Choosing the best business software for your company is a decision that will affect all the people who are involved with your business. For this reason, you should think about customers, employees, and yourself when choosing software.
Mistakes to avoid when choosing the best business software
Companies always want to see a return on investment (ROI) after purchasing software. All too often, however, there is no such ROI because the wrong software has been chosen. In this post, we’ll look at the most common mistakes when choosing business software and give you tips on how to avoid them.
1) Unknown requirements
Unknown requirements are – just as it says – those that the buyer does not know. They only manifest themselves when the business software is implemented and cause time-consuming and costly workarounds. Unknown requirements extend both in breadth and depth. Broadly, it concerns requirements of a non-specific nature that are noticeable everywhere. In depth, it deals with specific problems with a specific function.
A business software requirements analysis is recommended that goes both in breadth and in depth. With reverse engineering, you have a powerful method at hand to find unknown requirements. Once this has happened, they can be taken into account when selecting and later when implementing business software. And because they now appear in the project and cost plan, you don’t have to worry about budget overruns and delays later.
2) Insufficient requirements
Some organizations underestimate the value of sophisticated requirements management at the beginning of a project. However, requirements are the basis for any sensible selection of software. We all know what happens to buildings that have inadequate foundations – and it is the same with software selection. So do a comprehensive needs analysis.
3) Users are left out of the decision
Disinterested or “passive-aggressive” users can cause a business software rollout to fail, as anyone who has ever participated in one knows. You should therefore involve all important users in the selection process. For example, you can have these users evaluate the importance of various software requirements. The pros and cons of various software components should be given in a list. As soon as users find their opinion, including names, on the list, they will feel involved and get involved in the project.
4) The scope of the software
No business software can do everything, but sometimes those in charge imagine it. Then the range of problems they want to solve is simply too wide. For example, we once helped a customer with the introduction of a management solution, who would also have liked to have included document management. In fact, he then opted for software that could do both, but both in an inadequate way.
You solve the problem by performing a reality check of the actual functions in the business software. Make a list of all the requirements and compare it with the list of features in the software. Work with a points system – 100 percent would mean that all requirements are met. If you get less than 70 percent of all potential candidates, this means that your requirements list is too big. In the example above, the customer waived the aforementioned document management – and then came across a solution that satisfied him 79 percent. Then he bought them.
Tips for choosing the best business software
Consider everyone’s needs
When people start businesses, they tend to think that they know what is best for everyone. At the same time, business owners like to show their employees that they care by giving them some say in small decisions. However, you need to consider everyone’s needs without making compromises.
Giving your employees the freedom to make choices on things that have no bearing is not good. You also need to involve them in making the day-to-day decisions that will affect the company. Here are some things to consider for each target group:
Leadership
You need to consider your own preferences. Think about the following:
- Do you want a highly functional platform or just one that is aesthetically pleasing?
- Do you want employees to have a longer learning curve or to understand how to use the software easily?
- What can you afford to pay without stressing over the budget?
Customers
Although customers might not interact with your software directly, you should consider their needs before choosing software. You need to think about:
- How quickly you expect to scale your business and whether your software choice will meet the desired projections
- Whether your clients need individual attention and personalization
- Whether your customers need to access the profile and how your software affects the user experience
Employees
When considering your team, you should think about:
- How important software support is. Do you need services such as application performance monitoring from on-site teams or the software vendor?
- You need to consider the number of employees that will be using the software because software for five people will differ from software for many people.
- Whether your team will be working from the office or on the go
- Which type of software do your employees currently use and is it important for the new software to work well with the existing platforms?
When you put the needs of your employees at the forefront, you will have a productive and satisfied workforce. Make sure that you also implement their contributions, otherwise asking their opinions will be useless.
Criteria to consider to find the best business software
You need to establish the important criteria then cross-reference it with the employee, customer, and leadership needs. You need to consider the following features specifically:
Accessibility – consider the accessibility of a software solution. Can everyone access the software easily or is it restricted to others? Does the software allow for remote connectivity? If you are investing in pricey software, its accessibility is important.
Collaboration – consider the collaboration that software allows you to have. In most situations, you should opt for software that allows different teams to communicate. If collaboration is difficult, you could land yourself in trouble.
Price vs. value – when choosing the best software for your needs, pricing plays an important role. Would you rather spend more to obtain a certain feature or spend less and find different ways to handle a specific task? No matter what the software costs, value is the most important thing. You need to consider whether you are getting value for money as pertains to functionality.
Conclusion
To choose the best software for your business, you need to understand your business well. You also need to think about all the parties involved in your business to be able to choose the right software for your needs.
