Why ERP Integration matters for Prophet21® and TrulinX
What is ERP Integration?
ERP integration is critical to distributors. Integration means that the information you currently maintain in your ERP is used to drive your website.
Think of all the data you currently manage in your ERP, here are a few examples:
- Customer-specific pricing
- Product inventory levels
- Customer codes and ship-to addresses
- Order tracking data
- Customer purchase history
- Products and vendor lists
The typical distributor has much more information in their ERP than this list contains.
WebAlliance e-commerce specializes in Integration to Prophet21 and TrulinX. For more information, click either of these links: Prophet21 and TrulinX.
What does ERP Integration Get Me?
When you integrate your website with your Prophet21 or TrulinX ERP system, it allows your distributorship to manage your day-to-day operations in your ERP instead of having to worry about manually updating your website system every time your ERP data changes.
Customer pricing is a critical integration function
Without an integrated website, a distributorship would have to manage custom item/customer pricing manually in at least two systems.
With a website that is integrated, you update your pricing in your ERP and your website reflects the changes. No manual intervention is required to have the website reflect the ERP data. This allows your distributorship to focus time and energy on serving customers instead of the technical details of constant data updates.
Because the integration process is automated, it also produces consistent, predictable results without the manual hassle.
Product inventory is another integration advantage
When your ERP is integrated to your website, your product inventory can be shown in real-time. This means the inventory information your website users see is the most up-to-date information available.
When inventory is received or sold, your website automatically reflects the change, preventing user disappointment.
The integration of your ERP with your website is what allows this data to be reflected online and without manual intervention from the website admin.
Non-website transaction availability
A significant advantage of an integrated website is the ability for your website to reflect transactions that did not originate via the web.
For WebAlliance e-Commerce, this means that orders a user placed over the phone can still be viewed in the customer service portal. Tracking numbers and purchase history are available to customers regardless if they placed the order via the website, telephone, fax, EDI, or any other method.
The integration means that the data comes from your ERP, not from the website. The website becomes a reflection of the information recorded in your ERP.
Many more advantages
We could go on for pages listing the advantages of integration and why it is a requirement for a distribution website.
- Imagine the benefits of having orders placed online automatically 'appear' in your ERP platform.
- Imagine never having to spell out a tracking number over the phone again.
- Imagine what it would be like if your customers had immediate access to the data you already spend time maintaining in your ERP!
If your ERP is the heart of your business and you have a website that is not integrated into your ERP, you are spending much more effort to provide a lower quality of service than you need to.
More Information
If you are a Prophet21 ERP user, check out the Prophet21 Integration details here.
If you are a TrulinX ERP user, check out the TrulinX Integration details here.
If you would like more information about WebAlliance E-Commerce, check out the details here.
If you would like to see the features of WebAlliance e-Commerce, check out the details here.