Visual South’s number one criterion in hiring consultants is experience in manufacturing. Almost all of our customers are responsible for making or repairing something, and the entire business usually revolves around work orders. With this being the case, our consultants have to understand manufacturing. Typically, they held a leadership position in a manufacturing company, such as controller, CFO, plant manager, CIO, COO, or other similar titles.
Our business model isn’t based on hiring inexperienced people and developing them. Customers expect our ERP consultants to understand how manufacturing works, and how a manufacturing company operates.
The second most important skill we require is an understanding of the ERP software we implement: Infor CloudSuite Industrial (CSI) and Infor VISUAL. During implementations, we develop business processes that are supported by the ERP tool. In order to develop those processes, our consultants need to have solid knowledge of how the software works and be able to apply its functionality to business operations. This does not mean our ERP consultants are experts on every single feature and function down to the most minute detail, but it does mean that we require the ability to figure it out when needed. Consultants who have implemented the ERP multiple times in a variety of environments have a lot more inherent knowledge on how to troubleshoot and customize the system than someone with less experience.
Related: Infor ERP Product Review
This is a “soft” skill, but extremely important. An ERP implementation represents a huge change in the way a company operates, and it can affect almost every single employee. Embracing change can be extremely difficult for people, and in a lot of cases, they will resist. Our ERP consultants do not fight this dynamic; they embrace it.
Most people want to do their job well and make sure the new ERP will help them, as opposed to taking a step backward. Once these folks understand how the ERP will make things better, change is seen as a good thing as opposed to a bad, scary thing. A good consultant can work with people at different levels in an organization, from the shop floor to the top floor, and be empathetic to their needs. A counselor is needed in some cases, and a drill sergeant in others—top ERP consultants know which one to be and when to be it.
An ERP consulting position is fun if you like to solve problems, work in different environments, and see positive change happen as a result of your guidance and expertise. It takes a mixture of skills, a willingness to get your hands dirty, and a focus on making a customer better, one process at a time.
Some of our top ERP consultants are project managers. If you are interested in learning more about what an ERP project manager does, check out this blog.
If you’re searching for an ERP solution, I suggest downloading our eBook called “How to Select ERP and Not Regret It.” Or, if you’d prefer to have a common-sense conversation with someone who is not a salesperson, click here to schedule a free consultation with our president, Jack.