During a roundtable at the Acumatica Summit 2025 in Las Vegas, the ERP provider’s partners gathered to discuss their experiences in the small and medium business (SMB) market, the transition to cloud ERP, and strategies for ensuring customer satisfaction. Here are some key takeaways from the discussion:
SMBs and the ERP market
Contax is one of Acumatica’s newest partners. The company, until now, specialized in providing SAP solutions to its SMB clients. While the company still provides these solutions to its mid and large enterprise clients, it recently added Acumatica to its portfolio to serve its SMB base better, according to Michael Pearson, President of Contax.
“We were finding that the direction SAP was moving in was further away from servicing the SMB market,” Pearson said. “The cost to entry for SAP’s cloud solutions is not low, so it’s not affordable for SMBs. Acumatica, however, is a modern, cloud-based ERP system designed for SMBs. It wasn’t even close—this is the product we want to sell to our customers.”
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Implementation challenges and customizations
Touching upon the challenges of migrating customers from on-premises systems to the cloud, particularly when dealing with customizations, Jason Sheaffer, CEO of Crestwood Associates, noted that out-of-the-box functionality reduces the need for extensive customizations. “We try to do as much as we can out of the box,” Sheaffer said. “But when customizations are necessary, our team of developers can recreate legacy customizations within the Acumatica framework, giving us flexibility.”
Paul Tedford, CEO of WM Synergy added that Acumatica’s flexibility and integration with ISV solutions make it easier to avoid unnecessary customizations. “We try to get people away from customizations because there’s usually something out of the box or through an ISV that can meet their needs,” he said.
AI integration and selling the benefits
Acumatica unveiled its AI-first strategy during the summit this year and as the conversation turned to AI integration, the panelists discussed how their sales teams are adapting to selling AI-driven solutions. Emphasizing on the importance of focusing on the platform’s capabilities rather than individual features, Pearson said, “We sell the platform, the end-to-end process capabilities, and the fact that we can configure and customize it using no-code or low-code techniques.”
Sheaffer echoed this sentiment, stressing the importance of demonstrating tangible benefits during the sales process. “We’re selling the benefits, not just the features,” he explained. “For example, if a customer is struggling with margins, we can show them how Acumatica’s AI features can address that pain point immediately.”
Customer success and retention
During the discussion, Tedford highlighted “We’ve added customer success managers who check in monthly to ensure everything is running smoothly,” he said. “This has helped us achieve a 100% renewal rate, except for our very first customer.”
Sheaffer shared how Crestwood rebranded its client account managers as customer success managers (CSMs) to emphasize a proactive approach. “Our CSMs meet with clients regularly to understand their business challenges and ensure they’re getting the most out of Acumatica,” he said. “We also hold quarterly business reviews to align our services with their goals.”
What this means for ERP Insiders
SMBs want cloud ERP solutions tailored for their business. Traditional ERP systems like SAP are often cost-prohibitive for SMBs, especially with the shift to cloud-based solutions. These organizations want solutions that are designed specifically for the SMB market, offering a modern, cloud-based ERP system that is both affordable and scalable. Moreover, out-of-the-box functionality, like the one offered by Acumatica, reduces the need for costly customizations.
ERP vendors are bridging the value gap with users. Ensuring customer satisfaction and retention is critical in the subscription-based ERP model. Vendors are investing in customer success managers who regularly check in with clients to address any issues and ensure they are getting the most out of their ERP system to achieve a near-perfect renewal rate. Regular quarterly business reviews are also helping technology providers and vendors align ERP solutions with evolving customer needs and optimize their use of an ERP system.
AI and data integration go together. The integration of AI into ERP systems like Acumatica is transforming how businesses operate. However, the focus remains on selling the benefits of AI rather than its technical features. Demonstrating how AI can solve specific pain points—such as improving margins or streamlining operations—can make the technology more accessible and appealing to SMBs. However, for AI to be effective, businesses need clean, well-organized data. Vendors work with clients to ensure their data is governance-ready, enabling them to leverage AI features effectively.
