When it comes to CRM or ERP implementation, the business manager often gets confused about whether to hire a consultant for functional or technical assistance. Both roles have different pros and cons. Only deep knowledge about the role specification can assist you in making the right choice.
For starters, you should know that both functional and technical consultants play an equal role in the successful deployment of an ERP. If you have one skill then you can outsource the other. If not, then consulting a certified Odoo Consultants or Odoo Partners is highly recommended.
Here in this article, we have given an overview of different roles, responsibilities, and skills that are required to become an efficient functional and technical consultant. Hence, knowing the difference between both will help clients in determining what services they need and whose services can be a viable resource for your business. Book a consultation at Techloyce for Odoo ERP implementation and third-party Odoo integration.
Read: How To Choose The Right Odoo Partner: A Checklist
Functional Consultant
Functional consultants are mostly those people who had the responsibility to communicate back and forth between developer and client. For this very reason, the knowledge, familiarity, and command over the complete business process matter the most, in other words, it is the basic requirement.
Functional consultants map down every requirement of clients along with the bottlenecks to make a comprehensive workflow. This means clients can get in touch with the consultants to discuss pressing business problems and offer a viable solution either in the form of ERP integration or custom workflow creation.
Unlike the technical consultant, the functional consultant helps the businesses in implementing customize ERP processes and draft business documentation. And later, to make ERP implementation successful, the functional consults provide training to users. The training includes the utility of ERP, the workflow description, and technical assistance for post-implementation support.
In comparison to technical consultants, the functional consultant is more knowledgeable about the need and workflow requirements of different industries, along with the different ERP SaaS services to recommend reliable ERP software.
Learn More About: What Makes Odoo the Best ERP Solution in 2021
Prerequisites of Functional Consultant
The role of a functional consultant requires in-depth knowledge and familiarity with business workflow, and industry domains e.g., health, education, IT, SaaS, etc. Having enough knowledge about the bottleneck of every industry ensures whether a functional consultant can provide a viable solution or not.
The second thing you need to assess before hiring an Odoo ERP consultant is his/her ability to configure business needs and workflow loopholes. If you can’t find the details on the website then it is better to contact the consultant directly via email or call to inquire about the detail of the past project.
When dealing with enterprise-level clients, functional consultants aim to get familiar with the SaaS solution provided by their company. Only having comprehensive information can ensure that the solutions offered by the functional consultant are implementable. This trait is called problem-solving ability which is often not a concern in technical consultants.
Another thing that makes ERP implementation, integration, or customization a success is communication. It helps to ensure the implementation and initiative of businesses produce high usability which can only be when functional consultant teaches users, mainly employees.
Technical Consultant
On the other hand, technical consultant possesses different skillsets and abilities then functional consultants. Since the role is to provide technical assistance thus the technical consultant is more into providing technical solutions in the form of backend code development and ERP programming.
The role of technical consultant starts once the functional consultant thoroughly discussed the project with clients and provides briefs to technical officers. Later, based on briefs, technical consultants fill the gaps defined by functional consultants by either integrating third-party applications or custom ERP solutions.
On contrary to what people say, the role of the technical consultant is heavily dependent on the insights provided by the functional consultants. Usually, it ranges from what clients need from an ERP to pinpointed bottleneck of clients’ business workflow and list of applications & modifications needed to remedy issues. This critical information helps them in implementing custom ERP & CRM solutions. Hence, we can say that the technical consultant plays a pivotal role in ERP implementation and execution.
Read: Say No To Disconnected Software And Abrupt Communication With Odoo ERP
Pre-Requisites of Technical Consultant
Unlike functional consultants, technical consultants are more familiar with the programming, designing, and workflow of the software. Hence, at some point, the clients have to consult technical and functional consultants simultaneously to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Moreover, the technical officers possess a holistic view and knowledge about the Integration and testing of ERP software. On the other hand, the functional consultant provides the overview of the product flow in an easy-to-understand way that makes implement utility a success.
The last thing on the list is version control and knowledge about business verticals of every industry e.g., shopping marts, health care institutes, law firms, etc.
Take Away….
Implementing an ERP or CRM solution on a massive scale requires a lot of technical skills. Hence, consulting a professional who is well-versed in both communication and development is a rare occurrence.
However, if you are good at communicating what your business need is and the workflow of your business then you can directly opt for hiring a technical consultant to customize ERP implementation. If you are not good with communication, then consulting a company such as Techloyce. We offer both functional consulting and development services.
Our team consists of certified professionals and skilled people who will help you in identifying the bottlenecks of your business workflow along with the solution. Hold on! you will get everything from comprehensive consultation to customize ERP and CRM solutions, along with training and post-implementation support.
Contact us today!
