Evaluating ERP Satisfaction in Small and Medium-seized Enterprises

This study aimed at examining the satisfaction of users in small and medium-seized enterprises (SMEs) with ERP systems and at finding if user satisfaction is related to perceived usefulness (PU) and to various characteristics of the user, the organization and the system. In setting the background for the study, we reviewed the literature about ERP systems, Small or Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), and user surveys. In the first phase of the study, based on existing surveys of various researchers, we built a survey instrument to examine, in SMEs, ERP user satisfaction and PU, along with other factors: Information Content and Format, Accuracy, Ease of Use, Timeliness, Software adequacy, Security and Integrity, Documentation, Maintenance and Vendor Support, Training, and Productivity. In the second phase of the study, we conducted a survey in approximately 20 Israeli SMEs who implemented ERP systems from vendors such as Oracle, SAP, Integral, and Eshbel. In the third phase of the study, we analyzed the collected data in the SPSS statistics software, using one-way ANOVA and non-parametric tests. The results reveal a 3.26 level (on a 5-point Likert scale) of user satisfaction with ERP in SMEs and, as shown in previous research and a correlation between user satisfaction and PU, suggesting that PU is one of the factors affecting user satisfaction with ERP systems in SMEs. No supporting evidence was found for possible relationships between user satisfaction and organizational or user characteristics. However, we did find that the Vendor affects satisfaction through Training, Ease of Use, Maintenance, and Vendor Support.