Is price the most important factor to consider when choosing business software? Not really.
There’s so much to think about before you decide which solution to go with. Today, we’re coming to you with seven factors, elements and variables that you need to think about if you want to succeed in the cloud.
Let’s get down to it.
What Can Business Software Help You Achieve?
Before we jump in, let’s take a brief look at a few benefits of using business software. While there are quite a few of them, let’s focus on the most important ones.
- Make more money. In the end, business software is all about increasing your revenue. Different types of business software help you solve various problems and improve selected aspects of your company. However, the idea is simple: by oiling specific cogs, the entire machine works better. Then that machine – your business – makes more money, more efficiently.
- Improve team communication. Business software can do wonders for the way your team communicates – and it doesn’t matter whether you’re working remotely or from an office. These improvements can easily translate to fewer dropped leads and more closed deals as well as to seamless cooperation, task distribution and deadline management.
- Increase productivity. The aforementioned tasks and deadlines are essential elements of every workflow. Their successful management shows, among other important KPIs, how productive your team is. Regardless of what it is that defines your productivity, there is an app to get more daily tasks finished faster and with better results.
- Improve client management processes. As your business revolves around your customers, it’s essential to keep them happy. A wide variety of applications exists to help you understand your clients better, deliver better services and keep in touch more easily.
7 Things to Consider When Choosing Business Software
To achieve all these things and more, it’s important that you know what you should look for in ideal business software and what to avoid in it.
But putting that aside, the key to selecting the right business software is understanding your business.
Let’s take a look at a few essential things to consider when choosing your next business app.
How Tech-Savvy Is Your Team?
Some people just don’t get along with technology and there’s no shame in that. To match all levels of tech-savviness, the business software market offers a variety of choices.
If your team is easily confused by working in the cloud, pick simple solutions – ones that stand out with a clean interface and aren’t bloated with features.
Forcing complex solutions on people who aren’t tech-savvy will only discourage them from being active users. And that is a huge waste of time and money.
Can You Solve Your Problems With Software?
Practically speaking, there’s an app for nearly every problem you might encounter in your business. Nearly.
However, be careful not to confuse problems that can be solved with an app with those that can’t.
For example, If your employees miss numerous deadlines, project management software might help in task distribution and planning. However, if the issue is with their motivation to work, or worse, understaffing, then not even the best application is going to help you.
Make sure to diagnose your problems correctly.
What Areas Need Improvement Or Assistance?
Besides diagnosing specific problems, look at the larger picture. What are the general ideas in which you would do well improving?
For example, a single app could contribute to improving your customer support by solving multiple problems related to it.
If you’re not sure what problems you are facing, start going in their general direction.
Can You Devote Time and Resources to Software Implementation Right Now?
Implementing new software in your company isn’t an easy or fast process. That is why it is crucial for you to consider whether you can devote the required resources to ensure its success.
You will need time, people, skill and money to organise the following;
- training
- moving databases
- creating workspaces
- implementing adaptation processes
- creating and optimising workflows
The more complex your chosen solution is, the more resources you will need (complex software usually makes implementation difficult).
Is Your Team Likely to Use Software?
This question comes down to understanding whether there’s a point in implementing software in your company in the first place.
And even though the answer is generally “yes” (especially when you get familiar with all the benefits of doing so), this is something to consider.
Some teams are more reluctant to adapt to new software than others. While you don’t have to (and shouldn’t) give up, be prepared to work harder on making your employees use business software.
What Needs to Be Done to Move Your Company to the Cloud Successfully?
Every business is different so the challenges they face are different too.
Knowing what are your company’s strong and weak points, you can prepare for implementing software in a more effective way.
Be sure to make a list of your success factors in advance. Thanks to that, you’ll be able to tackle the obstacles on time and they won’t hinder your efforts.
Which Parts of Your Business Will Be Improved With Software And Which Will Remain Non-digital?
Let’s say that again: not every problem in your company can be solved with software. Sometimes, you may want to choose to handle certain issues the “traditional” way.
That’s perfectly alright in some cases. If you find it more beneficial and effective for your business, pushing for cloud solutions is redundant.
Consider the degree to which you want to implement software solutions. Which areas will you (at least for now) leave out of the cloud?
Over to You
And here it is 7 essential things to consider when choosing business software. Now, take a look at your business from a different perspective.
Is your business ready to join the cloud?
