Retail & ECommerce
We are independent ERP consultants providing expertise in system selection, best practice and business process improvement for retail organizations.
Retail and ECommerce Requirements
Unique Retail and ECommerce industry requirements include:
- Multiple payment types including cash, credit and debit cards, foreign currency, gift cards with split payments
- Flexible pricing including automatic discounts and promotions
- Mobile device to handle any inventory process such as counts or stock changes
- Workforce management including commissions
- Multiple dimensions for an item such as colour or size
- Loyalty programs
- Integrated e-commerce
- Omni channel shopping
- Sales and inventory forecasting based on trends but excluding one-time promotions
- Refund management
- Requisitions – manual and automatic based on replenishment system
- Inter store transfers
- Rebate management
- Directed put away
- Vendor managed inventory
- Warehouse management
Systems
- Tier 1
- Tier 2
- Tier 3
| Acumatica | Blue Link ERP | Epicor Eagle | Epicor Propello | ERPNext | Fidelio | Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations | NetSuite | Oracle Cloud ERP | Pronto Xi | QuickBooks | SAP Business One | SAP S/4 HANA | Versa Cloud ERP | Workday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Information | |||||||||||||||
| System | Acumatica | Blue Link ERP | Epicor Eagle | Epicor Propello | ERPNext | Fidelio | Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations | NetSuite | Oracle Cloud ERP | Pronto Xi | QuickBooks | SAP Business One | SAP S/4 HANA | Versa Cloud ERP | Workday |
| Vendor | Acumatica | Blue Link ERP | Epicor Software Corporation | Epicor Software Corporation | ERPNext | Fidelio | Microsoft Dynamics 365 | NetSuite | Oracle Cloud ERP | Pronto Xi | QuickBooks | SAP Business One | SAP S/4HANA | Versa Cloud ERP | Workday |
| Description | Acumatica was born in the cloud, built to meet the ever-evolving needs of midmarket companies and their customers.
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Since 1992, Blue Link ERP (a Cordance business unit) has been providing integrated inventory and accounting ERP software for small to medium size businesses and is best suited for those in the wholesale, distribution and e-commerce industries. As an all-in-one system, Blue Link helps businesses streamline and automate their processes by providing inventory management, accounting, order entry, warehouse management, and customer relationship management. In addition, Blue Link provides various add-on components such as B2B e-commerce, lot tracking, landed cost tracking, eCommerce integration and barcode scanning and can be customized in order to meet the specific needs of clients. Blue Link ERP is available throughout North America and the Caribbean and is offered as a SaaS (Cloud) solution. Blue Link ERP is particularly strong in regulated industries, such as pharmaceutical distribution, and generally in industries regulated by agencies such as the FDA, DEA and Health Canada, | Epicor Eagle for the Aftermarket allows distributors and jobbers of every size to empower their store personnel to deliver new levels of customer service and achieve impressive sales and margin gains. Eagle provides store employees with fast, easy access to all of the tools— including the Epicor PartExpert® catalog with VIN lookup and Cover-toCover™ graphical eCatalog module—needed to provide a superior customer experience. With the Eagle system, each counterperson will be able to complete more transactions per day, provide additional value in the form of detailed product images, warranty information, Technical Service Bulletins, quick links to manufacturer Web sites, and more. The system’s integrated “smart” catalog will prompt your employees to collect the right information and make the best brand and quality recommendations based on your preferences and the customers’ order history. Epicor is the essential partner for businesses that make, move and sell the things that keep the world running. With a history of 50 years in ERP software, we have evolved to provide end-to-end productivity solutions for five core industries: Epicor for Manufacturing, Epicor for Distribution, Epicor for Retail, Epicor for Building Supply, and Epicor for Automotive. Within each of these industries, we offer a portfolio of platforms and modules, secure in the cloud, curated to provide you with a complete solution set for your business. We’re cloud first with the flexibility to offer choice to those who are on the journey to cloud, so you have exactly what you need to run your business today and tomorrow. We go beyond enterprise resource planning and provide innovative and highly focused industry productivity solutions that are essential to our customers’ businesses. We enable them to track and streamline their processes, connect their employees, make better decisions, and accelerate their ambitions – whether that’s growing business, expanding capabilities, increasing productivity, or improving efficiency. With our continuous technical innovation and deep vertical knowledge, we’re able to curate and flex our solutions to anticipate the complex and changing needs of our customers’ businesses. | Epicor Propello, the unique comprehensive retail management platform with a pure web application 100% designed and built for the cloud, simplifies retail workflows to increase operational efficiency and improve profitability. High-value contextual information delivered at the point-of-sale helps empower employees to create exceptional customer experiences. And Propello’s modern, intuitive interface speeds learning, improves employee productivity, and reduces errors. Epicor is the essential partner for businesses that make, move and sell the things that keep the world running. With a history of 50 years in ERP software, we have evolved to provide end-to-end productivity solutions for five core industries: Epicor for Manufacturing, Epicor for Distribution, Epicor for Retail, Epicor for Building Supply, and Epicor for Automotive. Within