A Guide to Software Selection for Businesses

By Don Q. Dao - Last Updated on January 6, 2020
A Guide to Software Selection

You need software; learn which one is the right one for your company.

Software selection can be a difficult task if you don’t know what you’re looking for.

In today’s digital age, software tools have become a necessary tool for businesses to operate. With the abundance of data and technology available today, there is a plethora of software in the world, whether it may be a management software or a forecasting software. Choosing the perfect one for your company can be intimidating. Even though you may find one that may be the perfect fit for your company, there are many potential risks that you’ll need to be aware of to avoid.

For example, implementations can take longer than promised, costs can be expensive, your employees may not be able to transition to using the software as well or the software may not be what you expected. To prevent facing these setbacks and obstacles, here is a guide to a software selection process steps with some of the best practices:

Determine What You Need

It’s very important to determine not just what software you need, but why do you need this change. Defining your needs is the most important step in searching for the perfect software. Take time to think and list out the reasons why you need this new software and what it can achieve for your company. It’s very important to look at both the pros and the cons. Some critical questions that you need to ask during this process are:

  • What is the goal of leveraging this software?
  • Are you buying software to fix a broken process?
  • What integrations do you need to be ready for?
  • How well does the software fit in your future needs when your company grows?
  • What are some constraints that your company currently contains?
  • Do you have a dependable IT department?

Understanding why you need this software, the specific goals you have in mind, and requirements/criteria for the software will help you focus your time and energy in finding what’s truly right for your business.

What are Your Options?

The next step is to find potential products that can meet your needs and software selection criteria. With the excess amount of software available, you’ll want to include as much prospect software as possible to ensure that you’re not missing anything. A tip would be to leverage comprehensive directory websites that can give you a breakdown of these products, instead of spending countless hours clicking through web links. Once you’ve created a very in-depth list of your prospective software, it’s time to narrow your options based on how well they satisfy your needs. Some important questions that you should ask while you’re evaluating these products are:

  • How well does this product satisfy my company’s needs?
  • Is it user friendly?
  • Does the product have a strong customer service support?
  • How easy will the implementation be?
  • Is the product customizable and flexible?
  • What are some features that you really like?
  • Does the product’s cost make sense?

It’s important that you narrow down your list to around six to eight options to ensure that you’re considering a product that truly satisfies your criteria.

Software Selection Time

The final step is selecting the product best for your business. In this step, it’s important that you’re gaining a complete understanding of all prospect products. To do this, consider trying a trial period, asking vendors questions, and negotiating to ensure that you’re receiving the best deal possible. It can also be helpful to talk to colleagues who may have used the software you are looking at with their company and gain feedback to how their experience is.

Every company has different needs when it comes to selecting a software. If you follow this guide to software selection, your journey of finding the perfect software can become a lot simpler than you’d think.

Don Q. Dao | Always striving to learn, Don Dao is driven by new adventures and challenges. His love for media and social interactions has led him to pursue a career in marketing. Over the years, he has developed a broad skill set in all aspects of marketing, specifically in event organization, social media marketing, and content marketing. He enjoys working with passionate people to bring visions to life and inspire the world.

Don Q. Dao | Always striving to learn, Don Dao is driven by new adventures and challenges. His love for media and social interactions has led him to pursue a ca...

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