Media Examiner, 85 percent of marketers engage in the format in order to increase business exposure. The social media world, however, is filled with pitfalls. Any errors made by a business can be shared and amplified in the blink of an eye. That is why it is imperative that businesses have a focused plan in place when launching a social media campaign.

Establishing a basic social CRM policy before deploying any media campaign is essential, according to eCommerce Times. Employees who engage with potential clients online need to understand how their behavior reflects on the company as a whole. Equally important is ensuring that social media staff know when and where to redirect conversations with other users.

Companies should also have a plan in place if and when their social CRM managers leave. If these employees are overseeing the entire social media operation, replacing them will be no easy feat. A plan to transition responsibilities is needed so businesses are not left scrambling to salvage their social media campaigns when key figures exit. In addition, those former employees may still have access to blogs, Twitter accounts and a company Facebook page. Regardless of what terms an employee left on, it is imperative that the company prevents him or her from accessing and altering publicly viewable content.

As businesses expand, the growing number of departments and operations can become overwhelming. Many companies struggle to monitor each facet of their enterprise, much less ensure their output is being maximized. For many beleaguered businesses, ERP software has proven to be an essential tool for consolidating resources and streamlining workflow. With quality software, companies can automate, monitor and enhance a variety of functions including supply chain management, accounting and sales. An Australian construction firm recently transferred its resources to an ERP platform, and found numerous benefits.

Brickworks Building Products was the subject of a recent case study on the effectiveness of ERP implementation. With a staff of more than 1200 people, operations spanning 65 sites across Australia and New Zealand and a distribution network stretching into Southeast Asia and Middle East, the company has a massive enterprise to oversee. Redundancy, however, marred the business, as invoices were typically processed and reprocessed manually across a number of departments.

"We did a process flow analysis and found that an invoice was generally touched eight times by our staff," General Manager Finance Damien Frost said. "We had over a dozen staff doing data entry in accounts payable alone, our processes were years behind where we needed to be."

To increase efficiency, Brickworks implemented an ERP system with an automated accounts payable solution. Employees can use the new software to approve purchase orders online, which are then automatically matched with their corresponding invoices. All invoice and purchase order data is now consolidated and stored on a single finance system. Information can be easily accessed at any time with the network's classification processes.

Implementation of the new system has resulted in a third of all invoices automatically being processed without the need for an employee to manually review them. This has not only sped up the payment process, but has also increased productivity, as employees spend less time reviewing documents or following up on order and payment statuses.

Delimiter reviewed the case study and found that deploying these methods was an effective solution to invoicing problems. Integrating ERP software that can automate complex tasks can greatly improve a company's efficiency.

The backbone of any business is its supply chain. Regardless of their industry, companies depend on their ability to efficiently move products with an absolute minimum of disruptions. From production to delivery, businesses must be certain that every link in their supply chain is operating at full capacity. With the advent of the ecommerce market, that connection has been increasingly strained, as operations become less centralized. This is why so many companies use ERP software to monitor every phase of their product delivery model. That model's status quo has seen some changes recently which could require companies to rethink their supply chain needs.

With ecommerce business growing, online vendors are witnessing an increasing demand for their services as well as an growing strain on their supply chain. Andrew Underwood, partner at U.K.-based logistics firm KPMG, told Supply Management that many companies are expecting their distribution needs to increase in the near future.

"Organi[z]ations are feeling that it is time to start thinking about how they would be able to respond to an increase in demand and still death the level of volatility that is out there," he said. "A number are really preparing for an upturn."

Further straining the demands of ecommerce supply chains has been the recent upsurge of same-day delivery services. If this model catches on in the ecommerce market, vendors may have to rethink every step of their delivery method. According to Area Development contributor Kris Bjorson, these considerations could include making changes to companies' distribution centers to account for increasing delivery demands. With such drastic alterations possibly looming, businesses should ensure that they have the best ERP software solutions available to monitor their operations. As product distribution demands grow, accurately tracking every phase of the supply chain will become more essential.

