Is it just enough to have ERP software to run your ecommerce business?
Not anymore. Being an industry that plays with data, it’s crucial to cut down the bottleneck and ensure bi-directional data flow. When it comes to Epicor ERP, you know that Epicor ERP being a powerful ERP platform leaves a gap when it’s not leveraged to its best through integration. No matter what ERP platform you choose, it’s imperative to bring collaboration across departments through integration to make the most out of it.
Speed is the essence of time! So if you want to reap the maximum out of your business processes, make sure you are ensuring bi-directional data flow between your ERP and other legacy systems.
Epicor ERP Integration Methods
To achieve the maximum benefit through integration and implementation with Epicor ERP, organizations have several options at their disposal. Let’s dive into some of the integration scenarios and techniques commonly employed:
Point-to-Point (P2P) Integration
For companies with basic systems and only a few APIs, a manual point-to-point integration process can be employed. This method involves human coding and implementation, relying on manual support. While P2P integration can work for smaller businesses, it can become slow, inaccurate, and unreliable for larger enterprises requiring more complex integrations.
Also read: Understanding Epicor API Integration
Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)
ESB provides a more structured and systematic approach to integration than P2P. It offers a centralized hub for data exchange and message routing. While ESB can be an inexpensive solution for smaller businesses with less complex operational models, it still requires significant manual support and configuration for each unique instance. ESB does not support smart automation or rapid integration.
API Management
Modern ERPs, including Epicor, often come preconfigured with various APIs and system integration capabilities. This simplifies and standardizes API management, enabling faster and more reliable outcomes. However, API management still requires manual support and does not facilitate rapid integration and automation, hybrid data flows, or data synchronization. It may also lack preconfiguration for event-based architecture.
iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service):
iPaaS like DCKAP Integrator offers comprehensive integration capabilities, supporting hybrid data models and enabling cloud deployment for automated updates and security fixes. iPaaS solutions leverage AI and machine learning to improve automation. Additionally, low-code/no-code components make it usable to a broader range of users. iPaaS significantly reduces or eliminates barriers to cross-functional systems integration, providing a robust solution for Epicor ERP integration.
Read More: Understanding Epicor ERP Cost and Pricing (2023)
Epicor ERP Integration Use Cases
Epicor ERP offers a wide range of integration scenarios that enable businesses to connect and synchronize their data with other systems, applications, and platforms. These integration capabilities empower organizations to streamline processes, enhance data accuracy, and improve overall efficiency. Let’s delve into some of the common Epicor ERP integration scenarios and the benefits they provide:
1. Integration with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems
By integrating Epicor ERP and CRM systems, businesses may gain a consolidated picture of their customers’ data, including contact information, purchase history, and interactions. This connectivity enables sales and customer support teams to communicate more effectively, allowing them to create more personalized experiences and increase client satisfaction. Organisations can break down data silos and receive actionable insights for focused marketing campaigns, lead management, and forecasting by synchronising data between ERP and CRM platforms.
2. Integration with Supply Chain Management (SCM) Systems
Integrating Epicor ERP with SCM systems enables businesses to optimize their supply chain operations by providing accurate and real-time visibility into inventory levels, procurement, and demand forecasts. This connection improves collaboration between suppliers and internal teams by streamlining the procurement process, and automating order fulfilment. Businesses can accomplish efficient inventory management, minimize lead times, and improve overall supply chain performance by harnessing the combined capability of Epicor ERP and SCM systems.
3. Integration with Human Resources (HR) Systems
Integrating Epicor ERP with HR systems provides considerable benefits in personnel data management, payroll, and workforce planning. This interface reduces the need for redundant data entry, assuring consistency and accuracy across many HR procedures. Organizations can use synchronised employee data to automate payroll calculations, track attendance, manage benefits, and improve onboarding and offboarding procedures. This integration improves HR efficiency, eliminates administrative hassles, and enables real-time workforce planning.
4. Integration with Business Intelligence (BI) Tools
Epicor ERP integration with BI tools enables organizations to visualize the entire value of their data by transforming it into actionable insights and relevant reports. Organizations can analyze historical trends, monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), and make data-driven choices by linking ERP data to BI tools. This interface gives stakeholders at all levels access to real-time dashboards and insights, supporting proactive decision-making, finding possibilities for process changes, and building a culture of data-driven innovation.
