Things You Need to do When Choosing Software for Your Business

The market today is flooded with software that empowers businesses to smoothen out their processes, increase efficiency and sales, and deliver better products and customer services.

Picking the right software can be the key to unlocking your company’s potential, but it can be tough if you don’t know where to begin.

Here are five simple steps for successful software shopping:

Create a Plan Based on Your Evaluation of The “Big Picture”

Your first step should be to review your current process and see if there’s room for improvement. Take into consideration what you might need to do to adapt to future market changes and then create a plan of action:

Identify who will be the best persons to assess your company’s needs, evaluate potential solutions, and make the final decision once the selection process is over.

Consider the impact the software will have on your business and the overall operation and then figure out how much you should invest.

Think about the time required for employees to adapt and learn how to make optimal use of the new software.

Prioritize and Rank Your Company’s Needs

When it comes to software, there is no perfect one-size-fits-all solution. To find the right software, it helps to rank your needs and then determine which features are must-haves and which ones you can do without. Categorize them as follows:

Essential: Features that must be included in a product for it to be considered.

Conditional: Features that are not a deal-breaker but the absence of which will cause a product to be ranked lower.

Added-value: Features that you would like to have if available.

Without a detailed list of function requirements, a software vendor will not be able to find the perfect solution for you. Ensure you commit enough time to fully and mindfully compare your requirements against the functionality of the products you’re considering.

Create a Shortlist

Do your research and create a list of software vendors that can provide you the required software. Send across your requirements and ask for a demonstration to understand how their solution addresses your requirements.

Validate Your Selections

You should be comparing just two or three software packages at this stage. These are a few things you should be looking at:

References of customers with similar requirements

Built-in help systems, training options, or other support provided

Frequency and cost of software updates

Licensing and pricing

Company reputation

If possible, test the product in your own company and environment. This will give you an idea of how easy it is to use and whether or not it meets both current and future needs.

Make the Final Decision

Once you have identified the software package that best suits your needs, it’s time to figure out the number of copies, maintenance contracts, and possible training required.

You can negotiate when asking for a quote, but keep it professional.