Customer retention is essential to the operation of a successful business. Although a lot of marketing emphasis is placed on reaching new clients, the largest portion of a company's profit will come from repeat customers. According to a report recently released by Adobe, returning visitors account for 41 percent of ecommerce business while only making up 8 percent of total traffic. While some companies are busying themselves chasing new clients and driving up website traffic, the better source of profit lies within their pool of repeat customers. CRM software is a vital component in any operation's efforts to increase their customer retention rates.

CRM tools can provide businesses with a one-stop shop for their customer relations needs, according to Business 2 Community. A quality CRM service will retain customer information within a database that can be accessed by company employees at any time. Information such as what products a customer has historically purchased as well as how often they have been made can be provided to sales staff and customer service representatives. With this functionality, companies can better appeal to a client's specific needs and offer him or her a more personalized experience. In addition, by creating more accurate customer profiles, businesses can give more appropriate service pitches. Sales teams can run the risk of scaring off a client if they push too hard for products or services that do not meet that customer's needs.

Companies can also use CRM software to track customer management efforts. By keeping a record of every facet of a client's experience, including marketing, sales and services, businesses will have a better understanding of his or her level of satisfaction. Companies can use these tools to identify shortcomings in their retention strategy. For instance, executives may see that many clients are being brought in and sold on initial services, but follow up contact is lacking. Businesses can ensure that at every stage, customer needs are being met, thereby cultivating brand loyalty.

Companies worldwide have turned to CRM solutions to provide them with the tools needed to engage clients and ensure customer satisfaction. Gartner's forecasts show CRM sales growing at a compound annual growth rate of nine percent by 2016, Forbes reported. Total spending on the technology will exceed $18 billion by that time. For many businesses, once initial market penetration has been achieved, the next goal is reaching out to new customers while retaining the ones who have already been brought into the fold. CRM software can greatly facilitate those efforts, but there are several factors to consider when launching such a campaign.

Business 2 Community contributor Dawn Altnam recently outlined several steps companies should take to ensure the implementation of their new CRM project is as successful as possible. Deploying the software that matches the needs of a business is crucial. Executives and company heads should ensure that the product they decide on has all the resources needed for a comprehensive CRM initiative. Mobile access, social media integration and the ability to launch marketing campaigns are all features that can benefit businesses operating in the modern marketplace. Companies interested in these features should ensure their vendor provides them beforehand. Once the software becomes integrated into business operations, the process to replace it with a completely new system can cost both time and money.

Altnam also suggested that companies bring their employees up to speed on the operations of a new system prior to its launch. Customer support and sales teams, in particular, should be comfortable with the available functions of a new CRM system in order to provide clients with the best possible service and to benefit a company's customer recruitment efforts. It may take some time for personnel to get used to a new system, but once the transition is completed, the business will have an invaluable new tool at its disposal. 

Businesses are increasingly finding that they require cloud functionality from their ERP systems. With the rising focus on mobility and the spread of BYOD policies in the workplace, many companies are looking to receive the same operational control regardless of whether managers and executives are away from the office or onsite. Cloud-based ERP software can offer businesses an integrated system in which their various departmental operations are consolidated into one convenient system. The mobility of cloud technology allows employees to access this vital information even when they are not standing in front of their office computers. According to Manufacturing Digital contributor Pat Garrehy, cloud-based ERP solutions can save companies money as well, by reducing IT expenses. Implementing this type of software can greatly increase employee productivity and enhance business operations.

Before integrating a new system, there are some factors that prospective companies should first consider. CloudTweaks recently outlined the preparations businesses should take when implementing a cloud-based ERP system. It is essential that executives know beforehand exactly what functions they will require from an ERP product. Finding out after a service has been paid for and deployed that it does not completely meet a business' needs is an expensive realization.

On the company's end, leaders need to assess their readiness for implementing the new system. If the current staff is unprepared to operate an integrated ERP network, it may be wise to bring on new employees with more experience who can help facilitate the transition. In addition, business leaders should consider what critical information they want placed on a cloud server and which employees or outside business partners will have access to it. Protocols for cloud security should also already be established when the network goes online.