Services
IT selection advice for ERP, WMS and CRM
Independent selection advice for organisations that need to choose a new system. We translate your operation into requirements, compare realistic options and deliver a choice you can defend.
The problem
The problem you probably recognise
You know the current system no longer fits. What you don't know is what does. You've seen three demos and all three seemed to do everything. Every supplier tells a consistent story, every quote is built up differently, and the comparison you end up making is mostly about functionality you may never use in practice.
Meanwhile everyone internally has an opinion. Finance wants grip on the figures, operations wants speed on the floor, sales wants visibility in the pipeline. Without shared requirements, the choice becomes a compromise or, worse, a gut decision in favour of the supplier who presented best. The bill arrives during implementation, when it turns out the system doesn't quite fit the process you actually have.
A wrong system choice is rarely visible right away. You only see it later, in customisation, in workarounds and in an implementation that overruns.
Our role
What Operion does
We provide IT selection advice with no stake in the outcome. We don't sell licences and don't work on commission from suppliers. Our job is to make sure you choose a system that fits your operation, size and ambition, and that you can explain that choice internally.
We start with your processes, not a feature list. What actually happens today in purchasing, warehouse, planning, invoicing or service delivery? Where is the pain, where is the volume, where is the risk? We translate that analysis into a limited set of distinguishing requirements: requirements on which packages genuinely differ, rather than a list every supplier can say yes to.
We then map out realistic options, organise demos based on your own scenarios instead of the standard presentation, and make the costs comparable: licences, implementation, management and the cost of the customisation you will probably ask for. That includes the fit-to-standard conversation: how many of your exceptions do you really want to keep, and what does that cost?
The result is a well-founded piece of advice with a business case, the risks, and an implementation plan aligned with the chosen direction. Not a report for the drawer, but a document you can use to take the next step.
Process
How the process runs: from discovery to go-live
01
Discovery
Process analysis with the people on the floor and with management. We record the current situation, identify bottlenecks and define what the new situation needs to deliver.
02
Requirements and fit-to-standard
A compact set of distinguishing requirements, with each exception tested for whether it's really needed. This is the foundation for a fit-to-standard implementation later on.
03
Selection and comparison
From longlist to shortlist, demos based on your own scenarios, reference calls and a comparable cost breakdown per option.
04
Decision and route to go-live
Advice with a business case and risks, plus an implementation plan with phases, roles and a realistic timeline to go-live.
Who it's for
Who we do this for
Our selection advice is for organisations in logistics, wholesale and business services. Companies that have outgrown separate tools but don't have an internal IT department that can run a selection process. Decisions sit with management or the leadership team, and the choice needs to be made in weeks, not quarters.
Typical questions we take on: which ERP fits our trading processes, do we need a separate WMS alongside our ERP, which CRM fits our service delivery, and could we carry on with what we have if we reconfigured it? We always ask that last question. Sometimes the best choice isn't a new package, but a better setup of the current one.
Once the choice is made, we can also carry out the IT implementation or take on the project management You're not tied to that: the advice stands on its own.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do we get advice or a rationale?
Both. You get a choice, the criteria the choice rests on, and the options ruled out with the reasons why. So you can explain it internally.
We already have a preference. Is advice still worthwhile?
Yes, and often especially then. We test that preference against your own process. If it comes out on top, you have a rationale. If not, you find out before the signature.
A choice you can defend
Tell us which systems are on the table and where your organisation is running into trouble. We'll show you how we keep the selection process compact and well-founded.