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Answers 4 Business provides both business process improvement and information systems solutions for our clients.
We focus on delivering Return on Business Systems Investment. We provide high quality, targeted consulting, training, support and advisory services. Engagements are designed either to help clients optimize business processes or to ensure return on investment from SAP Enterprise Resource Planning, Business Intelligence, Supply Chain or other business software.
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We provide associates who share our core values: a passion for excellence in customer service, professional integrity, and a desire to provide real customer value to clients and not simply maximize billable hours.
The best way for an organization to increase the ROI of training without a dramatic increase in its expense is to improve the way that training is planned and delivered.
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Answers 4 Business is a consulting firm specializing in collaborative business solutions. Based out of Richmond Hill, Ontario, we are experts at business process transformation and change management within organizations.
We focus on SAP Enterprise Resource Planning solutions. In addition, we offer complete ERP implementations across all industries. What sets us apart from others is our focus on maximizing knowledge transfer to the client during projects.
Answers 4 Business is well established within the ERP and supply chain worlds because of years of experience working in these markets and our network of relationships. These relationships include software companies, other consulting firms, and hardware vendors. Along with our hands-on
experience and training, this uniquely positions us to provide a wide range of high quality services.
Founded in March 2003, we are proud that many of Canadas leading companies are already clients of ours and will provide strong references on our behalf.
Creating a world of environmentally sustainable, growing economies. We are passionate about respectful resource management.
Listen, lead, and advise to create and support actions that deliver growth and sustainability for businesses. To be respected contributors to the Ontario
green infrastructure
We take pride delivering results that matter with ethics and integrity. We have a passion to transfer knowledge and learn.
In addition to our significant project management capabilities, Answers 4 Business can often provide an ideal consulting solution when it comes
to staffing short term projects.
Our mission at Answers 4 Business is to provide clients professional services designed to maximize long-term project success and ongoing client satisfaction.
We only recommend candidates who we believe are capable of delivering very high levels of customer satisfaction. In doing so, we carefully assess not only domain expertise and people skills, but also consulting skills.
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Whether you are in need of new user training due to new hires or have just implemented your SAP ERP system and need a comprehensive training solution, Answers 4 Business has the expertise to assist.
In order to ensure that best practices are met, we teach industry-standard techniques and eliminate the proprigation of bad habits that can stem from colleague-to-colleague training.
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Many companies know that they are not getting the most out of the expensive ERP systems that they have installed but are not sure what to do about it. Internal politics, departmental friction, or a lack of resources can add to the confusion.
We can help. Our consultants can provide expert objective assessment of your current situation and provide a roadmap to get you to a state of optimization.
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Providing employees the right kind of training has been proven to improve the performance and profitability of organizations.
It sends several important messages to employees when they know that training is something that an organization cares about. Firstly, it keeps
skills sharp and drives home the need for ongoing performance improvements. Secondly, there is almost always a demonstrated morale
improvement among training participants. Thirdly, reduced employee turnover and improved job satisfaction are consistently measured as
benefits since employees want to be able to deliver high performance work and training helps them to do so.
The best way for an organization to increase the ROI of training without a dramatic increase in its expense is to improve the way that training is
planned and delivered, which is why Answers 4 Business relies on its proven methodology for delivering training. By starting with subject matter
experts with real world experience, we can deliver immediate credibility to the training participants. These experts can also design a program to
maximize the benefits to your organization and jointly agree on the best methodology and materials for delivering the training. Almost always this
involves customizing the training content and materials specifically for your organization.
We also understand the need to measure the impact of training to your organization, which is why we always recommend surveying the immediate
reaction of the participants, but also follow up at a later date to validate impact on day-to-day job performance. This also helps track the other skills learned over time. Training only matters when employees can absorb the required material and put it into action.
Advisory Services
ERP, CRM, Supply Chain, and Business Intelligence projects can be extremely powerful competitive tools that enable companies to achieve their maximum potential.
Doing so most effectively requires partners who can help with strategy, planning, implementation, and change management.
