Business systems
ERP systems
for small and medium-sized businesses
A sales and inventory system usually stays with a business for years, and replacing it means migrating data and learning everything again. We help you choose a system, deploy it and make sure it keeps up as your business grows.
What ERP is and when a business needs it
In a small business, ERP usually means a sales and inventory program, far simpler than the systems known from large corporations. It issues sales documents, runs the warehouse, keeps track of settlements and passes data to accounting.
You start to need such a program when invoices are issued in several places at once, only one person knows the stock levels, and checking whether a customer has paid means going through the bank statement. Add sales across several channels, and it becomes hard to tell how much stock is really left.
A business that issues a dozen or so documents a month and keeps no stock does not need ERP, because an invoicing program is enough. We say so in the first conversation, before you buy a licence.
Which system to choose: InsERT, Insoft or a custom solution
We provide service and support for InsERT and Insoft software, and for an unusual process we consider a solution written for your business. Each route works in different conditions, and the choice depends on how your business works day to day.
| System | Usually for | Strength | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| InsERT (Subiekt GT, nexo) | Trade, services, small wholesalers | Simplicity and a low entry threshold | Weaker for manufacturing |
| Insoft PC-Market | Retail shops, chains | Fiscal cash registers and retail sales | Requires shop hardware |
| Custom solution | Unusual production process | Full fit to the process | Longest deployment time |
We describe both programs on separate pages: InsERT systems and Insoft systems. If no off-the-shelf system supports your business process, we consider a custom application, but only after checking off-the-shelf solutions.
What deployment looks like and what makes it succeed
Installation itself takes a few hours. Most of the deployment time goes into putting data and habits in order: the product catalogue, price lists, opening stock, permissions and learning to work in the new program.
Deployments often stall on decisions only the business itself can make. If you do not decide what product names should look like or who can grant discounts, the system will not settle it, and the existing mess will move into the new program.
That is why, before launch, we write down the basic rules: how products are coded, how warehouses are structured, price levels and permissions. It is the least spectacular stage of the project, yet it decides whether, a year on, your team still works in the system without workarounds.
Moving the entire old catalogue into the new system without cleaning it up. Outdated and duplicated items then move across with everything else, and the new system starts with old problems.
Migrating data from the old system
When switching systems, we usually move the product catalogue, customers and suppliers, stock levels and unsettled documents. We move sales history selectively, because transferring several years of documents in full takes a lot of work, and the benefit is often small.
A middle-ground setup works well: the new system starts with clean current data, and the old one stays available read-only as an archive. You do not pay for a full migration and you keep access to your history.
We first run the migration as a trial, on a copy, and show you the result before the final switch. This brings out problems invisible in the old system: duplicated customers, products with the same name and different codes, negative stock levels.
Training and the first weeks after launch
We run training on your company's data. Employees learn to issue a document for a real customer and receive a real delivery, so later they do not have to translate an example from the manual into their own work.
We split training by role. A warehouse worker needs something different from a salesperson, and an owner looking at reports needs something different again. In a joint session, everyone hears a lot about features they will not use and too little about the ones they need.
For the first two weeks after launch, we provide extended support availability. That is when most questions come up, and a quick answer helps your team get used to the system instead of going back to the spreadsheet.
- Training on your company's data, not on examples from the manual
- Separate sessions for the warehouse, sales and management
- A short guide describing your company's procedures
- Document templates with your logo and company details, prepared before launch
- Extended support availability in the first two weeks
- A review after one month: what works and what to improve
Post-deployment support, including for systems deployed by someone else
We also hear from businesses with systems we did not deploy. The program works, but there is no one to ask, because the implementation company has closed down or the person looking after the system has changed jobs.
We take over such installations. We start with an inventory: version, licences, database condition, backups, server performance and workarounds someone once set up by hand. The result is a list of findings ordered by urgency and cost.
Ongoing work covers version updates, document templates, reports, permissions, help with month-end closing and response to failures. We bill hourly or by subscription, depending on how often needs arise.
- A system not updated for several years, despite changes in regulations
- A database backup made by hand, whenever someone remembers
- A database that has grown for years without any maintenance
- Licences assigned to a former implementation partner
- Important reports produced outside the system, in a spreadsheet on someone's computer
When the system starts to slow down
A typical scenario: the program ran smoothly for several years, and for the last few months issuing a document has taken ten seconds or more. The cause is usually a neglected database or a server that no longer matches the scale of work, not the program itself.
We then check indexes, database file sizes, how backups are made and whether workstations are running over an overloaded network. We write more about this layer under database optimisation and MS SQL databases.
Cleaning up the database and server configuration usually does not require replacing the program, and everyone who works in the system notices the faster document issuing.
Fast, no-nonsense work. These guys know what they are doing.
What the cost of deployment and maintenance depends on
The cost has three parts: the vendor's licence, deployment work and later maintenance. Vendors publish their licence price lists, and we help you choose the scope so you do not buy modules your business will not use.
| Item | Scope | What the cost depends on |
|---|---|---|
| Selection consultation | Conversation, needs analysis, recommendation | free |
| Basic deployment | Installation, configuration, migration, training | system, number of workstations, amount of data to put in order |
| Deployment with integrations | Basic deployment plus connection to your shop or couriers | number of connected systems and scope of data exchange |
| Ongoing support | Updates, reports, help with month-end closing | hourly billing or a subscription, depending on needs |
We prepare a free quote within 24 hours of the conversation about scope. If a cheaper system is enough for your business, we tell you so directly.
Working together
How we work together, step by step
Conversation about processes
How documents are created today, who runs the warehouse, where data gets lost. The conversation is free.
System recommendation
A proposal with reasoning and an approximate cost of licences and deployment.
Data preparation
Cleaning the catalogue, agreeing coding rules, price lists and permissions.
Installation and trial migration
Launch on a copy, data transfer, verification before going live.
Training and launch
Sessions for each role, production launch, assistance in the first days.
Support and development
Updates, reports, integrations and response to changes in how you work.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
For trading and service businesses, most often InsERT; for retail shops and shop chains, Insoft systems. The final choice follows from how the business works.
No, we provide service and support for these programs. We help with problems, deployments, migrations and day-to-day support, including in systems deployed by other companies.
Usually, yes. Catalogues, customers and stock levels move as standard, document history selectively. We first run the migration as a trial and show you the result before the final switch.
Typically 2 to 6 weeks from decision to production use. Most of the time goes into putting data in order on your side, not into installation.
Yes. We start with an inventory of its condition and a list of findings. We do not require a new deployment if the current configuration makes sense.
Yes, see ERP integrations. We sync stock levels, prices, orders and sales documents, including when you sell on external platforms.
We keep track of them as part of support. Changes to rates, document formats or reporting obligations usually require a specific program version, so we let you know about them in advance.
Related services
What else may be useful
Your city
ERP systems in your city
For each of these cities we have a separate page describing the local market and how we work with companies there.
Let's talk about a system for your business
Describe how documents are created today and where the bottleneck is. The initial selection consultation is free and ends with a specific recommendation.