each of these industries, we offer a portfolio of platforms and modules, secure in the cloud, curated to provide you with a complete solution set for your business. We’re cloud first with the flexibility to offer choice to those who are on the journey to cloud, so you have exactly what you need to run your business today and tomorrow. We go beyond enterprise resource planning and provide innovative and highly focused industry productivity solutions that are essential to our customers’ businesses. We enable them to track and streamline their processes, connect their employees, make better decisions, and accelerate their ambitions – whether that’s growing business, expanding capabilities, increasing productivity, or improving efficiency. With our continuous technical innovation and deep vertical knowledge, we’re able to curate and flex our solutions to anticipate the complex and changing needs of our customers’ businesses. | ERPNext is VERY DIFFERENT from other software solutions for the following reasons:
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Founded in 1999 at Montreal, our mission is to assist and support SMBs in optimizing the efficiency of their business processes automated in order to increase their competitiveness in local, national and international markets. | Dynamics 365 launched in 2016 when Microsoft brought together Dynamics AX, its ERP application and the Dynamics CRM application. Microsoft was one of the first to make a move an offer an integrated solution. Given the dynamic nature of business and the likelihood of unique situations, it is becoming more and more important for software/solution providers to introduce applications that cater to the changing trends. Dynamics 365 is a comprehensive suite of services enabling all in one solutions so that you don’t have to pick and choose from the plethora of options available.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 can be used for:
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NetSuite ERP is an all-in-one, AI-powered, cloud business management solution that helps organizations operate more effectively by automating core processes and providing real-time visibility into operational and financial performance.
With a single, integrated suite of applications for managing accounting, order processing, inventory management, production, supply chain and warehouse operations, NetSuite ERP gives companies clear visibility into their data and tighter control over their businesses.
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Oracle Cloud ERP is a powerful, cloud-based enterprise resource planning ERP system designed to help businesses streamline and automate their core financial and operational processes. It provides a comprehensive suite of applications that covers areas such as risk management, expense management, financial management, procurement, project management, supply chain operations. By integrating these essential business functions into a single, unified platform, Oracle Cloud ERP enables organizations to improve efficiency, reduce operational costs, and gain real-time visibility into their operations. One of the key strengths of Oracle ERP is its user friendly, flexibility and scalability, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes, from growing enterprises to large, complex global corporations. The Oracle Cloud infrastructure leverages cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and data analytics to provide predictive insights, automate routine tasks, and drive continuous process improvement. For example, its AI-driven financial management capabilities can help businesses predict cash flow, detect anomalies in transactions, and automate expense reporting. The ERP software suite also offers advanced reporting and analytics tools, enabling users to make data-driven decisions with real-time insights into their business performance. Its cloud-based architecture ensures that organizations can benefit from regular updates and innovations without the need for costly and time-consuming on-premises maintenance. Furthermore, the platform is designed with built-in security and compliance features, ensuring that sensitive business data is protected while meeting industry-specific regulatory requirements. Learn more about cloud services and its enterprise functions of Oracle at https://www.oracle.com/ca-en/erp/. | With headquarters and our Development Centre located in Melbourne, we have support offices and consultants based across Australia, as well as a global network of Resellers and Solution Partners. Pronto Xi, our flagship Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution helps you to monitor and control every aspect of your business, from top floor to shop floor. Gain insights about what’s making you money and where your best opportunities lie – from improving productivity and customer service to inventory accuracy and more. Specialised business units within Pronto Software have the expertise to assist you with pivotal technology – Digital Transformation with Pronto Woven, Cloud and Hosting services with Pronto Cloud and Business Intelligence solutions with Pronto iQ. When you choose Pronto Software, you gain a team with decades of industry experience and a single-minded dedication to helping our customers achieve their growth and revenue goals. That’s why for more than 40 years, over 1,700 Australian and global organisations, across a wide range of industries, have trusted us to simplify their most complex challenges. | QuickBooks. Whether you’re a small business owner or self-employed, QuickBooks makes it easy to keep financials organized from anywhere. So you can make better business decisions, focus on growth, and take the stress out of tax time. | SAP Business One is designed for small and mid sized companies to grow with you; it is flexible and modular, yet powerful and with its user-friendly interface, it is simple to use. The SAP Business One application offers an affordable way to manage your entire business – from accounting and