Ready to Get Smart? Etelligent Solutions’ Jesse Byam Schools You on GP and NAV
When it comes to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Software Asset Management (SAM), few companies boast the experience and expertise of Etelligent Solutions, Inc (ESI). In business since 2000, ESI has established itself as a leading Microsoft Dynamics Partner, achieving gold-certified partnership status with Microsoft. ESI consistently ranks in the top 10 percent of Dynamics partners worldwide for sales and support.
Of Microsoft’s Dynamics line, ESI specializes in GP, NAV and CRM. A good part of the reason ESI consistently ranks so high among Dynamics partners is because of their deep understanding of these products and how they meet the needs of different customers.
On the heels of Journyx’s partnership with Etelligent, we took some time to talk with Jesse Byam, Vice President at ESI. Byam is primarily responsible for sales and customer retention, and works out of ESI’s Calgary office.
On ESI, Their Customers and How to Meet Customers’ Needs
What helps ESI be so successful?
“ESI sets ourselves apart by providing vertical solutions that match up to our clients’ industries,” says Byam. “We are strong in oil and gas field service organizations as well as non-profit associations. We work to understand the client’s business so we can provide the best solution for their needs. Most importantly, we put the customer first and do everything we can to ensure our customers success through a partnership where transparency and trust are key.”
Byam went on to explain that, when evaluating new customers, ESI carefully considers whether the customer fits into the existing industries the company serves, and if the customer’s needs match up with the vertical-based solutions that ESI has previously implemented.
“We look for certain types of customers in identified verticals so we can replicate similar solutions over and over, enabling us to become experts,” explains Byam.
GP vs NAV: Helping Your Company Decide
When helping customers decide which version of Dynamics ERP is right for them, ESI focuses on a couple key factors.
- Corporate IT culture may not be something commonly thought of as a major factor when it comes to companies choosing the right software, but according to Byam, understanding the corporation’s IT culture is essential to picking the right solution. While Byam acknowledges that there are not many companies for which GP and NAV would not be a good fit, he stresses that just because they could fit, doesn’t mean they would be equally ideal in every situation. It is important to understand the corporate IT culture for change and where they are coming from to recommend the right solution.
- Off-the-shelf versus customization is another important factor in ERP software selection. Right out of the box, GP comes with the functionality and features that meet many businesses’ needs, making GP the obvious choice for companies who are primarily looking for powerful, but ultimately off-the-shelf ERP and accounting software.In contrast, “a NAV customer is different than a GP customer in their desire to customize fields, solutions and workflows, as well as add on custom solutions,” says Byam. Therefore a customer that wants a truly tailored solution would do better with NAV.Once ESI understands the customer’s requirements they can work to implement a custom solution that perfectly addresses the client’s needs. ESI works with third-party vendors, such as Journyx, to provide additional add-on functionality that the customer might need.
On Microsoft Dynamics and the Future
Whatever your company’s needs, whether it’s off-the-shelf or a more customized solution, this is a great time to be part of the Dynamics community.
“Microsoft Dynamics is a great system and provides a lot of core functionality that you just don’t see in other products,” says Byam. “I see the future of Dynamics as being very bright.”
What is the key to Byam’s optimism? “Microsoft isn’t just developing technology for technology’s sake. They’re always looking for ways to take technology and add value.”
When it comes to adding value, few understand that as well as Byam and the folks at Etelligent Solutions.
About the Author: Curt Finch is the CEO of Journyx, a Certified Microsoft Partner. Journyx maximizes the value of Microsoft Dynamics by adding enterprise time tracking. Journyx Accountlink for Microsoft Dynamics allows companies to quickly implement a complete time tracking solution using existing business data in Dynamics. Connect with Curt on Google+.
This was originally posted here.
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