Talk and Tech How Internal Marketing Communication Can Boost ERP New Features Implementation
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| Format: | Students’ Scientific Association paper |
| Kulcsszavak: | belső kommunikáció fejlesztése business marketing ERP rendszerek kommunikációs folyamat marketingkommunikáció |
| Online Access: | http://dolgozattar.uni-bge.hu/60479 |
| Abstract: | ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning systems are powerful tools that help streamline the workflow from start to finish for many different companies. They could potentially seamlessly integrate the accurate flow of information to different departments (finance, accounting, logistics, etc.) of the organization. However, despite being very useful, introducing and implementing the system itself poses a challenge for both employers and employees. Being one of the many end-users of these systems, we thought to ourselves: what if there is a change in internal communication strategy involving marketing tactics that would help to avoid cost overruns, delays, user resistance, and even outright failure? The purpose of the study is to identify key communication challenges faced during ERP implementation and how to leverage internal marketing communication tools to influence key stakeholders and contribute to overcoming these challenges. A total of 102 interviewees who are employees of different large corporations in the European Union were surveyed to first gain an overview of the current communication in ERP implementation within the organization, focusing on existing communication tools, their perceived effectiveness, and common challenges. Then, in-depth, qualitative 120-minute interviews with 15 different people representing different stakeholders of the enterprise: IT professionals, managers, end-users, and communication specialists, were conducted. The obtained data suggest that communication challenges faced during ERP implementation include a lack of clear instructions, assumptions of knowledge, generic messaging, poor feedback loops, and resistance to change. Online meetings and PowerPoint slide sharing are currently the most used methods; however, the most effective methods perceived by the interviewees are workshops, direct leadership communication, ambassadors, storytelling, and feedback forums. Nevertheless, these tools are not implemented widely due to time restrictions, limited capital resources, higher-level stakeholders’ deadlines, or simply employees' resistance to change. Afterwards, we have proposed a framework to integrate internal marketing communication strategies into ERP implementation plans. |
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