Software Services
Are you looking for new software to help to run your company? Software evaluation and selection can be an overwhelming task. BEST's manufacturing software consultants will help you to address it with confidence?If you do a Google search for ERP Systems, more than 29 million pages will be returned. CRM Systems - 39 million. Clearly, not all of those pages relate to individual software packages, but how do you sort through all of that?
Most companies pick a few of the top names and set up demonstrations, but how do they know these top names provide the best fit for their company, and how do they know that a much less expensive option will not do just as well for them? It's a lot like deciding that you need a new car, then test driving a Bentley, a Rolls Royce, and a Saleen because you've heard they make good cars.
So, you do a little networking, a little internet research, then set up demonstrations after a little bit of education. Funny thing about demonstrations: All of the systems have lots of glitz and glamour, and while the people that will be evaluating the packages generally have a great feel for what your company has been doing, they probably do not know what is in the new software. The result, everything looks so much better than what you have that the choice looks easy. Buy the cheapest, they're all fantastic. But you have to ask yourself a couple questions.
- When you demonstrate your products, do you ever put the best possible face on them?
- Wouldn't you expect the software vendors to do the same?
- Am I really seeing the software package, or am I just seeing the makeup on the dragon?
So how do you select the right software without falling into those traps?
Given today's demands for quick, accurate information, selecting the right enterprise software for your company may be one of the most important tasks that you will undertake. It will pay dividends for years to come if you take your time and apply resources and discipline up front.
Before taking a long, hard look at the available software packages, you have to take an even longer, harder look at your company.
- What are you doing today?
- What do you need to do better?
- Are there holes in your current operation that you need to fill?
- What are your specific requirements in every department and group that will interact with the software or the data that it maintains?
- Do you expect this new package to do everything, or will you need to interface it with other existing or new packages?
- What are the details that need to be integrated?
- Is your management fully committed to both purchasing new software, AND to implementing that new software.
You must fully understand and document your requirements, then lay out your evaluation in such a fashion as to put the vendors on an equal playing field and make sure that you have the home field advantage. In other words, you need to take a proactive, structured approach to selecting the right software for your business, and then implementing it effectively.
The key to purchasing new software for your company is to purchase it instead of having it sold to you.
Vendors want to play the game on their own turf. When you force the game onto your playing field, some of the vendors will refuse to play, and that is not a bad sign. If they aren't willing to play your game before the sale, they are not very likely to play your game after the sale, and that is when the focus has to be absolutely on your business instead of their software. You need to define your process up front, then stick to it, and that is not always easy, especially for a selection team that has been given this responsibility in addition to keeping up with their day-to-day jobs. Obviously, we suggest bringing in an experienced agent to act on your behalf, leading you through the process and keeping the vendors at arms length until they absolutely need to know who you are.
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