In India's crowded ERP market, vendor quality varies enormously. There are excellent, experienced implementation partners and there are vendors who oversell their capabilities, underdeliver on support, and disappear after go-live. The contract you sign and the partner you choose will determine whether your ERP investment pays off or becomes a cautionary tale.
These 10 questions will expose what a vendor's sales presentation is designed to hide and give you the information you need to make a confident, informed decision.
The 10 Questions
Can you give me 2–3 live customer references in my exact industry?
Not testimonials. Not case studies. Actual customers you can call today who are using the system in a business similar to yours. A vendor with genuine experience in your industry will give you references without hesitation. A vendor who deflects to generic testimonials is telling you something important.
Who will be my dedicated project manager, and what is their ERPNext experience?
Many vendors assign their senior consultants to demos and their junior staff to actual implementation. Ask to meet the person who will manage your project not the person who is selling you. Request their CV or implementation track record. The project manager's experience is the single biggest predictor of project success.
What is your implementation methodology, and can I see the project plan?
A professional vendor has a documented, repeatable methodology not a "we customise our approach to every client" non-answer. Ask to see a sample project plan with phases, milestones, and deliverables. This tells you whether they have done this systematically before, or whether they are improvising.
How do you handle scope creep and change requests during implementation?
Every ERP project surfaces requirements that were not in the original scope. A professional vendor has a clear change request process documented, priced, and approved before work begins. Vendors without this process will either refuse changes (causing go-live failures) or add them silently and invoice you for "extra work" at the end.
What is included in your post-go-live support, and for how long?
Ask specifically: Is post-go-live support included in the project fee, or billed separately? What is the response time SLA for critical issues? Do you provide a dedicated support contact or a generic helpdesk? What happens if a critical bug surfaces on day 30 after go-live? A vendor whose support model is vague will be unavailable when you need them most.
Alera Consulting provides a written, itemised proposal with dedicated project manager, 90-day post-go-live support, and live customer references in your industry before you sign anything.
Request a Proposal from AleraWho owns the customisation code, and what happens if we switch vendors later?
Any custom code written for your ERPNext implementation should belong to you, not the vendor. Some vendors write proprietary customisations that create lock-in making it technically difficult or expensive to work with another partner later. Get data ownership and code ownership explicitly written into your contract.
How do you handle data migration from our current systems?
Data migration is where most implementation surprises hide. Ask specifically: Will you do a data audit before migration? How many mock migrations will you run? What is your process for handling duplicate records, inconsistent data, or missing fields? A vendor who treats data migration as a minor task has not done enough complex implementations.
What is your approach to GST compliance, e-invoicing, and Indian statutory requirements?
ERPNext has strong built-in GST support, but configuration matters. Ask to see a live demo of: GST return generation, e-invoicing (IRN generation), e-way bill integration, and TDS/TCS calculations. A vendor who cannot demo these confidently will create compliance headaches after go-live.
What training do you provide, and for which roles?
Generic "ERP training" is not enough. Ask: How many training sessions are included? Are they role-based or generic? Do you provide training documentation your team can refer back to? Will you train our trainers so we can onboard new employees independently? Training quality directly determines long-term adoption success.
What does your all-in pricing include, and what will trigger additional costs?
Get a detailed, itemised quote not a single "all-inclusive" number. Ask explicitly: What is not included? What will trigger additional billing? Common surprise costs include: additional customisation hours, data migration complexity, third-party integrations, additional training sessions, and post-go-live bug fixes. Every item should be in writing before you sign.
Red Flags: Walk Away If You See These
Unrealistically short go-live timelines
A vendor promising go-live in 2–3 weeks for a multi-module SME implementation is either cutting corners on configuration, data migration, or training or all three. These shortcuts always create post-go-live problems that cost more to fix than the time "saved."
No live customer references in your industry
If a vendor cannot name a single live customer in your industry who will take your call, they are not experienced in your domain. Domain experience is non-negotiable a manufacturing ERP implementation is fundamentally different from a retail or healthcare one.
Resistance to a detailed, written scope document
Any vendor who resists putting the project scope in writing is protecting their ability to charge you for things that should have been included. A professional partner welcomes a detailed scope it protects both parties.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Evaluate Alera Consulting Against These 10 Questions
We welcome the scrutiny. Alera Consulting will answer every one of these questions in writing with live references, a detailed scope document, and a transparent itemised proposal. No pressure, no vague commitments.