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7 June 2022
For every business looking to grow, investing in the right software solutions and paying close attention to the software selection process is vital.
Software solutions that align with your operational goals, efficiency, and customer satisfaction help your business maximise its potential and grow in the right direction.
For businesses that need to better facilitate their operations with the introduction of new software, whether it is CRM or a new software platform, choosing the right software is essential.
If you’re wondering, “How to choose software for your business?”, we’ve got your back.
The experts at Redpalm have curated a blog on the best practices when choosing software. With these tips, you can take your business in the right direction.
1. Decide Who Needs to be Involved in the Decision Making Process
Since the new software will impact certain people in your business, they need to be involved in the decision-making process to give their thoughts about it.
Ideally, the software selection process should include your employees, managers, IT partners, and customers. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll be involved in the entire process; the capacity of involvement for each will differ based on how the software will impact them.
Whilst new software is no doubt an excellent tool for growth, you still need to consider all perspectives right from the beginning. Involving these people too late in the process could create issues down the road, which makes it important for them to give their input while you’re selecting the software.
2. Review the Current Processes, Prioritise Needs, and Set a Budget
One of the best practices when choosing software is to reevaluate your existing software to understand what you may need, and then setting a budget for this. Before your business takes the plunge, you need to review what is currently implemented.
Whether it’s your operations being documented well, or streamlined effectively, you’ll notice certain areas that aren’t optimised fully. In such potential areas, introducing new software that adds productivity can help your operations significantly.
Reviewing your present operations gives you insights into vulnerabilities or areas that need to be improved. Note them all down and prioritise which areas you need to focus on.
When investing in new software, every business owner has several things to consider. That’s why having a budget is an important step to help you understand what resources are available for this software installation.
3. Do Your Research Well
When considering different software and choosing the right one for your business, you need to thoroughly research software and explore other options available in the market.
It’s essential to find out when your particular software’s licence subscription is coming to an end, and find the right software for your business well in advance. This will prevent you from making time-pressured decisions, which might adversely impact your business.
Speak to peer groups, your dedicated IT partner, or other people from your industry to see what software they include in their operations. When doing this, check reviews and pricing to better understand how the software works before you go ahead with the investment.
By comparing the different options available on the market, you’ll be in a better position to make a decision and select the best software for your business.
4. Check Security and Data Protection
Data security is a key factor for many businesses to ensure their sensitive information and customer data will remain safe and protected. That’s why, looking for software providers with robust security measures, like encryption protocols, access controls, and IT audits, is one of the best practices when choosing software.
Alongside security measures, make sure your software meets all industry-specific regulations and compliance standards that your business has to adhere to.
5. Demo Your Software Choices
After researching and shortlisting your potential software solutions, opt for a demo or free trial to test their software capabilities for yourself. You can do this for however many you see appropriate, but the more you try, the more time will be spent on the process.
During demos or free trials, you understand the value the tool will bring to your business as well as how they compare to each other. One of the best practices when choosing software is preparing a list of criteria or questions before the trial/demo, to score against. This will help you choose the ideal software for your business.
Contact Redpalm for Robust IT Solutions and Services
Implementing the best practices when choosing software ensures that you find the right solutions for your business. However, with experts in IT support and security solutions at your side, this task gets a lot easier for you.
Redpalm is an MSP that offers a range of IT solutions and services for all your IT needs.
As a trusted cyber security partner, we provide your business with various tools and techniques to strengthen the security of your IT infrastructure.
From disaster recovery to technology procurement, proactive monitoring, cloud services, and cyber security, we can help you with your IT needs. Our team can expertly design personalised solutions to meet all your business requirements.