financials, purchasing, inventory, sales and customer relationships, and project management, to operations and human resources. SAP Business One helps you to streamline processes, gain a greater insight into your business, so that you can act fast and make decisions based on real time information, to help you drive profitable growth. A single view of your business to help you stay in control We understand that businesses like yours have big dreams and big goals, and as your business grows it can be difficult to get a single view of what is happening at any given time, when information resides in different applications or even locations. SAP Business One is designed for small and midsized companies to grow with you, it is flexible, modular, yet powerful and with its user-friendly interface, it is simple to use. | SAP S/4 HANA. As the market leader in enterprise application software, SAP helps companies of all sizes and in all industries run better by redefining ERP and creating networks of intelligent enterprises that provide transparency, resiliency, and sustainability across supply chains. SAP's end-to-end suite of applications and services enables customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference worldwide. | Versa Cloud is modern all-in-one software created for fast growing inventory heavy manufacturing, distribution, and e-commerce businesses moving to the next level. It is more powerful than the old software used by your larger competitors, yet simple and affordable enough for use in businesses like yours. Every successful business eventually outgrows Excel spreadsheets and old software. If you are looking for new software that eliminates post-it notes, spreadsheets, and add-ons consider Versa Cloud ERP. | Workday is a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources, helping customers adapt and thrive in a changing world. Workday applications for financial management, human resources, planning, spend management, and analytics have been adopted by thousands of organizations around the world and across industries—from medium-sized businesses to more than 50% of the Fortune 500. |
| Website | https://www.acumatica.com/ | https://www.bluelinkerp.com/ | https://www.epicor.com/en-us/products/retail-management-systems-rms/eagle-for-the-aftermarket/ | https://www.epicor.com/en-us/products/retail-management-systems-rms/propello/ | https://erpnext.com/ | http://www.commsoft.ca | https://dynamics.microsoft.com | https://www.netsuite.com/ | https://www.oracle.com/erp/ | https://www.pronto.net/ | https://quickbooks.intuit.com | https://www.sap.com/products/erp/business-one.html | https://www.sap.com/ | https://www.versaclouderp.com | https://www.workday.com/ |
| Primary Tier | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Industries | |||||||||||||||
| Apparel | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Construction | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Field Services | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Financial Services | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Food & Beverage | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Hospitality | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Manufacturing | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Nonprofit | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Professional Services | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Retail & ECommerce | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Certified | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Transportation & Logistics | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Wholesale Distribution | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Certified | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Applications | |||||||||||||||
| Accounting (General Ledger, Financial Reporting, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Budgeting and Cash Management) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Asset Management | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| CPQ (Configure Price Quote) | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| CRM | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Distribution (Order Processing, Purchasing and Inventory) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| E-commerce | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Field Services - Dispatching & Scheduling | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Field Services - Mobile Field Management | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Human Resource Management | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Manufacturing - Quality Control | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Manufacturing - Scheduling | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Manufacturing - Shop Floor Control | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| MRP | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Payroll | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Point of Sale | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Product Lifecycle Management | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Professional Services - Scheduling | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Professional Services - Timesheets | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Professional Services – WIP Management | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Project Management | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Transportation Management | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Warehouse Management | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Developer Information | |||||||||||||||
| Number of customers - all products | Several hundred | 23,000 | 23,000 | ||||||||||||
| Number of customers - this product | Several hundred | 4,500 | |||||||||||||
| Technology | |||||||||||||||
| % of application that is web based (just need a browser on workstation) | 20 | 25% | 100% | ||||||||||||