Answers 4 Business excels at collaborating with clients to ensure their strategies are developed and implemented as effectively and affordably as possible.
The common theme among all the services that we provide is that we deliver all engagements in a high quality way that is consistent with the Answers 4 Business business philosophy and our consulting methodology.
Resurrected manufacturer kicks aging ERP to the curb
IT Canada
June 3, 2010
By: Stefan Dubowski article link
Invotronics Inc. is back from the dead but the automotive electronics developer hasnt resurrected its old ERP system. The companys owner says it was time to try something a little different.
The Toronto-based manufacturer used to have about 700 employees and $150 million in sales, acting as a supplier to companies such as Bombardier Inc., Ford Motor Co., and General Motors Corp. But the company went idle during the recession.
Recently, former company manager Earl Hughson acquired Invotronics assets. Hes re-launching the business, and also using it to commercialize his other company, GreenBlue, which offers technology that improves diesel engine efficiency and reduces pollution.
Invotronics has had a number of owners over the past 20 years, but the business always operated somewhat independently, making its own decisions about technology support systems, Hughson says. Nearly 12 years ago, the firm invested in a new ERP platform, replacing the original aging, unsupported system.
In the middle of high-volume production, we did a total flip of our ERP system, he recalls. It was traumatic.
Come 2009, with Hughson at the helm, Invotronics faced another big ERP decision: should the company continue to use the existing ERP? Should it replace the system? If so, would it make sense to go with technology available from the original vendor, or should Invotronics select another vendors wares?
All signs suggested that the firm should break away from the ERP vendor it chose 12 years earlier.
The company that had the software had been resold a few times, Hughson says. It was really getting no future product development whatsoever.The system itself didnt seem worth saving. It was very innovative in its day, but its ancient by todays standards, Hughson says. And when I repurchased Invotronics I realized that the ERP system was basically a cracked foundation, that we were going to build a whole new company on it, and it had to be replaced.
The firm needed an ERP platform for material requirement planning (MRP), inventory, production, payables and receivables, in the short term. The system would have to be able to accommodate Invotronics future requirements as well, including custom electronic data interchange systems for e-commerce, barcode information integration, and integration with manufacturing reporting systems.
And to avoid the trauma that the company experienced during the last ERP system upgrade, Invotronics needed a quick solution, based on a particular question:
Is there any possibility that we can get a system and implement it immediately, so we dont have to restart the old software, pay all the licence fees? Hughson says, explaining that by moving quickly, the firm might be able to avoid the traumatic shift from one ERP to another Invotronics could just start fresh.
We only had two to three months at the most from the time I did the acquisition to the time we had to be in production.
Invotronics decided to work with Answers 4 Business, a software-selection consultancy in Richmond Hill, Ont., to find the right software. The company helped Invotronics suss through the requirements and develop an RFP for ERP makers to consider.
That process saw Answers 4 Businesss president and founder Brian Chamberlain spend about one week gathering the information with Invotronics employees. He sat in the boardroom for three or four hours at a time with the key managers, and he said, OK, were going over the financial needs now. Here are all the other questions hes ever asked for another company. Was this important to us? No. Lets eliminate that question, but this ones important Answers 4 Business eventually helped Invotronics select an SAP AG ERP system.
A week after making the selection, the system was installed and tested. And within a month, it was live.
Invotronics had just 10 employees at that point but it should come as no surprise that the relatively tiny firm would turn to a software consultancy for guidance.
We have a very highly trained staff, and it includes extremely experienced IT managers, Hughson says. But my team runs systems in production. How often do we need the expertise or the extra bandwidth of doing an implementation? Only once every 12 years, it seems.
Asked for his advice on choosing a consultancy, Hughson says companies should pay attention to the consultants expertise.
He has to know our business needs inside and backwards. We don't have time to train the consultant. He deals with enough companies in our industry. He knows all of the crazy nuances that we need. And then he can translate that into a needs analysis for a software company that probably doesnt know them.
