For small- to medium-sized businesses, Acumatica is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software solution that dynamically connects the various parts of your business. Those interconnections allow for data to be shared, accessed and used to drive dramatic improvements in performance and outcomes.
Whether you’re a new or experienced Acumatica user or considering implementing an ERP solution for the first time, understanding how this market leader works can help you maximize your technology investment.
Below, we discuss the capabilities that make Acumatica such a power platform, the benefits of the solution and Acumatica tips and tricks that’ll help you get ahead.
An Acumatica Overview
An ERP solution connects an organization’s data, departments and processes into a single system, including:
- Finance, including accounts payable and accounts receivable
- Warehouse and inventory management
- Operations management
- Project management
- Distribution
- Resource scheduling
- Sales and marketing
Acumatica gives users control over their financials, reporting and CRM, letting you manage your company from anywhere. It brings together all the core elements needed to bring a business forward, including core financials, project accounting, customer management, business intelligence and more.
As a Cloud-based solution, Acumatica offers all the advantages of an ERP solution without the enterprise-sized IT budget. As your business grows, Acumatica grows with you.
Benefits of Acumatica
For businesses looking to streamline operations and leverage the latest technologies, Acumatica offers features that deliver. Some of the core benefits include:
Connected Operations
Your data is connected across operational units. Users can access information on accounts, billing, pricing, production schedules and product availability from any computing device.
Universal Access
With your data in the Cloud, it’s accessible from anywhere and on any device. You do not need to maintain servers or other equipment. Secure logins and integration with common other workplace applications gives you seamless and integrated access.
Cost Predictability
Acumatica pricing is designed for growing companies. Instead of paying for each user, you’ll only pay for the computing resources you actually use. Your IT team won’t have to install or configure software on new desktop computers and mobile devices either.
Scalability
Because you only pay for the computing power you use, Acumatica makes ERP software much more accessible for small and mid-sized companies. The resource tier you utilize in Acumatica is sized to support the volume of key transactions. Start on one tier and expand or shrink as needed.
Improved Cash Flow
Acumatica allows you to take orders and fulfill them faster with fewer mistakes. With functionality to manage discounts, terms and conditions, contracts, billing and lagging account alerts, you’ll be able to collect and reconcile quickly.
Responsive Support
With Acumatica, you have access to customer service teams with the training and experience to help resolve problems, conflicts or challenges with the software.
Security
With Acumatica, you can be confident that your data is secure and protected by industry-leading tools to safeguard against cyberattacks. Your data is also backed up regularly, with you controlling where it’s stored. In the case of a natural disaster or other emergencies, these safeguards ensure your data is restored quickly.
Customer Management
Your organization will have a 360-degree view of your customers. From initial contact to contract and support, you can easily access interactions and understand your customers at a deeper level, anticipate needs and respond quickly.
Accuracy
Acumatica helps reduce mistakes by eliminating the need to transfer, convert or re-key information across systems. The quality, consistency and usability of data jumps with the use of automated integration tools.
Upgrade Flexibility
Unlike other software packages that require upgrades on a schedule, Acumatica gives its clients the flexibility to upgrade the software when it makes business sense to do so.
Usability
Acumatica users can customize their views, reports and displays to meet their specific needs. Acumatica uses browser-based point-and-click tools, drop-down menus and visualizations that make it easy to learn and use.
Acumatica Tips and Tricks
With so many features and capabilities, Acumatica can optimize every area of your business. Here is a closer look at some Acumatica tips and tricks for using the ERP solution to its fullest.
1. Drag and Drop Attachments
From your browser window, you can easily add spreadsheets, inventory documents, pricing lists, customer profiles or other documents to system records. Just drag the file into the record and it will be attached automatically.
2. Filters
Acumatica allows you to store and use massive amounts of data. When you’re querying the system on that data, you may need to sort through that information quickly.
Acumatica’s data grids use filters to help you get the information you need, allowing you to filter at the header and summary levels or at the column level. If you’re deep inside a list of data and realize you want to create a filter, click Shift-F and the column you’re in will be filtered.
