READING, England, May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- CRM and ERP systems have traditionally been complex and expensive, limiting them to big companies with large IT budgets. But Brendan Peo of HansaWorld UK says new technology has brought the benefits of integrated solutions within the reach of smaller businesses.

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"In the past there were no good, integrated business systems for smaller companies, who had to rely on accounting packages that didn't provide all the information necessary for running the company," explains Peo.

Many small companies supplement accounting packages with spreadsheets or small self-built databases. "Custom systems can be a flexible choice in the short term, but they also have problems," warns Peo. "They involve a lot of double entry of data, which takes more time and increases the risk of mistakes. Also, ad-hoc solutions can't cope with bigger volumes, which can limit your growth, and usually are poor on reporting as the development attention is focussed on the front-end."

Modern business systems, on the other hand, have been designed to avoid duplication and provide real-time information on the state of the entire company. "Once your sales and accounting systems are integrated, you start to realise the benefits of having access to real-time data for analysis and planning."

Peo cites the case of a customer, a computer hardware distributor, who was able to grow his business by 200% without increasing staff, simply by updating his business solution and in turn improving customer service.

The key to making a business system work, says Peo, is convenience. "If the technology doesn't make the sales team's job easier, they just won't use it," he warns. "That's the litmus test of whether a system will really add value to your business. It's got to be something the sales team can embrace. If you get that right, you can expect better sales performance thanks to an improved ability to see and use your customer information to create cross- and up-selling opportunities."

About HansaWorld

HansaWorld provides integrated Enterprise Resource Planning and Customer Relationship Management solutions, together with a wide selection of industry-specific tools, to 68,000 clients in around 90 countries. The products work on all major platforms and support mobile use via laptops, PDAs and Nokia business phones.

Contacts: HansaWorld UK, Brendan Peo, Country Manager, Tel: +44-845-123-2732, Email: peo@hansaworld.com