When, not If

Purchasing industry-specific software can be a very confusing and time-consuming process. If the correct software solution is chosen, the impact to your company’s profitability and productivity will be enormous — however, the results of choosing the wrong software solution can be very costly.

The goal of this article is to arm you, the buyer, with a set of criteria that will ensure a successful purchase of industry-specific software. Let’s say, for example, you are looking for software to automate your entire business. Specifically, you require the application to run your event operation from quote to collection as well as to help manage the operational steps in between that drive cash flow for your company.

Big decision? Absolutely! It’s not just the initial investment that you have to be concerned about, it’s also the time investment required of you and your staff to evaluate, select and then implement the software. The obvious goal is to get the software up and running with minimal distractions and to quickly begin benefiting your business.
How? Start by asking these questions.

1. How strong is the software company behind the software?

The worst-case scenario here is that you buy the software today and the company that supplied it goes out of business tomorrow. There are a lot of good ideas out there, but it takes more than a good idea to create a strong company. The best way to predict the future is to look at the past. Find out how the company is structured, how many people it employs, how many years it has been in business and how many customers it has. Also determine whether it is focused on your industry or on other industries and your software is just something the company is doing on the side.

Best-case scenario? Picking a company that is strong financially, service-focused and is a part of your industry!

2. Does the software company have customers like me?

Worst case here is that you are an event-focused company and you find out after you purchase that most of the other users are not in your industry. Why does this matter? The squeaky wheel gets the grease, as they say, so don’t expect much grease if you are part of the minority customer base.

Best case? You find a company that has a number of positive customer references like you that you can talk to!

3. Does the software really benefit me today?

Worst case here is finding out after you buy that the demonstration was an act of smoke and mirrors and it really didn’t do those cool things that you thought it would do. To avoid this, first make them show you the software. Second, make sure you check references to confirm that it does what you need it to do.

Best case is that the software solves the majority of your problems today!

4. Is the software company committed to the future of the software?

Worst case here is that the software you buy today is the same software you will have five years from now — in other words, that the company stops developing the software immediately after you purchase it. One thing that is constant in any business is change. Your software needs to evolve with your business, or it will lose value over time.

Best case is that your software investment continues to grow in value over time!

5. Is the software company committed to technical support and training?

Worst case here is that you call or e-mail for tech support and no one responds or the response time is unacceptable.

The essence of being in the event business is providing excellent service, so your demands must be extremely high in this area. The best-case scenario is that your software partner provides you with timely Internet support, timely 800-number support and excellent product documentation support!

6. Does the software company provide focused development?

Worst case here is that you are faced with some very specific challenges in your business that some software modifications would resolve and the software company is not willing or able to do them for you.

Best case here is that when these opportunities arise, your software partner works through them with you! Beware of the 100-percent custom solution — in that case, you are only as good as your last dollar spent with the software developer (despite the tens of thousands of dollars typically spent initially). It seems like magic, but once you put away your checkbook — Poof! The software developer disappears.

7. Do I trust this company?

Worst case here is that you do not have a relationship with the company, and when problems arise, you have no one you trust to call.

If you like and trust your partner, everything works. High trust is always the best case!

In today’s competitive marketplace, event companies must equip themselves with industry software to maximize their productivity, profitability and professionalism. The purpose of going through this process to make your choice is to ultimately drive a decision that leads to business improvements. Don’t be the person who lives in analysis-paralysis land — go do your analysis and make a good business decision!