Despite all the benefits stemming from their new system, Tinamisan cautions companies who are thinking of streamlining their business processes. "They must first determine if the system is right for them, since not all solutions fit every kind of company," he explains, adding that it takes a few years before the full benefits of these implementations are realized.

Small and medium businesses should likewise be weary of the cost of implementing these applications. "They must study the nature of their business, and try to see what solutions are best for them," he says, adding that knowing all these information beforehand would prevent companies from losing their hard-earned investments.

"We were fortunate because most of us in the IT department came from other companies, so we have a wealth of knowledge and experience at our disposal. Because of that, we already know which problems and issues need to be addressed head-on," Tinamisan says, alluding to his previous experiences in other retail companies.

But these quick wins from the SAP applications are just a percentage of what they hope to achieve with the implementation. "We are still developing the system, and even though all our issues have been addressed by the application, we are still far from maximizing the benefits from the software," he relates.