Running a business without software these days is tough. You can’t keep up with your competitors’ productivity increases or analyze data to make better decisions.
That’s why it’s no surprise that so many companies use cloud business software today — with SaaS products considered the most important technology in business success.
With how essential software is to business, you need to find the perfect solutions for your needs. Avoid the mistakes in buying business software below to find the applications your company needs.
Not Defining Your Needs
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for business software. Most software has a unique selling point that makes them work well for different use cases.
Even if you find software with multiple functions, like ERP software, it may be too much for your organization and take too long to get working. You may want to start small and work with more specific software.
For instance, you may want software that allows you to use remote connections. A Microsoft RDP license will work well for this situation. Click this link for more information about this type of software.
Define what your company needs before starting to look at options for software. Work with your team to create a list of requirements and work together to find software that meets those needs.
Failing to Understand the Security Implications
You will trust your software provider to handle a lot of data — especially if it operates in the cloud. You’ll need them to store your information for processing and display it securely.
This may not be a huge problem if you don’t have sensitive information. But you have more concerns if you work in a regulated industry, like finance and healthcare.
The companies you work with need to take proper security precautions. They need to follow the proper regulations in your industry to safeguard your information.
Make sure you check the security procedures a company uses to ensure they protect customer data.
Not Thinking About Scale
It’s important to remember that your needs today may not be the needs you’ll have in the future. As your business grows, you may need more features and resources from your business software.
Unfortunately, some products don’t make scaling businesses easier. Take a desktop accounting program, for instance. You may have an expanding accounting team to handle your books — but if you only have a single license, you may not be able to give your team the ability to collaborate in real-time.
Make sure the products you choose will scale with your business. You should be able to easily expand your features and users when needed. The last thing you want is to migrate to other applications when your current software can’t meet your needs anymore.
Not Examining the Cost
It’s easy for costs to spiral out of control with software. Not many software providers off one-time fees anymore. Instead, you have monthly and yearly costs for the base software and regular software updates.
It’s important to understand those charges when comparing software costs. Some companies charge one base price for everything, while others will charge an extra fee for more features.
Calculate your total cost today for everything and how much everything will cost in the future to determine how expensive a piece of software is.
Ignoring Similar Products
It’s tempting to hone in on one software product once you find something you like. It looks like something has everything you need, so you don’t want to waste time looking at other options.
The problem is that you may miss a software option that does everything you need. And at times, you can get the same features for a lower price.
Instead of rushing your software purchase, slow down and find other software that can also meet your needs. Look at all the standard software in your industry and determine what everything offers.
Skipping the Free Trial
The last thing you should do when buying software is not to try before you buy. You’re committing to something long-term when doing this. You don’t want to make a purchase only to find that a piece of software doesn’t meet your needs.
The good news is that most software vendors offer free trials today. It’s not hard or costly to set these trials up, so many companies offer a trial for a few days or a week.
Use these free trials to examine how well a piece of software works. Examine all the features you plan to use and how well they function.
You also want to make sure the software you pick is user-friendly. A product with many features isn’t worth much if it’s a hassle to make the most of it.
Not Reading User Reviews
It’s hard to learn everything about a software company by reading its website and trying the product. Everything may appear to work well on the surface, but things can change drastically once you start using the product and interacting with a company.
Read online reviews for your software options to make this determination. Look to see if there are issues with customer services, payments, and other common issues.
A reputable software provider should have plenty of positive reviews backing up their claims.
Avoid Common Mistakes in Buying Business Software
Finding the right software can be a game-changing purchase for a company. You’ll see productivity increases in different departments and be able to get more done each day.
But there are many mistakes in buying business software that will result in you losing money and not seeing any benefit from the purchase. Remember the problems above to find a business software provider that offers the perfect solution for your needs.
Do you want to learn about more technology that you can use to streamline business processes? Learn more about using tech in business on the blog.
