Industry Insights
Don't Let ERP Migration Myths Hold You Back
By: Steve Alexander, Chief Customer Officer
March 5, 2025
Change is never easy, and migrating to a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system can seem daunting for beverage distributors. The industry is rife with tales of the "two weeks of hell" - a period of chaos, disruption, and lost productivity that supposedly accompanies any ERP transition. But is this the case? We believe this is a myth. There is no question that migration takes real work, but based on our experience and track record (the hundreds of wholesalers that have moved to Encompass), we’ve found that with cloud-native software, coupled with the right approach, planning, and support, your transition can be far smoother than you might expect.
The Myth vs. Reality
The "two weeks of hell" myth stems from outdated implementation practices and a lack of understanding of modern cloud-based ERP solutions. How much easier it is to migrate to a true cloud-native solution cannot be understated. In a cloud-native world, many of the challenges you may have dealt with in the past are dramatically mitigated. Obviously, there is no hardware to procure, deploy, support, or maintain for the long term. Often, the cost of complexity is dramatically reduced for migration support, and support overall is more accessible and exponentially more responsive given the cloud environment.
Combining a cloud-native product with a well-structured migration process and comprehensive support can minimize disruption, ensure a seamless transition, and set your business up for the next decade of success!
A successful ERP transition involves careful preparation, including:
Training - Upfront and ongoing training ensures your sales, delivery, and warehouse teams are well-versed in the new system.
Data Validation - Validating your data to confirm its accuracy and completeness so it is ready to move to the new system.
Inventory Management - A thorough inventory count and ensuring accurate picks and deliveries are the foundations for migration.
Financial Management - A review of your financial processes, invoices, payments, and reporting to ensure readiness and minimal financial impact of the migration.
From repeated successes, we’ve learned that a smooth transition requires a structured, disciplined approach. During those critical two weeks pre and post-Go-Live, we’ve seen that with a hyper-focused support structure, we can, with high confidence, ensure the success of your ERP migration, including:
On-Site Operational Support - Our teams are on-site to assist with every aspect of the transition and positioned to triage any issues and coordinate back to our Support and Product teams that are at the ready.
Hyper Customer Support - Product and eCommerce support teams are at heightened readiness to address any issues that may arise.
Hyper Development Support - Being cloud-native enables our agile product teams to provide daily feature and configuration updates if necessary.
Again, the combination of being truly cloud-native with a thoughtful migration approach allows the transition to Encompass to move with speed and minimize business disruption.
With our support, guidance, and post-transition resources, you can confidently transition to modern technology and unlock new efficiencies for your business, knowing your operations will continue uninterrupted. With well over 200 transitions from other ERPs to our platform, we’ve found that in a few worst cases, the only disruptions are simple issues that are rectified nearly immediately during post-go-live. Minor disruptions can include:
The first picks may be delayed by an hour or two.
Trucks may leave an hour late.
Case returns are usually less than 30 on first deliveries.
Initial payments may be delayed 1-2 days.
Reporting may be delayed with a higher-than-normal correction effort for a week.
Our success mantra during go-live is simple: ensure that “beer is on the trucks and we are collecting cash.” Of course, these days, it may be more than just beer; you get the point!
Embrace Change - Embrace Efficiency and Growth
Don't let the "two weeks of hell" myth hold you back from transitioning to the future. Your ERP transition can be smooth and successful if you apply the right technology and approach.
While change can be intimidating, it's also an opportunity for growth and improvement. As Patrick Tickle, Encompass’ CEO, has highlighted in previous blog posts, modernizing your ERP system can streamline your operations, enhance efficiency, and gain a competitive edge in the ever-evolving beverage industry.