Shiny new functions can lead to disastrous purchase decisions
June 10, 2010
by Stefan Dubowski article link
Technology pros involved in software purchases sometimes lose sight of important RFP details, and end up choosing the wrong product for the wrong reasons, according to one IT industry insider.
Brian Chamberlain is the president and founder of Answers 4 Business, a software-selection consultancy in Richmond Hill, Ont. IT Market Dynamics the research arm of the IT in Canada network interviewed him as one part of an investigation into mid-sized companies, and an emerging trend: smaller organizations are now hiring consultants like Answers 4 Business to help them choose software systems.
In previous articles with others consultants and customers (see We become...the bad guy...) we learned why some mid-sized businesses are starting to employ consultants a common enterprise-level move apparently becoming more popular among smaller organizations as well.
In our interview with Chamberlain, we learned that no matter how big or small their companies happen to be, technologists need to focus on the important matters of the RFP, or they risk making poor choices.
The surprise that I think a lot of people have, when they go through an RFP process, is how easy it is for the technology vendors to introduce decision criteria that were not part of the businesss decision criteria before the process began, Chamberlain says.
Its understandable, he says, explaining that the software vendors are simply doing their jobs looking for strategic hooks that will convince the prospective customer to buy their wares Still, its a concern: lacking focus, software purchasers could make the wrong decision. We need to be pretty clear and do the strategy work ourselves up front, Chamberlain advises.
In one situation, a customer chose an ERP system because the vendor demonstrated a particular function better than competitors did. Answers 4 Business suggested that it wouldnt be prudent for the client to ascribe too much importance to this single feature but the customer was captivated.
A few years later, the client switched to a different system, because the original systems vendor no longer supported the technology.
A lot of the original criteria, which was around longevity of the vendor, the strategy play as far as having a platform thats easily sellable, and that sort of thing those things were put on the wayside in the decision cycle, Chamberlain says.
Vendor longevity is an important consideration, he says. Weve seen enough customers get burned by vendors that either went out of business, or were acquired by another company, or were suffering to an extent that they had a significant downturn in their ability to provide service.
Asked to explain how Answers 4 Business opens discussions with potential mid-sized customers, to get them to use this companys services, Chamberlain says his team often stresses the importance of bridging the IT-business gap.
Our discussion is really always about aligning the IT strategy to the business strategy so understanding where the business is going and then looking at where that business would best be supported and enabled by IT. Then we have a discussion around how we do that in a way that we get a return on the investment in the business systems.
Experience is the keystone of that bridge, he says. I think it comes down to the fact that the majority of the people that we bring to bear on an engagement of this sort are people who have both a business background and an IT background, and probably more weighted on the business side.
Of Answers 4 Businesss 10 consultants, half have IT capabilities, but all have business experience, Chamberlain says. So they know how to have the business discussion.
Answers 4 Business Team Pledge for a Shifting Economy
A lot has changed even since August 2008. We are all trying to get a handle on the economy and are wondering where it is going. Wherever that is, there are profound effects on our clients, our business partners and our consultants. And that is likely to continue. We offer this perspective.
The economy is not correcting, it is shifting. We are coming to terms as a global community with many of the basic contradictions in our old economic game. We are shifting values toward that which we now determine to be of value. It may be too early to settle on what materials or
services will ultimately become the staples for a new set of economic drivers, but wed suggest those that compliment the principles of community, collaboration, teamwork and respect will win out over fierce, win-lose competitiveness, the hoarding of knowledge, and a get-ahead-at-all-costs-and-damn-the-impact approach. Wed also expect that governments will be tinkering with what role they can play and new, more collaborative models will be offered in many areas of our lives.
A peaceful shift is possible. Much of the old is on its way out and new ideas, solutions and paradigms are coming forth. There is a marked difference between the thinking of the generation under 30 from that over 40, in general terms, but new parent-like bonds are being formed to
bring the 60+ crowd in line with the thinking of the youth in many ways. Additionally, countries and economies are shifting power bases and the gap between rich and poor countries is normalizing through the force of the Flat World. Traditionally, changes such as these have been times for
conflict and protectionism as we shift to a view of a limited pie. However, we see signs of a maturity that would suggest this revolution might remain simply a rapid evolution and negotiation and understanding might win the day.
