Traditional ERP software isn’t purpose-built for MSPs.
Nearly 50% of companies say their ERP is inflexible, and half of all implementations fail on the first go.
While ERPs aim to centralize information and streamline processes across departments — benefiting functions like client management, billing, invoicing, and resource planning — they often fall short for MSPs in practice.
But this doesn’t mean you need to throw your ERP away. Instead of replacing it entirely, there’s a smarter solution — one that builds on your existing system and addresses the gaps specific to MSP workflows.
By understanding what you're trying to accomplish and integrating with the right tools, you can enhance your ERP to work the way your business needs it to.
What is ERP Software?
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) is a type of software designed to help businesses manage and integrate core processes across departments. It centralizes functions like finance, human resources, project management, procurement, and CRM into one unified system.
ERP aims to organize operations, improve efficiency, and provide better visibility into company-wide data.
Challenges MSPs Face with Traditional ERPs
Lack of MSP-Specific Features
ERPs are built for broader industries, meaning the key tools you need — quoting, project management, and customer support — are either missing or too basic to be useful without expensive customizations. MSPs often find themselves using bolt-ons for things like inventory management and digital ordering, trying to make them work with their ERP, only to realize it’s an uphill battle. They also often lack built-in capabilities like automated procurement, which MSPs heavily rely on.
Integration Nightmares
Most ERPs require multiple modules to handle CRM, quoting, and project management. This leads to data silos, inefficiencies, and incompatibility issues when trying to connect with MSP-specific tools like RMM and PSA software. The all-in-one software approach, while appealing on the surface, often results in horizontal systems that fit across multiple industries but fall short in delivering the exact workflows MSPs need.
Inflexibility
44% of organizations find their ERP too rigid. As an MSP, you need to pivot quickly, customize workflows, and scale fast. Traditional systems weren't designed for the quick adaptability MSPs require to meet client expectations and grow their services. We have talked to MSPs who spend years and millions of dollars trying to force these systems to work for them.
Start with Your Workflow Needs
MSPs need to start with their workflow needs and work backward to the technology that best supports them.
Instead of asking, "Do we need to replace our ERP?" consider, "How can we optimize our current systems to support our unique workflows?"
This means going beyond the ERP tagline and diving deeper into what you really need to accomplish as an MSP or VAR.
It can be helpful to conduct a strategic audit of your tech stack to identify inefficiencies, gaps, and areas for improvement. This helps you align your tech investments with your operational goals.
How to Audit Your Tech Stack
1. Map Out Your Existing Tools
Catalog the tools and systems your team uses across key functions — CRM, project management, quoting, accounting, invoicing, procurement, and more. This gives you a full overview of your current operations and helps identify overlaps or redundancies. Think beyond the ERP and consider best-of-breed solutions in each category.
2. Evaluate Each Tool by Workflow
Evaluate tools within the context of specific workflows. Break down your quoting process step by step. Identify the roles involved, the tools they rely on, and how each step connects (or doesn't) across the workflow. This uncovers gaps where tools might not be integrated effectively and manual steps that could be automated. When you're using an all-in-one ERP, you may find that these workflows are clunky because no one tool is best-in-class.
3. Gather Feedback
Talk to the people who rely on these tools daily. Where are they encountering bottlenecks? What could be improved? This feedback gives you a practical understanding of what's working and what's not.
4. Identify Key Requirements for Improvement
With a clearer view of your current tech stack, focus on what you really need. Consider platform-based solutions that fill specific gaps while enhancing integration across your existing tools. Whether it's automating manual processes, improving customer support, or streamlining quoting, pinpoint the areas where new software will deliver the most value.
Get The Most Out of Your ERP with TechGrid
Stop thinking about ERP as a one-size-fits-all solution and start thinking about how you can connect best-in-class tools. By integrating with the TechGrid platform, you can keep using your ERP for core business processes while refining critical workflows like quoting, sales, and procurement.
This enhanced integration modernizes your approach, allowing for faster response times, better data flow, and more flexibility.
One of our MSP customers successfully upgraded their operations by integrating NetSuite ERP with the TechGrid platform. Here's what the integration looked like:
Real-Time Bill of Materials (BOM) Integration
Their old system processed BOMs in batch updates, causing delays in ordering and invoicing.
With TechGrid, they now send the BOM from Central Office directly to NetSuite in real-time, eliminating bottlenecks and ensuring more accurate, up-to-date information for faster processing.
Integration with Existing Tech Stack
TechGrid seamlessly integrated with their existing NetSuite ERP, allowing them to maximize the value of their current tech stack and investments. This is key for companies who have already invested heavily in ERP solutions but need more flexible and industry-specific tools.
Automated Sales Commission Calculations
Their manual sales commission calculations were time-consuming and error-prone.
By automating this process through the TechGrid platform, they significantly reduced human error and saved valuable time, connecting sales teams to completed sales data in real-time for quicker, more accurate commission payouts.
Centralized Contract Management
Their contracts were scattered across different systems which was causing inefficiencies.
TechGrid became their central repository for contracts, providing organized, centralized storage and easier access, which led to faster, smoother workflows and less manual effort.
Accelerated Time to Close
Finalizing a sale and presenting it to their clients took too long.
Once they integrated with TechGrid, they could finalize and present a sale to the client within minutes, significantly speeding up the sales cycle and improving the overall customer experience.
How ERP Integration Works with TechGrid
Here’s what integrating your ERP with TechGrid looks like:
- Collaborate with Your Administrator: Work with your ERP administrator to set up an API user within your ERP system for integration.
- Setup in TechGrid: In the TechGrid platform, navigate to the App Marketplace. Select your ERP system and enter credentials to establish the connection between the two systems.
- Map API Fields: The final step is mapping the API fields to ensure smooth data flow between your ERP and TechGrid. This allows for real-time synchronization across both platforms, bridging the gap between your core systems and the more agile tools MSPs need to thrive.
TechGrid provides IT Service Providers with a flexible, customizable platform that enhances your ERP, automating key workflows like quoting, proposals, and procurement.
Our system eliminates data silos and simplifies integration, allowing your ERP to continue managing core business processes like accounting and financial management while TechGrid automates the sales and fulfillment workflows.
It’s time to rethink how you’re using your ERP — and how TechGrid can help you get more out of it. Rather than forcing an all-in-one solution that might not fit, TechGrid lets you keep the tools that work while filling the gaps in the areas that don’t. By integrating our platform, you enhance your existing ERP, allowing for faster response times, better data flow, and more flexibility.
Book a demo to learn more.
