Let’s talk about the sometimes difficult process of making a software selection. While Important, the software selection process is time-consuming and not fun for everyone. Companies invest in software tools to fill gaps in their workflow and improve the user experience. I’ve been part of many software selection committees that get bogged down in the decision-making process that they never actually make a decision. Taking your time to make a proper decision is not always your friend. At the rate technology changes, the more time you take creates a large ongoing challenge for your users. The ongoing delay means your company may struggle to keep pace in the market. To help, we have gathered key concepts to consider when selecting software.
We've created a guides section on our website with helpful white papers to support your business. Recently, we posted a software selection guide to help you make an informed software decision. This guide does not help you define your process or help you set one up. This guide considers ten factors when evaluating software regardless of business size or type. This post will highlight three important concepts from the software selection guide.
User Functionality - Besides the business need, your users should be the central focus of your software selection. They are the reason software is created and should be made a priority. If the user does not have a good user interface (UI) experience, they will not use the software, no matter the opportunity it creates for your business. Focus on your users' experience navigating the software and completing their tasks. From the moment they reach the login screen, is the experience inviting? Is the navigation intuitive? Is it easy to understand without any training? Are there more than three steps to complete a simple task or navigate to a widely used tool? If the answers to these questions are no, this is not a great user experience and not the software for your company.
Current Capacity - When deciding on your next software purchase, focus on the software that can meet as many of your business requirements today. A common mistake in choosing software is betting on the future capacity of the reporting tool. Software that can’t meet your business capacity needs today with the hope of meeting them in the future is a marriage heading for divorce. Vet all data and reporting tools. Ask for access and experience it for yourself. If it doesn't meet your current needs, find software that can. Choose your software partner, not your wishlist items, that meets your critical needs. Prioritize your needs to have the correct conversation with the software partner.
Integrations - Choose a software system with the most current integrations to help your company and users grow. Your business has a need now, and the existing integrations should help you immediately. Don’t rely on the promise of new integrations that may never come. This delayed strategy will get you stuck with a product that may hinder growth.
Need more help, download the full software selection guide. In your software selection process, find the best fit for your company at this time that provides you with the most flexibility. Cast a wide net. Do your research. Do all the software demos you can in a short amount of time. As you get closer to your decision, choose a vendor and partner that fits your company well. The reality is that software is always changing, like your relationships. If the product does not evolve with your organization or the partnership changes in an unhealthy way, you may need to find a new software product and partner. That can happen anytime in the future. Nothing is forever. I will caution you on one thing. The new shiny toy is not always the best solution. Just because others use it doesn't mean it is right for your business. Do your due diligence.
We’re here to help you get where you want to go. Contact Pensivetastic today to discuss and collaborate on a path forward for your company and data.