Overcoming 3 Factors That Keep Greenhouse Growers from Operating Efficiently
We have identified 3 common factors that keep holding greenhouse growers back from running their operations efficiently. Learn more today!
We have identified 3 common factors that keep holding greenhouse growers back from running their operations efficiently. Learn more today!
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How you use or don’t use technology has a direct impact on your business. During conversations with hundreds of greenhouse growers over the past five years, we have identified three common factors that keep holding growers back from running their operations efficiently:
When manual processes, multiple systems, and older technology are all in play, it’s simply a lot more work and more difficult to get business done. As more data errors occur, there’s extra work for the staff and frustrated customers—who might know another greenhouse grower that has things operating more smoothly.
Excel spreadsheets can work well to a certain extent to alleviate these factors. But they still require manual manipulation, and if something goes wrong, it’s difficult to figure out where the mistake occurs. It’s not meant to be a database.
The most effective way to take on these challenges is to deploy an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution with automated functionality and integration that encompasses your entire business process—from production to purchasing, sales, warehouse, fulfillment, service, financials, account management, and shipping.
When working with greenhouse growers to implement an ERP solution, such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, we recommend focusing initial efforts on collecting data in five key areas:
Another facet that your end-users will appreciate is the seamless integration with Microsoft Office applications. Excel reports can automatically tap into data stored in D365 Business Central. And if someone is checking email in Outlook or collaborating in Teams, they can see data in D365 Business Central without leaving those applications. This makes it easy to report on or discuss customer and vendor activity and sales order status.
Because D365 Business Central runs in the Microsoft Azure cloud, your team can easily access information while they are working from home or traveling and talking with customers and vendors. Using mobile devices, they can put sales orders and purchase orders right into the system instead of waiting until they are back at the home office and slowing up the process. They can also check on product availability, delivery times, and other data that customers and vendors need to know.
From the IT perspective, you don’t have to worry about managing the infrastructure supporting your ERP system. Microsoft updates and maintains the system and applies cybersecurity best practices to keep your data as well as your customer and vendor data safe. The infrastructure is constantly improving and always current with the latest technologies.
The cloud also makes it much easier to handle spikes in activity when you need to add more employees
During the busy season, you can add temporary employees to the system, and when the season is over, remove them with just a couple of clicks. The system resources you pay for expand and contract according to what your business needs each month.
To learn more about how Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central can help greenhouse growers run their businesses, check out our webinar, Small Growers: Solutions to Fit Your Operations. You can learn more about our Greenhouse Growers software here.