Your IFS system is running. Core processes are stable, there are no major disruptions, and your users can get their work done. But when did you last adopt a new feature that genuinely improved a process? Or made a manual report obsolete?

If the answer is more than a year ago, you’re not alone. Most companies treat their ERP system as a workhorse that just needs to keep running, not as a source of continuous improvement. And behind that mindset sits a question that rarely gets asked out loud: am I actually working as efficiently as I think I am? Because that missed opportunity is quietly costing you tens of thousands of euros every month

The 60% you’re not using

In our experience, 60 to 70 percent of the functionality in the average IFS system goes unused. Most companies are only working with 30 to 40 percent of what’s available. The licenses have been purchased, the system has been implemented, and the costs are being paid. But the platform isn’t being used to make operations smarter.

The cost isn’t in the licenses themselves, those are a sunk cost either way. The real cost is what your people do because the system isn’t working for them. In many cases, it’s actually working against them. The spreadsheets maintained alongside the ERP. The manual planning done in Excel, because the advanced planning module was never configured. The hours finance spends merging data that should come from a single source.

What we also see in practice is decisions made during implementation take on a life of their own. “I’d like to record this as well”, and before long, someone on the shop floor is scanning a barcode five or six extra times for data that adds nothing. Extra information flows into the process and creates noise. Not because people are doing it wrong, but because the system was set up that way years ago. Your business has changed. Your business process hasn’t.

How significant is that gap in practice? At a manufacturer of large waste processing machines, we automated the incoming invoice workflow. The result was clear; the finance team now saves at least eight hours per week on manual, repetitive work, time they can redirect to activities that actually matter. In addition, a German machinery manufacturer, we automated the incoming customer order flow using EDI messages. Every incoming order now saves five minutes of repetitive administrative work. Instead of needing more staff, the company now has the right number of people, who can focus on better quality control, less grinding work, and improved customer satisfaction.

The treadmill of two releases per year

The challenge is growing. IFS releases two major updates per year, on top of monthly service updates. Every release is packed with improvements, new features, and even AI-driven functionality that your competitors may already be using. The opportunities to improve your processes grow every six months.

But keeping up with those releases is a significant undertaking. It requires impact analysis, testing, user training, and activating new functionality. For an internal IT team, this often feels like an additional project on top of daily management. The result: releases are installed technically, but the new functionality never actually gets used. The system is up to date, but the way you work isn’t.

At Eqeep, we get early access to the latest releases. We analyze them for you, translate them into concrete opportunities for your processes, and flag what to watch out for. No stack of release notes to work through yourself, just a clear picture of what’s in it for you.

Is one administrator enough?

Many organizations have one or maybe two functional administrators. They’re the heroes who handle daily questions, put out small fires, and keep the system running. They’re indispensable. But do they also have time to study every new release in depth? To proactively talk with departments about process improvement and investigate which unused module could add the most value?

In practice, the answer is almost always no. Administration has become reactive. Handling incidents consumes all available time, leaving no room for innovation or optimization. You’re paying for a system full of potential, but using it like a calculator.

Rethinking your current approach

Imagine having someone with deep IFS expertise and direct lines to IFS continuously looking over your shoulder. A partner who analyzes every release and translates it into opportunities specific to your business. Who proactively suggests automating a manual process using a standard feature you already own. Who helps you maximize the value of your investment.

This isn’t about hiring another consultant for a one-off project. It’s about sustained, structured attention to improvement. For a fixed monthly fee, you get access to a complete team of IFS specialists. That’s how you make the shift from reactive management to proactive optimization.

The gains go beyond lower costs for workarounds. User adoption improves. Processes become more efficient. You get more out of the data you already have. Your organization becomes more agile and smarter.

Not every company needs this. If you have a large, experienced IFS team with time to focus on continuous improvement, you’ll manage just fine on your own. But be honest about your internal capacity. If your administrator is mainly busy resetting passwords and closing tickets, who is working on the future?