Like many other Acumatica management software features, you can customize filters that can be used each time to open an inquiry and share with other team members.
3. Embed Tools
Sometimes quick widgets help get common tasks done faster. With Acumatica, you can embed these tools — whether a currency exchanger, calendar function or other useful time-savers – directly into dashboards.
4. Add Columns
Don’t like the columns that are displayed in your Acumatica grids? One click is all it takes to pull up the Column Configuration tool, which lets you add or remove columns from your views and order them the way you want. Whether you prefer all the information being in one place or favor more concise perspectives on data, Acumatica provides the ability to choose those views and everything in between.
5. Export to Excel
The grid format in Acumatica is familiar to anyone who works regularly with spreadsheets. If you prefer your data in Microsoft Excel, you can quickly export with a navigation button on the top of your screen. If you’re using an OData feature, you can easily refresh your data from the spreadsheet on demand.
6. Reports and Dashboards
If you couple Acumatica’s ERP system with Microsoft Power BI or another certified third-party BI tool, you can visualize the information you’re using in a dashboard. Combine that with information from external sources, like Salesforce or Excel, to make more informed decisions.
7. Make Document Templates
Accounting is often about repeatable work that can be automated, saving labor and eliminating repetitive tasks. With Acumatica, you can use a simple copy-and-paste feature to create a new template out of documents. After the template is created, use the fields feature to add items you want included when someone uses the template to create a new document.
8. Favorites
Instead of continuously clicking through to a page you use regularly, you can create a Favorites page that gives you a bookmarked shortcut that eliminates moving from one module to another.
9. Multi-Factor Authentication
Keeping data, systems and users safe is critical. Acumatica provides several options for clients wanting to use multi-factor authentication to keep the platform secure. Security tokens, mobile phone text messages, VPNs and emailed codes are all options available to Acumatica clients using single sign-on tools from Microsoft, Google and OneLogin.
10. Business Event Automation
Automation is at the heart of Acumatica business management software. With the Business Event feature, you can create email alerts that automate processes without complex programming. Use the capabilities to notify customers of upcoming due dates or when orders are ready. Reassign or update sales leads after the expected close date has passed. Alert warehouse employees when shipments are incoming.
11. File Version Management
When there are multiple users working on a document, revisions are inevitable. The versions management feature lets you attach different iterations of a file and give it a brief description to show users how documents have been changed.
12. More Tabs
Many Acumatica users want multiple sessions of the product available for different tasks. Keeping multiple tabs open is no problem with Acumatica. You have three ways to quickly open a new tab and continue working quickly: Right-click on links to open, Ctrl-click or click a link with a mouse scroll wheel to get the job done fast.
13. Real-Time Project Accounting
Acumatica gives you real-time insights into projects with job costing, performance against budget and billing calculation functions. Add unique billing rules and recurring charges automatically to projects, coordinate billing and link invoices to projects or tasks.
14. Integrations
Acumatica has integration agreements with many commonly used third-party software providers. You can add extensions and integrate your Acumatica data with credit card processing, document management, manufacturing, supply chain management, project management, warehouse management, CAD integration, HR, payroll, consignment, e-commerce, print, promotion and barcode data solutions.
These helpful tips are just a few of the great capabilities users can leverage to get the most out of their Acumatica experience.
Putting It Together
Maximizing the capabilities of an Acumatica implementation means having a trusted partner to guide you through the implementation journey.
NexTec Group works closely with clients to identify the right ERP solution to meet a business’ unique needs. Our skilled team of consultants have extensive expertise in Acumatica installations and have been implementing the solution since 2015. We have dozens of Acumatica tips and tricks up our sleeves.
As a Gold Certified Partner, NexTec works with Acumatica customers across industry verticals to deliver industry-specific best practices and insights that ease the transition and have operations up and running quickly. Learn more about how NexTec and Acumatica can help unleash the power of data in your organization.
