Selecting a new ERP system is a major business decision. However, choosing the technology itself is only one part of the process. The partner responsible for understanding your requirements, shaping the solution and supporting its long-term development can have an equally significant influence on the outcome.
This is particularly important when implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. The platform needs to reflect the way your organisation operates, connect with its wider technology environment and remain capable of supporting future change.
When comparing providers, cost and technical credentials will naturally influence the decision. But they should not be the only considerations. Asking the following questions will help you identify a Microsoft ERP partner in London that can support both the immediate implementation and your wider business objectives.
1. Do They Understand Your Industry?
ERP requirements can vary considerably between sectors. While every organisation may need effective financial management, reporting and operational visibility, the processes behind those requirements are rarely identical.
A construction business may need to consider project costing, purchasing and the visibility of costs across multiple sites. A manufacturer may place greater emphasis on production, stock and supply chain processes. Professional services organisations may instead prioritise resource management, project performance and financial reporting.
Your prospective ERP partner should therefore take the time to understand:
- How your organisation delivers its products or services
- The operational challenges affecting your sector
- Your reporting, governance and compliance requirements
- The systems and processes already supporting your teams
- The areas in which greater visibility or automation would add value
Akita supports organisations across industries including construction, manufacturing, financial services, law, insurance, public services, education, healthcare, hospitality, recruitment, accountancy, agriculture, charities and software and technology.
This breadth of experience helps provide useful context when reviewing how technology fits into an organisation. The objective should not simply be to recreate existing processes in a new system. It should be to identify where processes can be simplified, connected or improved.
2. Do They Hold Relevant Microsoft Expertise?
Microsoft credentials, technical knowledge and experience should form part of your initial assessment of any prospective partner.
Ask how the provider maintains its knowledge of Microsoft technologies and whether its consultants understand the broader Microsoft environment. You should also establish who will be responsible for the discovery, implementation and ongoing support stages of the project.
A credible partner should be able to explain its experience clearly and without relying on overly technical language. It should also provide suitable evidence of previous work, relevant expertise and its approach to maintaining technical standards.
Credentials alone do not guarantee the success of an ERP project, but they can help you establish whether a provider has made a sustained commitment to Microsoft technologies.
3. Do They Begin With Your Business Objectives?
An ERP conversation should not begin with a long list of software features.
The first discussions should focus on why your organisation is considering change. Perhaps current systems no longer provide reliable information. Teams may be duplicating data across disconnected platforms, or manual processes may be limiting productivity. The existing system might also be difficult to support, integrate or scale.
A consultative partner will explore the outcomes the business wants to achieve, such as:
- Improving operational and financial visibility
- Reducing repetitive administration
- Connecting previously separate processes
- Supporting more informed decision-making
- Establishing consistent working practices
- Preparing the organisation for future growth
This provides a clearer foundation for the project. It also helps prevent unnecessary configuration or customisation that is not linked to a defined business requirement.
When assessing a Microsoft ERP partner in London, ask how it will translate your strategic goals into measurable project priorities. If its recommendations appear before it has properly explored your organisation, the proposed solution may be driven more by the software than by your needs.
4. What Is Their Approach to ERP Implementation?
A well-managed Microsoft ERP implementation should have a defined structure covering discovery, requirements, solution design, testing, training, deployment and post-launch support.
Ask each provider to explain its approach in practical terms. Important areas to explore include:
- How requirements will be captured and prioritised
- Who will make key project decisions
- How responsibilities will be divided
- How changes to the agreed scope will be managed
- How data preparation and migration will be approached
- How testing will involve the appropriate users
- How progress, risks and decisions will be communicated
- What support will be available around launch
Clear governance is especially important when a project crosses several departments. Finance, operations, sales, management and IT may have different priorities, so the partner must be capable of creating a shared view of what the implementation needs to achieve.
Be cautious if the proposed plan moves immediately from a brief sales discussion into configuration. Sufficient discovery at the beginning can reduce misunderstandings and avoid expensive corrections later.
5. Can They Connect ERP With Your Wider Technology Environment?
ERP should not be considered in isolation. Financial and operational information may need to move between productivity platforms, reporting tools, customer management systems, document repositories and other specialist business applications.
Your partner should investigate these dependencies before deciding how the ERP solution will be configured. Ask which existing systems need to remain, which processes could be consolidated and where data currently needs to be entered more than once.
The objective is not necessarily to integrate every application. Instead, it is to develop a joined-up technology environment in which information is available to the right people and unnecessary manual work is reduced.
This is where a provider with experience beyond ERP can add value. A wider understanding of Microsoft technologies, cloud platforms, data, security and managed IT can help ensure that decisions made during the implementation complement the organisation’s broader technology strategy.
6. What Happens After Go-Live?
Going live is an important milestone, but it is not the end of an ERP project.