| On premise, cloud or hybrid | On Premise | Cloud | On Premise, Cloud | Cloud | On Premise | On Premise | On Premise | On Premise | On Premise | On Premise | On Premise | On Premise | On Premise | On Premise | On Premise |
| Private or Public Cloud | Private | Private | Public | Public | Private | Private | Private | Private | Private | Private | Private | Private | Private | Private | Private |
| Tenant Architecture | Multi-Tenant | Single-Tenant | Single-Tenant | Multi-Tenant | Multi-Tenant | Multi-Tenant | Multi-Tenant | Multi-Tenant | Multi-Tenant | Multi-Tenant | Multi-Tenant | Multi-Tenant | Multi-Tenant | Multi-Tenant | Multi-Tenant |
| Generic Requirements | |||||||||||||||
| Customization/Configuration | |||||||||||||||
| Without changing source code | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
User-defined fields
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In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | Available Next Year | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
User defined screens
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In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | Not Available | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Multiple Companies | |||||||||||||||
| Share inventory across companies | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Share customers and suppliers across companies | In Current Release | Minor Modification | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Automate balancing of transactions across legal entities | In Current Release | In Current Release | Not Available | Not Available | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| PO of 1 company automatically generates the sales order in another company | In Current Release | Configuration Change | Not Available | Not Available | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Multiple Currencies | |||||||||||||||
| Maintain source and home currency amount for each transaction | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | Not Available | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Date effective currency exchange rates | In Current Release | In Current Release | Not Available | Not Available | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Work Flow | |||||||||||||||
| Can apply an approval process to any transaction such as a journal entry or any master file such as a supplier or inventory item | In Current Release | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Can generate alerts/escalation if something expected is late or reminders | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | Available Next Year | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Configurable approvals or alerts without needing programming | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Mobility | |||||||||||||||
| Optimized for Android and iPhone | In Current Release | 3rd Party Supported Application | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Offline mode and synch when internet connected | In Current Release | Not Available | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Sales tax compliance | |||||||||||||||
| Canadian sales tax compliance | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | Not Available | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| US sales tax compliance | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Reporting/Business Intelligence | |||||||||||||||
| Reporting | |||||||||||||||
| Industry standard reporting tool and can change existing reports or add new ones | In Current Release | 3rd Party Supported Application | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Ad-hoc reporting (don’t need a programmer) with filtering, sorting and summarizing options | In Current Release | 3rd Party Supported Application | In Current Release | Available Next Year | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Dashboards | |||||||||||||||
| Based on real time updates from all transactions | In Current Release | 3rd Party Supported Application | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Role specific | In Current Release | 3rd Party Supported Application | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Configurable dashboards - don't need to be a programmer to create or change dashboard | In Current Release | 3rd Party Supported Application | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Analytics | |||||||||||||||
| Drag and drop dimensions | In Current Release | 3rd Party Supported Application | In Current Release | Available Next Year | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
| Visualization/graphic representation of data | In Current Release | 3rd Party Supported Application | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release | In Current Release |
Testimonials
I was happy to have the help, and they were very affordable compared to many of the alternatives in the US, and their background in accounting also comes in handy. They have a smart process, with a comprehensive list of all the different features we need based on business process reviews, and then asking ERP vendors to respond to an RFP. Some did better than others in the rating process, and ultimately it was pretty easy to narrow it down right away using their technique. Basically, it took three months to get it all done. The standout thing - their experience is what really shines, and they were unbiased through the process.
I can’t say enough good things about Alex and Michael, they were wonderful to work with. The Business Process Review was probably the most valuable thing for our company - reviewing how all the teams interact with each other. They helped us draft the RFP and vetted the responses so we could narrow down the list of vendors to our top three. Michael was incredible on our actual contract negotiations, guiding us on where we could push back, resulting in savings that essentially paid for the 180 Systems fees. Once we had selected the ERP system, Alex helped us through the entire implementation process – we wouldn’t have been able to do it without his knowledge and support.
