Choosing the best Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant can be done if you avoid these mistakes. The right choice will have a dramatic impact on your success and your budget. It also plays a role in how much value you will get out of your ERP investment and how happy your end users will be with the system.

The goal is for your team to take ownership of the system and have a few power users so that you do not need to rely on a billable GP consultant for everyday tasks. Instead, you can reserve the consulting time for system enhancements and strategic projects.

Mistake #1 – Choosing a Dynamics GP Trainer versus a Consultant

I have observed that people gravitate towards the most popular trainers when they go to Microsoft Dynamics ERP conferences. Then they ask if the trainer can be their Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant.

I do not believe the best trainers make the best Microsoft Dynamics GP consultants. It is a different skill set. People usually have a passion for one or the other and excel at it. In my experience, the people who genuinely have a "consulting mindset" are not those you can easily find teaching or even attending seminars. They usually have a low online presence and are harder to find.

A good consultant has the ability to meet a client and assess their needs across a wide area. Typically, someone who does training is very specialized. They do training on payroll, and they are an expert at it. But they can lack the full-blown understanding that an experienced implementation consultant will have. An implementation consultant must be able to fully assess the Microsoft Dynamics GP system and see the big picture. On top of that, the consultant should know how Microsoft Dynamics GP interacts with other systems.

When you implement an entire Microsoft Dynamics GP system, again and again, you find what works and what doesn't. And that is critical knowledge for clients to gain. Also, those consultants are able to make key decisions for the client. It is fine to present a few options for a project. However, presenting all of the available options often creates chaos. Clients like to pay for a consultant to take the lead and are happy when they do not have to constantly make all the decisions.

Enjoy the excellent training sessions at events, and even hire them for training in person. But do more evaluation before you make them your Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant.

Mistake #2 – Choosing Reactive Versus Proactive

I recommend you attend a Microsoft Dynamics GP local event or national conference and ask other users how happy they are with their Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant. I think a key phrase to focus on when shopping around for a consultant should be "proactive versus reactive."

A lot of people are trained to react to an issue. But you will save money and have a more efficient Microsoft Dynamics GP system with a proactive approach. A reactive Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant is an expensive Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant because the issue has to be fixed NOW, no matter what. If you are proactive, your system will be stable and not have these "fire alarm" issues.

Read: Our Proactive Strategy to Reduce Microsoft Dynamics GP Consulting Costs

So, ask other users if their Microsoft Dynamics GP consultants are proactive. Ask for specific examples. Do they do regular check-ins? Are you notified about changes?

Many clients who switch to Dexpro tell us they never knew they needed an upgrade. They did not realize what they already owned and were not using. This falls into the category of "proactive approach". Upgrades will eliminate risks presented by unsupported systems, and using modules you already own can bring efficiency and eliminate unnecessary support costs.

For example, on October 1, 2022, Microsoft plans to make a massive change to email settings that will dramatically impact Microsoft Dynamics GP users. Yet very few companies, or consultants, are proactively warning and preparing their clients for this. Current workarounds for this issue may no longer be available after October 1. We suspect that many clients will realize too late that their systems are not working properly. Then, they will need to face the costs related to restoring the system to full functionality.

Read: Microsoft Email Security Change Impacting Microsoft Dynamics GP Users October 1, 2022

Check a consulting firm's website, read their customer newsletters, and see if they are proactive about giving their clients information and advice.

Mistake #3 – Choosing a "Know It All"

You don't want a Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant that seems to know everything all the time. Instead, a good consultant should be able to step away from their own opinions and say, "I think we need to bring in an expert in this, I think you need this third party solution, or you need a business process review to give you a comprehensive view."

The definition of a good consultant is to not only focus their services on what they know.

Mistake #4 – Choosing a Copy Cat

Some Microsoft Dynamics GP consultants look very impressive online and have blog sites full of tips. Some write those tips based on their experience, and others just copy, paste, and share tips from other people. They spend a lot of time online doing it. It is helpful to the community, but it doesn't mean they actually know the answers themselves. In my opinion, quality counts more than quantity.

Do a little digging and talk to the person directly to ask if that Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant writes their own content or just shares content from other, better, consultants.

Mistake #5 – Choosing a Firm That is Too Large or Too Small

To find the best Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant, I would recommend that you look for a midsize consulting firm. To me, this means a firm with six to twenty Dynamics ERP consultants.

With that choice, you can have the personal touch and not be lost in the mix, especially if you are a small company. The truth is that larger partners have a tendency to ignore small businesses, whereas a midsize partner will not.

But don't go too small, either. I would stay away from a one-person Microsoft Dynamics GP partner, a partner that does not have an office address, and a team. When you rely on just one person's skill set, this puts your system at risk.

Mistake #6 – Choosing Someone Who is Too Famous

There are Microsoft Dynamics GP consultants that try to be LinkedIn-famous, or they try to be a very established name in the industry. They often do a lot of free help for random users online.

There is nothing wrong with that per se. But I know that when I interview consultants to work for my firm, I want the Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant to be famous with the client, not with the industry or the competition. I want all their energy and time spent on our clients. I think that is what you should expect too.

Mistake #7 – Choosing a Microsoft Dynamics GP Consultant With The Lowest Rate

Everyone wants to save money. But some consultants will bid the lowest hourly rate to win the deal, then take ten times longer to complete the project. Shopping for a good Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant is like shopping for a good business lawyer. I recently chose a lawyer with a higher rate than anyone else, but he's more efficient in 15 minutes than my previous lawyer was in 20 hours.

My team works on many projects where the client is paying us to fix mistakes made by the inexpensive Microsoft Dynamics GP consultants.

It can be difficult to know this in the beginning. This is another reason to get a referral from other users and specifically ask about billing.

