The questions below are the ones we are asked most often by UK businesses considering ERP. If yours is not here, get in touch and we will answer it directly.
About ERP in general
What is ERP, in plain terms?
ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning. In practice it means one system that runs your finance, stock, purchasing, sales and — if relevant — production, with each part updating the others automatically. The difference from accounting software is that accounting software records what happened to your money, while ERP runs the operations that generate those numbers in the first place.
How do I know if my business needs ERP?
The usual signs are a spreadsheet that has become critical to your operations, stock figures you do not fully trust, month-end taking more than five working days, and the same information being typed into more than one system. If several of those sound familiar, it is worth a conversation. If none do, your current setup is probably fine.
Is my business too small for ERP?
Possibly, and we will tell you if we think so. As a rough guide, businesses below about £1 million turnover with simple processes are usually better served by good accounting software. The trigger is complexity rather than size — a small manufacturer with batch traceability requirements may need ERP long before a larger but simpler business does.
Cost and commercials
How much does an ERP system cost?
Licences, implementation and ongoing support are three separate costs, and implementation is usually the largest. For planning purposes, a small UK business implementing SAP Business One should expect implementation somewhere from around £16,000 upward, with licences on top. We have written a fuller breakdown in our guide to SAP Business One costs in the UK.
Is it cheaper to buy licences outright or subscribe?
It depends on your time horizon. Subscription costs less initially and keeps you flexible. Buying outright costs more in year one but usually becomes cheaper somewhere between years four and six. If you are confident you will still be running the system in seven years, buying outright generally wins.
Are there costs that do not appear in a typical quote?
Often, yes. Ask specifically about hosting, database licensing, third-party add-ons, and what your year-two support arrangement covers. Also budget for your own team’s time — it is not invoiced, but it is real.
Implementation
How long does an implementation take?
A straightforward deployment for a small business typically runs three to four months from kick-off to go-live. More complex projects — multiple sites, manufacturing, significant integrations — commonly take six to nine months. Anyone promising a complex ERP implementation in a few weeks is describing a software installation, not an implementation.
What will you need from us?
An internal project owner with authority to make decisions, a key user from each affected department, and honest access to how your processes actually work rather than how they are supposed to. Implementations fail far more often from lack of internal ownership than from technical problems.
What happens to our existing data?
We migrate what is worth migrating. Typically that means open transactions, customer and supplier records, stock items and balances, plus an agreed amount of history. Data cleansing is a real piece of work and the most commonly underestimated part of any project — whatever is wrong in your current system arrives in the new one unless someone fixes it first.
Can we keep using some of our current systems?
Usually yes. Integration with e-commerce platforms, payroll, CRM and bespoke applications is common. Each integration is a distinct piece of work to scope and cost, so raise them early rather than after a quote is agreed.
Will the system be customised for us?
Some configuration is always needed; heavy customisation is usually a warning sign. Every deviation from standard functionality costs money twice — once to build, and again at every upgrade. We generally recommend adopting standard processes where they are good enough and customising only where your business genuinely differs.
Training and support
How much training is included?
Training is scoped as part of every project and priced transparently. We train on your own data rather than a demonstration company, because people learn a system far faster when they recognise what is on the screen.
What support do we get after go-live?
Ongoing support arrangements are agreed before the project starts, so there are no surprises. The period immediately after go-live needs the most attention, and it is planned for rather than improvised.
What if the people you trained leave?
We provide documentation written for your processes, and we can train replacements as needed. It is worth deliberately spreading system knowledge across more than one person — the risk of a single expert is the same risk as the critical spreadsheet.
Choosing a system and a partner
Do you only work with one ERP product?
No. We work with both SAP Business One and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, which means we have no commercial reason to push you toward either. Our comparison of the two sets out the honest trade-offs.
Which system is better?
Neither, in the abstract. SAP Business One tends to suit businesses with manufacturing or demanding inventory requirements. Business Central tends to suit businesses deeply committed to Microsoft 365 where reporting matters most. The right answer comes from looking at your processes, not from a feature list.
How should we evaluate partners?
Ask how many consultants they actually have, who specifically would work on your project, what happens if that person leaves, and for references from businesses of your size in your sector. You will spend far more time with the partner than with the software.
Do you work outside the Stockport area?
Yes. We work with businesses across the UK, combining remote delivery with on-site work where a project needs it.
Still have a question?
If what you need to know is not covered here, ask us directly. Book a free consultation or send us a message — there is no obligation, and we are happy to give a straight answer even if it means telling you that you do not need us yet.