Nowadays, businesses rely heavily on technology. Technology has changed the way that we work, enabling us to make better decisions in the workplace and to work with greater levels of efficiency. However, this will only be the case if you choose your business tech with care. With that in mind, read on to discover some of the most common mistakes that businesses make when choosing software.
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Buying software based on features alone
One of the biggest mistakes that business owners make is choosing software by only considering the features that are included and nothing else. If you do this, then you are likely to overlook a number of other critical factors that need to be taken into account. This includes the like of cultural fit, support, cost, technology fit, excess complexity, flexibility, and scalability. For example, while the software may come with a good selection of features, if it is too complex for your team to effectively implement and manage, then it is not going to be a good choice.
Buying the same software as your industry peers
Another error that you need to avoid is buying the same software as your industry peers. Firstly, just because your industry peers are using the software, it does not mean that it is the best choice. After all, you do not know what they considered when making their selection, for example, what their budget constraints were as well as what their criteria was. If you simply do the same as what your competition is doing, how do you expect to get head?
Failing to assess your current processes beforehand
Before you start looking for software for your business, you need to look at your current processes and you need to determine what areas would be improved if software was implemented. For example, Sertica’s fleet maintenance software can be especially beneficial for companies whereby they are failing to maintain their vehicles within the required schedule and, therefore, a lot of money is being wasted on vehicle repairs. Moreover, if you run a business and you are spending a lot of time on the financial side of things and you are struggling to stay within your budget, then looking for budget management software would be a good way to enhance your current operations. Again, this all comes down to ignoring what other people are using and figuring out what you really need at your business.
These are the three biggest mistakes that companies make when choosing software. However, there are a number of other mistakes that you need to avoid as well. This includes buying software that is based on dying technology, buying software that is either at the end or the beginning of its product lifecycle, buying software without considering all of your options, and buying software that has low initial costs yet has significantly higher ongoing costs.