Finding and integrating new software may be a complex and time-consuming process, and the decision you make at the end could affect how your business runs for the next five to ten years. Given that selecting a suitable system involves an investment of both time and money, it is important to do the required research to obtain the solution that best matches your objectives.
To help make this job easier, we’ve highlighted common mistakes to avoid throughout the selection process.
Not Defining Your Specific Needs
It is highly unlikely that a company would use more than half of the features offered by any software package. This is not at all a bad characteristic. Because each firm does things somewhat differently, the software’s capabilities must meet the organization’s unique needs.
Before starting the selection process, it is a good idea to ask, “What are our most important needs?” It may be challenging to see differences between possible providers if these basic needs are not defined.
Moreover, whatever software solutions, among them SCA tools, you select for your company, you should consider your business needs thoroughly to get the most out of those technologies.
Resistance to Change
Perhaps you just want to keep things simple. This single platform proved successful when your company was just getting started, so there’s no reason not to use it now.
Maybe it’s because you now employ more than 500 employees.
Doing software market research may seem like a less appealing option when compared to picking a platform that you are familiar with. However, if you continue to depend only on “what you know,” you risk missing out on the opportunity to access solutions offered by other software systems.
Focusing Only on the Budget
One of the most common mistakes is focusing on the price of the software when making a business purchase.
Certain types of business software may indeed be rather costly. Subscriptions may place a burden on a monthly budget, especially for businesses run by a single person or small teams. Making pricing the only factor influencing one’s decision, on the other hand, is a serious mistake.
Keep in mind that the goal of adopting software for your business is to help you make more money. As such, you should think of it as an investment rather than a burden. When choosing between investing a little more money and obtaining access to a better solution that will solve more problems for you daily, the latter may be the preferred option, thus increasing your total revenue.
Not Researching and Relying on Acquaintances’ Suggestions
As each project is unique, it needs a distinct approach and set of skills. Seeking advice from a network of friends is a wise decision. However, you should not base your decision just on that factor. Before making a selection, always do research on the various software development companies available.
There are many types of review platforms, each of which gathers data on individual developers as well as the opinions and comments of genuine consumers. Clutch is by far the most well-known website for B2B reviews. There is a description of each project, information on cooperation and project management, and an assessment of each component.
Skipping Staff Training to Save Money or Time
If an effort is not spent training staff on the full capabilities of the software, implementing an innovative program with several features will be a waste of time since only a small portion of those functions will be used. Consider Microsoft Office; the vast majority of people are unaware of the bulk of the program’s capabilities. Individuals that are trained will discover a number of valuable features that they were previously unaware of.
Failure to Consider User Interface Complexity
Before making a purchase, always assess how user-friendly and convenient the firm software you’re considering acquiring is. Assume that becoming acquainted with the app’s user interface will take some time. It may be a challenge to your company’s productivity in this situation since it will take time for employees to get familiar with all of its potential. Furthermore, you risk neglecting critical instructions that are key to the success of your firm. An excessively complex user interface will never increase the overall efficiency of a product.
Selecting an Unsuitable, Well-Known Software Brand
There is no denying the appeal of employing a well-known software brand; after all, that name has acquired its reputation for a reason. Choosing the product with the most well-known brand name without doing extensive research on its implementation and features could be at odds with your organization’s needs.
Even if there is one product whose brand name stands out from the others, market research is crucial.