<img alt="" src="https://secure.intelligent-consortium.com/791393.png" style="display:none;">

A Successful Admin is not an island!

A Successful Admin is not an island

If you are an ERP Administrator and you find yourself sitting in a corner office or the basement, (depending on how much your boss likes you) looking out the window or staring at a computer monitor, waiting for the rest of the employees to knock on your door. I am here to tell you that you are doing it wrong.  If you have not found a group of ERP Administrators to network with on a regular basis, again you are doing it wrong.  An admin cannot live on an island and cannot do it alone. So today we are going to talk about how to thrive and not just survive!  This blog contains two important parts.  The first is regarding the work place and your team as a whole and the second will be about finding that community to network with.  So what do ya say, let's get started!

"In the office"  is the term we often hear and use as ERP Administrators. I am here to tell you it should be in an abstract sense.  The worst place we can find ourselves is at a desk, behind a computer monitor staring at our ERP all day.  I understand that we do need to spend some time there, but that time should be limited.  As an admin we need to be out where the wheels are turning, where the work is being done, sleeves rolled up and belt tightened to get right into the trenches.  I know what you're thinking; I use to do that and worked my way into a better job and now I wear a suit….lets pause and think about that…when we were part of the worker bee group, our thoughts went much like this; they don't know what we do, they don't understand how long this takes, they don't care, am I right?  Here is the thing, if you are not out on the floor shipping right next to your shipping clerks you really have no idea how to best set up the ERP to make their job efficient and as stress free as possible. If you do not spend a day in customer service taking orders, in accounting doing month end close, in sales running reports, you can continue to add all the workflows, processes, and departments in your company to the list. How are you ever going to make intelligent decisions for them and make that ERP hum?  Tip one this week is come to work in your jeans and tennies and spend some time in the trenches.  The interesting thing that happened to me was in my effort to understand them and teach them some tricks in the ERP. They taught me and had a lot of valuable advice on streamlining processes, cross department collaboration, and some tricks they picked up along the way that I did not know about.  At the end of the day, Interaction is key!

Since we are on the subject of Interaction, the other people we need to interact with are our peers and contemporaries in the business.  When I found the Dynamics Communities and got involved both online and at live events, I began to thrive as an Admin.  If you are reading and using an ERP that is not part of the Microsoft Dynamics Communities, I am sure there is a group out there for you. I hope they are as amazing and wonderful as our community is and encourage you to get involved with them.  If you find they are not…maybe you should consider Microsoft's Business Central for your next ERP and join us!  I can hook you up if you are interested - I have connections :)  Success and the Admin image 1Sorry for the commercial interruption, onto our regularly scheduled programming.  In all seriousness, a network of people using the same ERP is like finding the golden ticket in Willy Wonka.  Once a member of the NAVUG community I began to learn through the 100's of webinars they provide. I was able to share knowledge and ask questions in the open forum, find a local chapter community to network with in person.  These people have become my mentors, teachers, coworkers, best friends and a couple of them are now my bosses.  Each year in October we have an annual Summit, and I have been heard saying, "This is my favorite week of the year - it's like a family reunion!"  Tip number two this week is, find a network of other ERP admins to connect with. If you are using a Dynamics ERP and are not already part of our ridiculously amazing network - don't delay - Join us!  You won't be sorry!

To give NAVUG a try, follow this link to the membership page where you can sign up for a free month's trial!  If you want to jump in with both feet, reach out to our Customer Engagement Team by emailing sales@innovia.com. and ask about a discount coupon!

Please share your stories and pics from the trenches, and if you are a NAV/BC Admin, look for me in the community!                                                              ~ Holly

Holly Kutil

Holly Kutil

Holly Kutil is a Customer Success Manager at Innovia Consulting. She has worked in the Accounting/IT world for 40 years. She believes that every touchpoint, every connection, is an opportunity for a relationship, and by nurturing relationships and genuinely caring for people we encounter we not only serve them but ourselves as well. We all become richer from the encounter.

Related Posts