Frequently Asked Questions

Bonsai ERP ™

Can Bonsai ERP ™ use our company logo and colours?

Yes.

What about tracking communications with our customers?

Bonsai ERP ™ includes Customer Relationship Management (CRM) capabilities. Record details of your dealings with customers including those by email, phone, fax, or face to face. Track outcomes and required actions. Send bulk emails to those customers who have expressed interest in receiving such notices. Target the emails to specific types of customers. Have a look at our Common Business Problems page for more detail.

Is there any support for selling our products via the Web (e-commerce)?

Yes. Bonsai ERP ™ can be delivered with a complete public-facing web site with shopping cart, wish list, cross-promotions, affiliate support. Orders from the web site can automatically merge into the rest of the Bonsai ERP ™ system, managing stock levels, packing and shipping, shipment and backorder notifications. If your courier supports a business to business (B2B) interface, Bonsai ERP ™ can even notify your courier of parcels to be picked up, and print out all the relevant shipping documentation.

Can Bonsai ERP ™ do something specific to our business?

Probably. Talk to us about the specifics, but Bonsai ERP ™ is very flexible.

We do things differently to our competitors, which gives us an advantage. Won’t Bonsai ERP ™ force us to work the way our competitors do?

No. Bonsai ERP ™ is designed to follow “best practice” processes, but because it is Open Source, you aren’t forced to follow any practice that doesn’t make sense for your business. Bonsai ERP ™ can be adapted to allow you to maintain your competitive advantage.

How can Bonsai ERP ™ benefit my business?

In many ways. Here are links to further information: Bonsai ERP Benefits, Open Source Benefits, Common Business Problems.

How much does it cost?

That depends on which part or parts of your business you choose to apply Bonsai ERP ™, and how typical are your needs. A small to medium business may need to outlay as little as $4,000 or as much as $30,000 in order to have a system that is likely to pay for itself quickly in ongoing savings. Cheaper systems are possible, but seldom recommended as they typically integrate inefficiently with your existing processes and hence are unlikely to generate sufficient savings to justify the outlay. A large and complex business with many unusual business practices might need to consider investing something closer to $100,000.

Open Source

Isn’t Open Source difficult to support?

No. It is far easier than traditional closed source. With Open Source, the person providing support can “look inside” to see what is happening. That is impossible with closed source.

Isn’t Open Source risky to adopt?

No. In many cases the adoption of Open Source is less risky than adopting closed source. In all cases, an assessment of capabilities and requirements should be undertaken first. Adopting anything, open or closed, without investigating it first is always risky.

Who do I sue if it breaks?

There are several ways of answering this question.

1. With Open Source you don’t need to sue someone, because the breakage can be fixed.
2. Are you in the habit of suing Microsoft every time Windows does the wrong thing? Do you sue Western Digital or Seagate each time a hard disk fails? Do you sue Telstra each time your telephone or Internet connection fails? What is really important is that you deal with someone who will take responsibility to ensure your software works. When you choose Open Source software with an active and extensive community, you will have many options for support. Open Source software means there is a competitive market for support, not just one provider.

Aren’t there Intellectual Property-related legal risks with using Open Source?

No, if you aren’t reselling or re-distributing it. You can do whatever you like with Open Source software for your own use. If you are reselling or re-distributing, then it depends on the terms of the licences involved.

Are there any benefits specific to using Open Source software?

Yes! See Open Source Benefits and Bonsai ERP ™ Benefits.

What’s in this for Coherent Software? How can you make a living giving away software?

What our clients pay for is our expertise and the customisation we do, not the base software itself. We give our clients what they want – software that works the way they want it to, with low risk, no large up-front investment, and options if you change your mind in the future. It’s good business to give our clients what they want, because that makes them happy. A happy client is always good for us.