Your First ERP Implementation? Here’s What to Expect
If you’re considering your first ERP system, you might be feeling a mix of excitement… and dread.
You’re not alone.
ERP software has a reputation: expensive, complicated, disruptive. But that reputation comes from platforms that were built decades ago — for businesses with IT departments and in-house consultants.
It doesn’t have to be like that.
Here’s what to actually expect when you implement a modern ERP like Supply’d, and how to make it smooth from day one.
1. You’ll Realise How Much You Were Doing Manually
The first thing you notice when setting up an ERP?
Just how many workarounds and duct-taped processes your business has been running on.
Things like:
- Typing the same order into two systems
- Copying invoices into spreadsheets
- Manually emailing labels or printing batch sheets
- Guessing stock based on memory or whiteboards
It’s not your fault — most businesses grow fast and build systems on the fly. But once you centralise everything, those gaps become clear.
2. You'll Need to Re-think How You Work
ERP implementation isn’t just software — it’s a shift in how your team works.
You’ll start asking:
- Who should be entering data?
- When should stock levels update?
- Who needs to see what, and when?
- What’s the best way to run production?
This is a good thing. It means you're building processes that scale, instead of relying on tribal knowledge.
3. The Right System Makes Onboarding Easier Than You Think
Old-school ERPs take months (and consultants) to get live.
Supply’d is designed for fast setup — no coding, no bloated training sessions.
What helps?
- Clean data imports (products, customers, pricing, etc.)
- A team member to act as the internal “ERP champion”
- A few hours of time to map your current processes to the platform
We’ve helped bakeries, food manufacturers, and grocers go live in a matter of a few weeks — not months.
4. You’ll Need Buy-In From the Team
The biggest risk isn’t the software — it’s people not using it.
So get your team involved early:
- Share why you're switching
- Involve them in workflow mapping
- Show how it makes their job easier
- Train them on what matters to them — not every single feature
We’ve found the best rollouts happen when staff feel part of the process, not blindsided by it.
5. Within Weeks, You’ll Wonder How You Lived Without It
Most customers tell us the same thing:
“I didn’t realise how much time I was wasting before.”
Within weeks of going live, you’ll:
- See your margins clearly
- Pick and pack faster
- Stop chasing invoices and orders
- Trust your stock levels
- Make better decisions based on real data
And the best part? Your team will spend less time on admin — and more time growing the business.
Final Thought
Implementing your first ERP sounds scary — until you realise the real pain is in doing nothing.
Every manual process, spreadsheet error, and inventory guess is costing you time, money, and focus.
You don’t need to figure it all out on your own.
Supply’d makes ERP simple, smart, and actually suited to food & retail operations.