Users may need further guidance as they begin working with the new system in real situations. Reports may require refinement, priorities may change and new opportunities for process improvement may become apparent.
Before appointing a partner, establish what its post-launch service includes. Ask about:
- The transition from project delivery to ongoing support
- How users will raise questions or report issues
- The availability of continued training
- Regular reviews and system optimisation
- Support for new functionality and integrations
- Management of future business changes
The most suitable support model will depend on the organisation. However, ownership, service expectations and communication routes should be clear before implementation begins.
A capable partner should help the organisation continue to improve its use of the system rather than treating go-live as the conclusion of the relationship.
7. Do They Have Experience Supporting Organisations in London?
Location should not replace expertise, but working with a partner that understands organisations in London and the South East can provide practical advantages.
Your teams may value the option of face-to-face discovery sessions, training or strategic meetings. A partner with an established regional presence may also have a stronger appreciation of the operational pressures affecting organisations based in and around the capital.
When searching for a Microsoft ERP partner in London, consider whether the provider offers the balance of local engagement and remote delivery that works for your business.
Important questions include:
- Can key workshops be delivered in person if required?
- How will remote and on-site project activity be coordinated?
- Where is the implementation and support team located?
- Does the partner have experience working with organisations of a similar size or structure?
- Can it provide appropriate examples of relevant customer work?
The right delivery model is not necessarily entirely local or entirely remote. It should be designed around effective collaboration and the needs of your project.
8. Can the Solution Scale With Your Organisation?
Your requirements may look very different several years after implementation. The organisation could add new users, locations, services, reporting requirements or business entities. It may also acquire another company or enter new markets.
The project should therefore consider both current requirements and plausible future change.
Ask the prospective partner how it incorporates scalability into its recommendations. It should be able to explain how the initial implementation provides a strong foundation without attempting to deliver every possible future requirement on day one.
This balance is important. Overengineering the first phase can add unnecessary cost and complexity, while focusing only on immediate needs may create avoidable restrictions later.
A considered implementation should prioritise the most valuable requirements first while preserving a clear route for subsequent development.
9. Do They Have Expertise Beyond ERP?
An ERP implementation will often expose challenges elsewhere in the organisation’s technology environment.
The project might identify inconsistent access controls, ageing infrastructure, disconnected reporting, limited business continuity arrangements or gaps in user adoption. Resolving these issues may require knowledge beyond the ERP platform itself.
Ask whether the prospective partner can contribute expertise across areas such as:
- Managed IT services
- Microsoft cloud technologies
- Cyber security
- Data and reporting
- Business continuity
- Digital transformation
- Technology strategy
- User adoption and training
This does not mean one provider must deliver every technology service. However, broader expertise can help reduce conflicting decisions and create greater alignment between ERP, IT operations and business strategy.
For organisations that already manage several technology suppliers, a more joined-up relationship could also simplify accountability and reduce the time spent coordinating separate providers.
10. Will They Act as a Long-Term Technology Partner?
There is an important difference between delivering an ERP project and supporting an organisation’s continued development.
A project-led supplier may focus primarily on completing the agreed implementation. A long-term technology partner should also be interested in how the system performs after launch, how requirements evolve and how the organisation’s wider technology roadmap supports its goals.
Ask how the provider maintains relationships once the initial project is complete. Does it conduct regular reviews? Will it identify opportunities for improvement? Can it advise on related technology decisions, or will every discussion begin as a separate sales exercise?
A strong long-term relationship should provide continuity and constructive challenge. Your partner should understand the decisions already made, recognise the priorities behind them and help the business determine what needs to happen next.
This does not require constant change. In some cases, the best advice may be to retain the current approach. The value lies in having access to informed guidance that considers the whole organisation rather than one system or isolated project.
Choosing the Right Microsoft ERP Partner in London
The successful introduction of ERP depends on more than selecting a recognised product. It requires clear objectives, realistic planning, engaged users, appropriate governance and a partner capable of connecting technology decisions to business outcomes.
Before making a final choice, look beyond demonstrations and headline implementation costs. Examine the provider’s industry understanding, discovery process, implementation methodology, support model and wider technical expertise.
The right Microsoft ERP partner in London should be able to support your organisation through implementation while also helping it build a more connected, secure and scalable technology environment.
Looking for a Business Central Partner in London?
Akita helps organisations align Microsoft business applications with their wider technology strategy. Our expertise spans Microsoft solutions, managed IT services, cloud technologies, cyber security, data and digital transformation, providing a joined-up perspective that extends beyond the implementation itself.
Whether you are exploring Business Central for the first time, replacing a legacy ERP system or reviewing the support provided by your current partner, we can help you clarify your requirements and develop an appropriate route forward.
Speak to Akita today to discuss your requirements with an experienced Business Central partner in London and discover how a more connected Microsoft technology strategy could support your organisation’s next stage of growth:
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