If you’re reading this, you’ve successfully gone through the first of our three-part series: 11 Insider Questions for Selecting Retail Management Software. By now, you may have a shortlist of potential companies you’d like to pursue further. The following step-by-step guide lists 6 key considerations that will help you choose the right software vendor for a fruitful technology partnership.
When it comes to assessing software vendors, the first order of business is to find out more about the companies themselves. For a general picture of the providers you’re taking a closer look at, evaluate the following key areas:
The next step is to find out more about the clients the vendor serves – specifically their similarity to you. For example, has the vendor successfully deployed their solution with similar companies? It makes for a smart decision to partner with a software provider that has plenty of clients like your company, as they will have better expertise in handling comparable:
Another advantage is that the software is more likely to be configured to meet your functional needs without requiring custom modifications or new development work, thus avoiding additional costs and risk.
At this point in your evaluation process, you’re probably craving information about how actual customers have been using the vendor’s products to solve real-world business challenges. That’s where case studies come in. This type of content will give you a more detailed look at the vendor’s products in action. The proof is in the pudding, so consult case studies that feature rich detail, concrete numbers, direct quotes and address these concerns:
Functionality and features are top priority when selecting a new software. However, another important consideration is the product lifecycle. You should assess the following:
The importance of helpdesk support can’t be overstated. The software vendor could be an otherwise perfect match, but without a solid support network you won’t be able to maximize your ROI. Support comes in many shapes and sizes, so to determine which model is best for your business, consider the following:
Service-level agreements (SLAs) for helpdesk support is another important factor to consider. Does the vendor have a proven track record of conforming to SLAs? Does the vendor have clients similar to you, with SLAs that match your minimum performance level expectations? Getting the SLA right is vital to the success of your project, and your vendor should be ready to spend the time to draft them.
To get a better feel for the software vendor’s quality of support, speak with current clients and determine response time, level of expertise and how personalized and effective the service is. If you’re worried about potential biases, you can consult impartial third party publications that have conducted evaluations of numerous vendors’ customer service departments (e.g. CGT Magazine, RIS Software Leaderboard).
By now, you’ve learned enough about the software vendor to determine if it makes sense to proceed. You may have been able to do all this without even speaking with a sales person (thank you internet!).
Now, it’s time to connect and learn more about the actual sales process. If the vendor suggests kicking off with a discovery call, this is a positive indication as it shows a willingness to get to know your business and mutually determine if it’s a good match. Avoid vendors who claim to have a solution to every challenge – an honest “no” when asked about a particular functionality ensures that neither party wastes their time.
As you move through to the demo stage, ensure that it’s personalized and based on a script so you can simulate a real test drive. It’s the closest approximation to actually having the software installed at your company.
Differences in technology and licensing models (on-premise, hosted and on the cloud), not to mention various implementation models, are all variables that directly impact your total cost of ownership.
Other costs like upgrades, servers, databases, data migration, integration, employees to support the application, etc. are often overlooked. Given the variety of packages that software vendors provide, it’s necessary to compare apples to apples by breaking them down into their individual categories (e.g. licensing, maintenance, support, hardware platform, professional services, etc.). With so many variables at play, cost comparison can be complex, but a careful analysis of the elements mentioned above will help you pinpoint the right partner.
The choice of the people you work with is as important as the products you select to run your business. Knowing what you don’t want is as important as knowing what you want. So to save yourself future headaches, the best time to fire the wrong vendors is before you hire them.
If you’ve gone through this guide, you’ve picked your new technology partner and are ready to move on to the most important phase in the software purchase journey: the implementation. What do you need to know to make the process as smooth as possible? Find out in our next post.
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