5. Integration with Ecommerce Platforms
Integrating Epicor ERP with ecommerce systems creates a continuous flow of data between the front-end customer experience and back-end operations. This interface offers real-time inventory updates, order processing, and product catalogue synchronization. Organizations can improve customer happiness, minimize manual errors, and improve order accuracy and fulfilment speed by automating ecommerce procedures. Integration with ecommerce platforms also allows businesses to increase their online presence, reach new customers, and profit from the rising digital economy.
Relevant Reading: What is Epicor Commerce Connect?
Benefits of Epicor ERP Integration
The integration of Epicor ERP and Epicor API integration with various systems and applications offers several benefits to organizations:
Streamlined Operations: Integration eliminates manual data entry, reduces errors, and accelerates processes, leading to streamlined operations and improved productivity.
Enhanced Data Accuracy: Synchronizing data across systems ensures consistency and accuracy, minimizing discrepancies and providing a single source of truth.
Real-time Visibility: Integration enables real-time access to data from multiple systems, empowering organizations with up-to-date information for timely decision-making.
Improved Collaboration: Integration facilitates seamless information exchange between departments and systems, promoting cross-functional collaboration and increasing efficiency.
Increased Efficiency: Automation of processes through integration reduces manual tasks, allowing employees to focus on value-added activities and strategic initiatives.
Streamlined Customer Shopping Experiences: By integrating Epicor ERP with other business systems, businesses can deliver a streamlined shopping experience that captivates their customers from the moment they land on the website. Whether it’s personalized product recommendations, simplified checkout processes, or real-time inventory availability, the integration allows you to create a user-friendly environment that delights customers and boosts conversion rates.
Comprehensive Reporting for Enhanced Decision-Making: By integrating Epicor ERP, you gain access to deep audience, product, and sales performance reporting. This wealth of information empowers you to understand your customers’ preferences, identify popular products, track sales trends, and fine-tune your marketing strategies accordingly. With robust analytics and reporting capabilities, you can make informed decisions, optimize your product offerings, and drive revenue growth.
Relevant Reading: Epicor eCommerce Integration Explained [Steps, Methods & Use Cases]
Epicor ERP Integrations with DCKAP Integrator
DCKAP Epicor Integrator is a powerful solution that helps organizations leverage their investment in Epicor ERP and streamline integrations with other critical business systems. Let’s explore the features and benefits of DCKAP Integrator:
Sync Critical Data Between Epicor and Vital Business Systems
DCKAP Integrator eliminates the turmoil associated with integrating Epicor ERP with other systems such as ecommerce, CRM, PIM, and SCM. It synchronizes data from these systems, providing real-time insights into customer data, marketing and sales funnels, offline and online orders, inventory quantities and availability, product descriptions, pricing, and suppliers.
Pre-Built Connectors for Frictionless Integration
DCKAP Integrator offers pre-built connectors for Epicor and other applications, eliminating the need for manual coding. This ensures a seamless and hassle-free integration experience, saving time and effort for organizations.
Multi-Platform Integration
With DCKAP Integrator, organizations can connect Epicor ERP with as many platforms as required. The solution provides simple yet sophisticated flow designers and pipe builders, enabling organizations to design and implement integrations with ease.
Intuitive User-Interface
DCKAP Integrator offers a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality and other intuitive features. This makes the integration process practical and simple to use, even for users without extensive technical expertise.
Flow Designer for Easy Setup and Deployment
Setting up and deploying Epicor integrations is a breeze with DCKAP Integrator’s flow designer. Organizations can easily define the data flow and automate processes, reducing manual effort and improving overall efficiency.
Advanced Mapping & Modifiers
Even complex data transfer and field connection logic for Epicor integrations are simplified with advanced mapping and modifiers provided by DCKAP Integrator. This feature ensures accurate data synchronization and efficient integration across systems.
Reporting & Analytics
DCKAP Integrator offers comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities, providing valuable insights into operations. Organizations can gain visibility into key metrics and performance indicators, enabling data-driven decision-making.
Detailed Logger
With DCKAP Integrator, every data transfer is tracked, and users receive step-by-step debugging instructions for any failed attempts. This ensures transparency and facilitates efficient troubleshooting during the integration process.
Flexible Schedule
Organizations have the flexibility to choose between scheduled data synchronization or real-time updates, depending on their specific requirements. DCKAP Integrator allows users to define the frequency and timing of data communication with Epicor ERP.
Recommended Reading: Fast & Secure Salesforce Epicor Eclipse Integration: A Quick Guide
Epicor ERP Integration Success Story
Integrating & Automating Magento with Epicor Prophet 21 ERP for Marysville Marine Distributors
Marysville Marine Distributors is a prominent player in both the B2B and B2C realms, offering an impressive range of 100 product lines and maintaining a strong network of 5,000 dealers across the country. Their extensive distribution system supplies marine distributors with generators, parts, accessories, and engines.
