Choosing a Business Software can bring you several benefits. It can help you make processes more efficient, which means that your tasks will be performed faster and at a higher quality. All the members of your company can have access to important documents such as sales records, financial information or employee records. When they are working at projects or strategies, all the information they need is stored in an easily accessible place.

In order to benefit from these aspects, the type of software and how you choose it are crucial details you need to take into consideration. Let’s look at the following situation. You are a small marketing agency. You are thinking of purchasing a task management software. You buy the software from a well-known brand and you are very satisfied with it. However, after a while, you realize that, due to the updates the software has been making, your computers cannot support the software anymore. It works very slow and you cannot be as fast and be as efficient as you were at the beginning.

This is just one example that illustrates the mistakes businesses make when they choose a software. Compatibility, future costs and business objectives are a few factors that companies need to think about. They can help them avoid unpleasant situations that can affect their work and have a negative impact on their growth process.

In order to understand this better, here are 7 mistakes that businesses make when choosing a software and a few suggestions on how to avoid them.

1. Choosing a well-known software brand

Businesses may be tempted to choose software that they have heard of or that are being used by their top competitors. It may seem a safe option which can bring great benefits, but the results may not be the ones that you expect. Because the software is produced by a great brand does not mean that it can help you achieve your business objectives. The software may not have specific functions that are vital for your company.

It is essential to do a great examination before you choose a software. This includes reading the specifications of the software and asking other companies about their experience. When you think of other companies, try asking the ones that are similar to you. For example, if you are a small business, contact other small companies and not the top players on the market. Their answers can be more relevant to you.

Moreover, you can contact the support team of the software company and ask them all your questions. You can receive information that can help you make a good decision.

 2. Choosing an old well-known software

Technology is making great progresses and advancing at a fast pace. When you choose an old well-known software, you may face working with an outdated program that does not include the features you currently need. Your needs are changing and the software does not adapt to them. Thus, you are unable to move forward and your development process is paused.

You need to see if there are any upgraded versions of the software and if they include the features suitable for your business. Your current needs and objectives require new technologies.

3. Choosing a software without considering future costs

One key factor when buying a Business Software is represented by the costs. This does not include only the price of purchasing the software and the time invested in training the company staff in using the software. These are the initial costs. What businesses tend to omit are the future costs. They can refer to time and energy spent on adapting to the new versions and to solving possible issues caused by the software upgrades.  Investing too much energy in solving these issues can prevent you from focusing on important tasks and advancing with your work.

In this situation, you can look for software reviews and talk to businesses that use or have used this product. It can help you see how much you need to invest in having this software and if you can afford all the costs.

4. Not putting emphasis on the implementation partner

The implementation partner plays an important role when you buy a business software. The proper functioning of the product highly depends on the partner you are working with. Your partner is responsible with implementing the business software and enabling you to use it. If the program is not well implemented, you will start having difficulties in using it and you may not fulfill your tasks.

Furthermore, one great issue is that companies believe that the problem is caused by the software. For this reason, they may think of buying another software, which may result in additional costs for them.

It is important to look for the right implementation partners that understand not only the software that you have bought, but also the industry. Evaluate their experience, their project team, review their implementation plan and their resources before you decide who do you want to work with.

5. The business software does not fit your long term objectives

As a business, you have some long term objectives that dictate your actions. You need to choose a software that can adapt to them. For instance, let’s say that you are a small copywriting business that has 10 employees. One of your goals is to grow the number of your employees to 75 in the next 2 years. As the number starts growing, you observe that the software has more and more difficulties in performing tasks and it slows your work down.

Before you actually purchase the software, look for the limitations of the product. Some types of software may work better only in particular conditions.

6. Choosing a very complex business software

Before you buy a business software, it is essential to understand the purposes for which you are purchasing it. They will help you decide the criteria based on which you will buy it. Try to choose a product that will satisfy the needs you have. Buying a very complex software may seem a good idea, as you think it will solve other problems that you will face. However, the more complex the software is, the harder it is to use and the more time it takes to train people to use it.

7. Choosing a software to fix a business problem

Businesses seek external solutions for the internal problems that they have. They believe that a software can solve issues they have been dealing with for a certain period of time. Software products are an additional help that can have an impact on your processes. In order to solve the problems that you have in your business, you need to identify the cause and then look for a solution. Instead of purchasing a product, you may want to improve your internal processes.

These are just a few mistakes that companies can make when they choose a business software. Remember to always return to your business objectives and see what you can do to achieve them. The key to your business success lies in a good understanding of your company.

Have you made any of these mistakes when choosing a business software?

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