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Here are some things to consider before embarking on a new software selection project: 1) Define your real requirements. To do this, you must identify where your pain truly lies. Its unlikely that your biggest system problem is that youre not running on the web. More likely theres some kind of bottle neck in your process. Maybe its taking too long to do pay/bill. Maybe your contact management is inadequate. Or maybe your current system doesnt offer enough search capability. Whatever it is, this should be the first filter any new system must pass through. A simple check list, maybe a dozen or so items, will probably eliminate 90% of the system flak. In other words, get to know yourself first. Do internal needs analysis. Include everyone in the organization who will be touched by the new software. Evaluate software based on what it can actually do for your company. 2) Look at platforms. This is second because the platform doesnt make the system and, in general, anything made for Windows or the web is going to meet the basic platform requirements. You probably want to stay away from systems based on older or less common operating systems like Unix or Dos and you probably want to restrict your choices (if possible) to systems based on a real database like SQL Server, but beyond that it doesnt matter that much. 3) Contact potential vendors and collect information on the remaining systems. Youll learn a lot about a potential partner by how they respond to your inquiry. Could they be reached easily? Were they responsive? Did they listen and ask questions? How a company behaves during the sales process is a pretty good indicator of how theyll behave after the sale. Remember: at this stage of the game, they need you more than you need them. This will flip flop after you become a client. If their follow up was only fair in the sales process, imagine what it their support will be like. Clearly, this makes sense. Its always better to work backwards from the answer. Youre more likely to be satisfied with your decision if youve opted for software that meets more of your needs. |
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