A pledge from our team. At Answers 4 Business, we have been focused on delivering value true value as it is defined and perceived by our customer for the duration of our 5+ - year existence. We have always paid attention to both monetary and non-monetary value drivers and will
continue to do so. As this shift takes place, we commit to:
sharpening our focus on the economic equation of our work in order to ensure our services remain affordable and deliver substantial payback;
providing leading perspective and access to wisdom in order that our customers can align their businesses well to new economic environments and more readily adapt to change
delivering trusted solutions with the utmost in integrity.
Our motto, "Collaborating to deliver inspiring answers" refers to our relationships with our clients, and it also refers to our strong partner network. We leverage our relationships to provide clients the very best expertise as appropriate.
CONTAX provides outstanding technical capabilities and is an SAP Midmarket Channel Partner . CONTAX focuses on SAP Technology Consulting , ABAP/4 Programming and Development, Interface Design, EDI Integration, SAP Script, Data Conversion. They also provide strong JD Edwards support services and other technical services.
CONTAX is a privately owned information technology consulting services firm founded in 1989 in Toronto. CONTAX consultants focus on providing quality system solutions which best meet the business needs. Their success is based on an understanding that each clients business is unique and therefore has different requirements
pmc America is an SAP Business Development and Services partner headquartered in Suburban Detroit MI. pmc offers customized solutions to meet the needs of automotive manufacturers and suppliers. They are expert in ensuring effective and efficient business with customers, suppliers and banks.
As automotive and manufacturing specialists, pmc America offers business optimization and integration solutions based exclusively on the rich business framework of SAP. Unparalleled business experience over 100 successful SAP projects worldwide. They have delivered supplier projects involving direct supply to all of the major Automotive OEMs and have an excellent understanding of the requirements.
HR Strategies Consulting is a full service consulting company specializing in human resource solutions. They have provided professional consulting services to hundreds of global clients since 1990.
Fortune 500 as well as small to medium sized companies in both the private and public sectors are included in our worldwide client base. Their clients represent a wide variety of industries including: telecommunications, technology, banking, health, consumer goods, hospitality, retail, automotive, pharmaceutical and media.
They offer a full range of Human Resources Services including: Executive Human Resources Strategy, Compensation, Recognition and Rewards, Training Design and Delivery, Search, Career Transition, Leadership Development, Organization Development and a host of other HR specialties.
We welcome your questions and feedback.
Answers 4 Business
Toronto, ON
Phone Numbers:
Main: (647)367-0124
Sales: ext. 207
Admin: ext. 203
Fax: (416) 981-3553
e-mail: info_answers4business.com
Send us your contact information and tell us what you are interested in and we will have the appropriate person contact you.
Staffing Answers for You...
In addition to our significant project management capabilities, Answers 4 Business can often provide an ideal consulting solution when it comes to staffing short term projects.
Our mission at Answers 4 Business is to provide clients professional services designed to maximize long-term project success and ongoing client satisfaction. That is why when we recommend candidates for positions, Answers 4 Business also provides the following value-added services:
To ensure client satisfaction, we dont just survey for feedback at the end of engagements, we also touch base throughout the project to help maximize the likelihood and amount of success a project will enjoy.
A4B provides SAP professionals with expertise in the following functional areas noted below. Our consultants have provided assistance at every step of the SAP ASAP methodology including blue print, realization, go live and post production support. We have access to a full range of SAP professionals with both industry and business process expertise. No assignment is too small for us to take on....
CLICK here to ask us about the talent pool we have available.
Answers 4 Business provides business process improvement and information systems solutions for our clients - with a strong focus on delivering
Return on Business Systems Investment.
We provide high quality, targeted consulting, training, support and advisory services.
Engagements are designed either to help clients optimize business processes or to ensure return on investment from Enterprise Resource Planning, Supply Chain or other business software.
Please let us know what we can assist with and we will contact you to discuss the details.
