Usability can be a nebulous word- what one employee in one industry finds inherently usable may be completely incomprehensible to another. Does that make the notion of usability an abstract, useless concept? Far from it. Business organizations turn to aggregators and leaders, such as the tech giant G2, to define the terms and set a level playing field through end-user based surveys and unbiased reviewing. Companies can use these reviews to determine what systems are the best fit for their business- but first they have to answer the question “what, exactly, is usability, and why does it matter?”.
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Defining an Abstract
Usability, when it comes to ERP software, boils down to this: what system performs best for its users? A system with a thousand features and functions is great, but if the end users can’t access those features, they’re useless. That is what defines usability- can the average user successfully navigate a system in the course of doing their job.
What Makes a Platform Usable?
If a platform is defined by how its end users interact with it, what factors go into making those interactions positive- or to phrase it another way, what tools make a platform usable? There are, naturally, dozens of answers, but some of the most common across different industry types include scalability, or the ability for a system to grow along with the business, ease of access, or removing hurdles keeping employees from accessing or using the system such as copious logins, hard to navigate menus, or the need to understand coding, ease of administration, and the ability to easily automate tasks to increase efficiency and productivity.
Tools that empower workers to do more without having to jump through hoops or possess in-depth, technical knowledge to accomplish those tasks are key. A feature, no matter how well thought out or helpful, is only as good as the end-user’s ability to utilize it.
Why it Matters
Usability is not simply about quality of life improvements that will make a company’s employees happy, there are genuine, bottom-line benefits to employing an intuitive ERP platform with a focus on usability. Forward thinking businesses can use a new platform to jump-start new processes or initiatives, drive growth, foster innovation, and enhance employee engagement, all important factors in increasing profitability.
Whether it’s better financial projections thanks to in-depth reporting functionality or increased efficiency due to new automation protocols, ‘usability’ translates directly to bottom-line savings. Selecting an ERP platform that employees find easy to use isn’t a luxury, it’s a vital step to removing stumbling blocks to success.
Usability in the Real World
What, exactly, do these tools look like to a real world business? It can vary from industry to industry, as well as between different positions within the same company. Construction companies can benefit from the ability to see project costs and inventory from mobile devices, ensuring that job-site decisions are being made with accurate data. Distribution and manufacturing businesses can utilize warehouse and inventory features to keep track of stock, deal with supply chain issues, and maximize efficiency within their warehouse operations. Executives can utilize in-depth reporting functions from within the same system IT wizards use to diagnose and fix end-customer issues, or sales reps use to take orders. The “real world” uses are nearly endless, as are the benefits to be reaped.
The Right Platform is Out There, Closer Than you Think
Acumatica, an agile ERP platform, continues to rank highly in G2 surveys on usability across a variety of fields. Scoring ten points above average overall Acumatica clocked in with a 4.4 rating out of 5 with over 750 ratings. In addition to these accolades Acumatica is routinely rated highly by customers themselves, winning awards year after year for their intuitive system.
In summary, choosing a modern, agile ERP platform designed to be inherently usable is a decision that can separate a business from their competitors, regardless of their industry.