This follows on from the last blog 10 Questions to ask yourself when choosing software for your Business when I was talking about selecting software. I promised then that I would come back with some ideas on how to evaluate software – when you are in that all-important trial period!
We have all done it – myself included. We have some idea that we need an app to help us in our business – maybe someone else says they have just put in a CRM, or they are using Trello – or whatever. It sounds like a great idea – yeah!?
So off we go to the site. We click and start a free trial – there’s a huge button inviting us, isn’t there? And if there isn’t and they want to call you – you back off! Oh no – I don’t want that intrusion!
You’re on the back foot already.
1. You haven’t done that first piece of work – to decide what you really need in your business and
2. You have no idea at all how to determine if this software is going to work for you!
So you footer around (yep I have done it too) and maybe watch a few videos, and then something else comes along or you get bored (I am exaggerating for effect a little)… two weeks go by and your 14 day trial is up!
I would be very surprised if that hasn’t happened to you?
First of all I am going to make a plea for sales people and software consultants – I used to be one (and I guess to a certain extent I still am).
Let me tell you about the olden days!! When a business decided they needed a new software system they usually called on IT and IT would find a consultant – or a number of consultants – to come in and talk about different offerings.
So – you want an Accounts package – so a Sage reseller (maybe me!) and maybe another competitor product or two would rock up. They would then – if they were any good – do the first part with you to work out what you really need. And yes I often told them that I couldn’t offer the best solution.
Now – you just click and you have it! What are you going to do now?
How will you get data in – type it?
How will you configure it so that it matches your business processes?
How will you test it to make sure it does all the things you need it to do?
And that’s what consultants (or good ones) helped you to do!
So – here we are – it’s 2021 and it’s different now!
Let’s think about a process:
- What data do you have and where is it? Can it be imported? If you can’t do that easily yourself will the software tech support help you to do it – and in the trial period preferably?
- In the previous steps what processes did you decide you needed to automate? Did you write it out or do a flow diagram? If not, do one now. So you might look at an order process – from purchase order, order confirmation, despatch note, delivery receipt, invoice, payment.
- Who else needs to get involved – if you have a team and they are going to be the ones working with the system then make sure they get a chance to contribute to the evaluation – it won’t be the first time that Jeannie says – but that’s not how it actually works….
- The lovely software company will probably give you access to absolutely everything in the trial – and hope that you love the product so much that you end up paying for the enterprise level offering!! So be clear about what features you ACTUALLY need and also take time to estimate usage figures (this will differ from package to package) – things like the number of transactions, or the number of users – you can suddenly find that the 6th user is eye-wateringly expensive.
- Look at all the integrations – your chosen email system or any other software you currently use. Sometimes you can add a new system which will do more replace one you had before that did part of what you need.
- Make a list of the things to ask the sales guy or girl – this will make life much simpler in the long run – but be really specific! Ask how you can get after-sales support – particularly if you are going to be on a free or basic plan. Often you can do this via chat or email if you don’t want to talk on the phone!
- Make a testing plan – e.g. put some customers and products in and run an order all the way through. How easy is it to customise your invoices etc? Decide what success looks like. Diarise time – considering the length of the trial – to test properly. Again – work out which parts are not going to be in the plan you are going to select
- Be mindful of the fact that you don’t have to be wedded to your current processes – it may be that the new app offers a different – better – way of doing something.
Consider getting someone to help, who has some experience of doing this? If you are investing time, energy and money in a new system you want to make sure it is right for you and your business.
Sometimes the software company will recommend business partners who can help you (or there will be a page on their website where you can find a partner). They can also help with implementation – another lost art – to ensure that you can get the best return on your investment.
Go to your local business support organisation (Business Gateway in Scotland or LEPs in England) and ask if there is any funding to help with this process!
And as always if you have any questions then please do get in touch!