Challenges:
Catering to both B2B and B2C consumers: Marysville Marine Distributors needed to provide a seamless experience for both B2B and B2C customers while managing their extensive product lines and dealer network.
Ensuring PCI compliance and security during the migration: The migration to Magento 2 Commerce Cloud edition required careful handling of customer data and transactions to maintain compliance and security standards.
Automating and optimizing workflows between Magento and Prophet 21: The previous manual data entry process was time-consuming, tedious, and prone to errors. There was a need to integrate and automate processes between the ERP and eCommerce systems.
Disconnected ERP and eCommerce systems: Marysville Marine Distributors faced challenges due to the lack of integration between their ERP system, Epicor Prophet 21, and their eCommerce platform, Magento.
Solutions:
ERP Integration with DCKAP Integrator: DCKAP implemented their Integrator solution to connect Magento 2 Commerce Cloud edition with Epicor Prophet 21 ERP.
Customer Sync: DCKAP Integrator facilitated the synchronization of customer data between Magento 2 and Prophet 21 ERP, ensuring that customer information is up-to-date and consistent across both systems.
Products Sync: The integration allowed for seamless synchronization of product information from Prophet 21 ERP to Magento 2, ensuring accurate and real-time product availability and details on the eCommerce platform.
Inventory Sync: DCKAP Integrator enabled the synchronization of inventory data between Prophet 21 ERP and Magento 2, ensuring that stock levels were accurate and reflected in real-time on the eCommerce platform.
Order Sync: The integration facilitated the automatic transfer of orders from Magento 2 to Prophet 21 ERP, streamlining the order fulfillment process and reducing manual data entry.
Offline Order Sync: DCKAP Integrator allowed for the synchronization of offline orders from Prophet 21 ERP to Magento 2, ensuring a unified view of all orders across both systems.
Order Processing Sync: The integration enabled the synchronization of order processing information between Prophet 21 ERP and Magento 2, providing real-time updates on order status and tracking information.
Dynamic Fetch Customer: DCKAP Integrator provided the ability to dynamically fetch customer data from Prophet 21 ERP to Magento 2, ensuring that customer information was always up-to-date on the ecommerce platform.
Results
By implementing DCKAP Integrator and integrating Magento 2 with Epicor Prophet 21 ERP, Marysville Marine Distributors achieved the following results:
Streamlined processes: The automated workflows and data synchronization provided by DCKAP Integrator streamlined business processes, saving time and reducing manual efforts.
Improved customer experience: The integration ensured that customers had accurate product information, real-time stock availability, and seamless order processing, leading to an enhanced customer experience.
Cost reduction: By eliminating manual data entry and matching work, Marysville Marine Distributors reduced labor costs and improved operational efficiency.
Data accuracy and real-time insights: The synced data between Magento 2 and Prophet 21 ERP allowed for accurate and real-time insights into business processes, helping to identify areas for optimization and decision-making.
Overall, the integration and automation of Magento with Epicor Prophet 21 ERP enabled Marysville Marine Distributors to provide a better customer experience, optimize their business operations, and improve efficiency and data accuracy.
Integrating & Automating Epicor Eclipse ERP and BigCommerce for Victor Distributing Company
“We needed help integrating our ERP with our online store for orders, inventory, pricing, and customers. The DKCAP Integrator has worked really well for this purpose.”
DCKAP Integrator paved the way for seamless mapping & flow of data between BigCommerce and Victor Distributing Company’s choice of Epicor ERP: Epicor Eclipse. This has allowed the team to better leverage the strong features offered by the ecommerce platform and, in turn, offer better shopping experiences for their customers.
Read more about this success story here.
Leverage Your Epicor ERP Investment Through Integration
Automation is the new normal. Integrating your Epicor ERP system can greatly enhance its capabilities and maximize the return on your investment. By streamlining processes, improving data accuracy, and enabling seamless communication between systems, integration unlocks the full potential of your Epicor ERP solution.
To leverage your Epicor ERP investment through integration, it’s crucial to work with a trusted and experienced integration partner. DCKAP Integrator team specializes in providing best-in-class integration solutions tailored to your unique business needs. Our team of experts understands the intricacies of Epicor ERP and can simplify your integration requirements, ensuring a seamless and efficient integration process. Book a streategy call to know more
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