The ERP system is the most business-critical application of the organization. When you encounter problems or have questions, you need to be helped quickly. But what is the best way to ask your question? When you submit your support ticket with complete information, it is more likely you will get quick and adequate support.
What you can do yourself
Before you ask your question about the ERP system to the support department, there are several things you can do yourself. That is still the fastest way to get the answer to your question:
- Study the documentation: check the process flows, manuals and work instructions.
- Ask a close colleague for help: your colleague who uses the same functionality might be able to help you.
- Ask a key user or the first line support in the organization for help: the key users are the ERP specialists at your organization with the most knowledge of the system and the business processes.
When you reach out to the support desk
If you need the help of the support department, you can increase the chance of fast and adequate support by providing complete information:
- General information: customer, company, location, user, date, time, server, files, screenshots, etc.
- Description: "I did THIS, expected THIS as a result, but THIS is what I got."
- Context: Where in the system did this happen? During which transaction? What special circumstances were there?
- Reproducibility: Can the error or problem be reproduced by the support department in the environment they have access to?
In sum, it is important to provide complete information about your question or problem, including background and circumstances, and if possible reproducible for the support desk. If you only say: "I press 'Send', but nothing happens.", that will rather raise more questions than get you an answer.
"When selecting an ERP system, support is one of the most undervalued assessment criteria."
What is important with your ERP partner
But of course, top quality ERP support is first and foremost about your ERP partner. When selecting an ERP system, this is one of the most undervalued assessment criteria. Even though the right support is very important for successful use of the ERP system. How does your ERP partner score on the following?
- Availability of the support desk: Are sending an e-mail and submitting a ticket your only options? Or can you also call the support desk? And are you only helped during office hours or can you (for example for urgent matters) also count on support at unusual hours and days?
- Use of a support portal: An online environment that you can access 24/7 to find the answer to your question yourself, to submit support tickets, to track the progress of tickets and many more possibilities. A support portal or support site is a helpful tool.
- Experienced, multidisciplinary staff with industry knowledge: Are your support tickets handled by an external helpdesk or by an experienced support staff that understands your industry and your company? And what skills and knowledge does your ERP partner have? Preferably, all disciplines are in-house, such as knowledge of IT, of business processes and of course of the application.
- An SLA or contract with agreements and conditions: A Service Level Agreement or contract provides guidance and clarity for both parties. You know what you can expect.
For the best support of your ERP system, the qualities, knowledge, and facilities of the ERP partner are of crucial importance. But there is a role for you as well. You can first look for the solution or the answer yourself and if you still need help, it is recommended to provide the most complete information in the support ticket.
