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Don’t ditch QuickBooks for an ERP software. There’s a better way.

ERP alternative to stick with QuickBooks and add enhanced capabilities

Grow your business with no regrets. Invest in an ERP alternative that works with QuickBooks.

ERP alternative: QuickBooks Integrated Solution

Don’t scrap QuickBooks for a costly, complex mid-market ERP system.
Integrate QuickBooks with Acctivate Inventory Software.

An ERP alternative: More bang for the buck

ERP solutions demand a considerable amount of financial investment that exists in many parts, including the initial purchase, implementation, customization needs, annual fees, support and maintenance, and any hiring needs for the new system. Acctivate for QuickBooks, as an ERP alternative, supports smaller businesses with an ERP solution equivalent or superior, economical functionality.

“We narrowed it down to two larger ERP systems and using QuickBooks integrated with Acctivate.

The other two solutions were over two to three times the price of Acctivate. All three of the systems are real-time systems but the real driving force was bang for the buck.

We were able to obtain all the features that mattered most for a competitive price with Acctivate.”

Ron Oliver, Vice President

TMi-ASG

What’s an ERP alternative?

An ERP alternative is an option for growing businesses looking to expand their operational capabilities with software rather than settling for a mid-market ERP software not built for SMBs with a high price tag and overserving functionality.

A mid-market ERP solution is a gargantuan system, which is typically excessive for SMBs with inflexibilities per its monolithic nature. While an ERP alternative, like Acctivate Inventory Software for QuickBooks, is more of a best of breed solution as it combines the power of Acctivate + QuickBooks, in addition to other solutions if needed, such as for eCommerce and EDI, to form a flexible, affordable complete business management solution.

5 pitfalls of ERP systems

Consider an ERP alternative to avoid initial and long-term damages

#1 | Hidden Costs

Bottom line… ERP solutions are expensive. On top of the initial sticker-price that can be 2-3x that of an ERP alternative, hidden costs are exposed as ERP software projects progress and after go-live. Unexpected costs (i.e., business process change, organizational change management, data migration, testing, support/maintenance, training, customizations) and budget overruns are typical with an ERP solution.

ERP alternative, an affordable option for small to mid-size businesses

Mid-market to large scale ERP systems drain companies of millions of dollars in the total cost of ownership (TCO).

ERP alternative is affordable for small to mid-sized businesses compared to mid-market and large scale ERP systems. — Source: Panorama Consulting Group⁴

Based on a historical five year average of projects performed by Excelym⁵, NetSuite TCO is $174,500 for the first three years with a recurring $30K fee for SaaS. The TCO is an example based on companies with at least $12 million in annual revenue and 50+ employees undergoing a traditional implementation package via a NetSuite partner. Another mid-market ERP solution, Acumatica, has an estimated TCO (based on a Forrester report⁶) of over $2 million for the first three years.

#2 | lengthy, complicated implementation

Frustration mounts as an expected fresh start with an ERP software commonly becomes drawn-out, adversely affecting budgets and staff resources. On the other hand, Acctivate as an ERP alternative is a remotely guided 90-day onboarding experience.

ERP alternative with affordable, timely onboarding for small to mid-sized businesses.

#3 | Difficult to learn and use

ERP software is inherently complicated, which makes for intimidating and intense training, as well as a cumbersome user experience. Oftentimes, training is an inconspicuous addition to an ERP software proposal that leaves businesses unaware of the scope, timeline or budget allocation needed.

ERP alternative is an easy to use and learn system compared to an ERP software

#4 | Significant disruption & productivity loss

Lengthy implementation timelines, steep learning curves, and poor overall user experiences and interfaces play into the all-too-common delays caused by ERP software.

ERP alternative minimizes disruptions and boosts productivity

#5 | Poor software fit

Many small to midsized business are sucked into the hype surrounding ERP software, but the reality is that it can be overkill for such businesses. Don’t go for the bells and whistles, but rather the nuts and bolts that power operational success—an ERP alternative is designed for SMBs and prioritizes their needs to meet growth demands and expectations.

“Microsoft Dynamics was way too complex for us because we are a smaller organization. Acctivate fit our needs for our business size and the resources we have.

Acctivate was simple enough to be trained on, to populate the data that we needed and integrate with QuickBooks, so that we could get up and running on limited money and limited people.”

Tina Miles, BioBased Technologies

Controller

An ERP alternative: Stick with QuickBooks

Why endure the risks and challenges of starting from scratch?

With QuickBooks already managing financials—stick with it. Rather than “rip & replace”, enhance QuickBooks with a seamless integration to Acctivate.

“The fact that Acctivate integrates with QuickBooks and I did not have to change my general ledger or rip out my entire system and produce a brand new system. That was a major deciding factor.

Khaled Abohalima, KIND Snacks

CIO

ERP alternative to stick with QuickBooks

Behind transitioning from a lesser-known system or no system at all, research reports that most companies moving to an ERP software for the first time are coming from QuickBooks to handle more than just accounting.¹⁶

The good news is that the ERP alternative of Acctivate + QuickBooks provides all the functions that a costly, complex ERP system provides, but at a fraction of the cost and with way less hassle to implement, learn, get started, operate, and continuously thrive. Plus, financial staff do not have to learn a new program, they can continue with QuickBooks—a reliable, familiar, SMB-suited solution.

Acctivate + QuickBooks delivers similar benefits as the top three reasons to implement an ERP system…¹⁷

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