Sometimes, if a client is hesitant about working with Dexpro Dynamics, I will give them an introductory rate so we can prove our value, with the understanding that we will charge the normal rate after the initial period. We do this because we are confident we can deliver.

Mistake #8 – Choosing A Consultant That is Too Detailed

Some consulting firms will bring 15 guys in suits and do a very beautiful presentation. It can be impressive, and you may feel that they will use all that energy to complete a perfect project. However, I see it as overkill, and a dollar sign is always associated with that.

If you see a PowerPoint presentation that took a massive amount of work and was overkill for your project, that is a sign that this is how they will work. Likely everything will be overproduced, and you are the one that is going to be paying for it. This can apply to a small consulting firm too. Are they spending their billable time on things that really matter?

Mistake #9 – Choosing A Consultant That is Not Detailed Enough

If the answer is "no problem" to every single question you ask and no one gets really specific with you, that is a bad sign. There is no ERP project that has zero issues or can fit it at all. As much as I want to stay positive, a reality check needs to happen. A good consultant will be honest with you about that upfront and explain the pros and cons, so you have the information you need to make the right decisions.

How to utilize your Microsoft Dynamics GP Consultant to maximize your profits

Once you find the best Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant, what can they do for your company? Here are three examples of ways they can help you save money, which means more profits.

1)    Use What You Own

A good Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant will show you how to use the tools you already own. I find that many companies do not even realize they have certain modules. Especially with the recent changes from Microsoft, it is important to confirm you are on the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics GP and know what is included. You may be able to avoid paying licensing fees for third-party tools if you use what you own.

Read: Valuable Free Tools Every Microsoft Dynamics GP User Needs to Know About

2)    Focus on Reporting

Reporting in Microsoft Dynamics GP has always been overlooked by many consultants. With the post-COVID growth of many businesses, reporting is the number one thing that is requested by our clients.

Microsoft Dynamics GP comes with nearly unlimited reporting capabilities. A good Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant can start with what you have out of the box, such as SQL reports, Excel Live reports, and even Power BI. Then, they can train you to add custom reports to take you a step further.

With proper reporting, you can spend less time on data entry and make meetings more productive. It is even possible that you can avoid expensive customization or integration projects when you have the right reports to consolidate data.

3)    Evaluate All Cloud Options

Today, companies often want to eliminate on-premises servers. However, they are confused and don't know if they need to switch ERP systems.

Lately, the most common questions I get are:

• Can you still use Microsoft Dynamics GP in the cloud?
• Is it better to move to Dynamics 365 Business Central?

I will just say that Microsoft Dynamics GP is here to stay. Although it is an on-premises solution, we have many clients moving Microsoft Dynamics GP to Azure, AWS, or cloud servers. Today, close to half of our clients have Microsoft Dynamics GP installed on a cloud server.

Some clients do decide to move to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. But this is not an upgrade; it is an entirely new implementation. We help clients evaluate both options.

We review the situation of each client and provide an objective analysis of what is a better fit for their scenario. With so many businesses being understaffed today, it is hard to justify a new system implementation.

However, if the system used today does not support all of the client's needs, it may be the right time to consider Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Microsoft and other third-party vendors have improved tools that allow an easier transition of historical data from Microsoft Dynamics GP to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC). This can significantly lower the implementation cost.

By choosing to stay within the Microsoft Solution product line, you will find that the training required for Microsoft Dynamics 365 BC is less time-consuming. We regularly see users successfully transition from Microsoft Dynamics GP to Microsoft Dynamics 365 BC. It is also important to know that Microsoft offers dual license ownership for all GP clients – you can own Microsoft Dynamics 365 BC licenses under your current Microsoft Dynamics GP renewal.

Also read: Compare options to move Microsoft Dynamics GP to the cloud

Next Steps

We know that choosing the best Microsoft Dynamics GP consultant can seem overwhelming. Most of our clients today came to us from a positive referral. We have clients that we have supported for decades. Our focus is to have long-term relationships with clients, and we want to ensure that our clients see the value in the work we deliver. Our goal is to get our clients the most value for their money and empower them to use the system to its fullest potential.

If you are evaluating ERP systems, let's start a conversation.

If you already use Microsoft Dynamics GP, I invite you to take advantage of a free 30-minute Microsoft Dynamics GP consultation to discuss your current pressing issue that other consultants could not resolve. Then, if we both feel it is a fit, we will provide a free high-level Microsoft Dynamics GP system assessment.

We now offer a "Microsoft Dynamics GP System Health Check" to evaluate your system's general stability. During this assessment, we will spend up to 4 hours reviewing your current Microsoft Dynamics GP system configuration, your servers' setup, and your general business processes. This will give you a good understanding of the modules and reports you own, including some you may not know that are there but should be using. Most importantly, this review will show you what it will take to make your system more efficient. Finally, you will receive a summarized report of our findings with an action plan that you can use as a roadmap to make the most of your investment in Microsoft Dynamics GP.

For more complex systems and clients who are facing important system decisions, we suggest a full "Microsoft Dynamics GP Business Process Review." The value of understanding current system design, combined with a vision for the future, can save a lot of money on selecting and implementing solutions that will not need to be quickly replaced.

You will never get a sales pitch, just honest answers, from the actual people who are responsible for delivering the results.

We want to make sure you don't make the mistakes above and work with the best Microsoft Dynamics GP consultants in the business.

Contact us at Dexpro Dynamics at (855) 703-4300 or info@dexprodynamics.com.

You can also register for our complementary 30 minute Dynamics GP consultation.

By Marlena Stark, President, Dexpro Dynamics, Microsoft Dynamics GP Silver Competency Partner, www.dexprodynamics.com