In any business, there will be times where you purchase new technology. Whether it is an office computer or vital business software, the web is usually your first port of call. Even when it comes to enterprise resource planning, you should start with basic research online. However, when you do the search, it becomes difficult to narrow down your options whenever you are confronted with products that all seem to have adequate features and same functionality. The following are some guidelines to help you choose the right software.
Vendor Viability and References
You should start by assessing the viability of prospective suppliers. Thus, your first step ought to focus on a few vendors as possible. From there, you can assess each company by emphasizing its sector knowledge and reputation. You should find ought how long the software developer has been in business, how reliable is it, and who are its customers.
Support
As you know, support is quite important in all stages, especially evaluation, implementation, gap analysis, post-live application, and configuration. The most thing is to find out whether the support team has adequate resources to respond to requests in real-time. You should check whether that particular target is stated in the agreement. For instance, will you be charged maintenance fee? Also, you should check what customer support communication channels are available. For instance, do they have a direct line or live chat?
Documentation
Prospective vendors will only provide you with documentation, training, and support material on request. Before you contact the vendor, what information do they have online? Do they have an online knowledgebase of articles that can solve some of the common problems you will encounter? It is advisable to check whether the vendor provides training on request.
Underlying Technology
Your platform is quite important. Nowadays, customers are moving away from the specific handheld units that are connected to docking stations to use of mobile devices. Ensure your application does not restrict your employees from using only a single device. Compatibility with the different mobile platforms such as Windows Mobile, iOS, and Android is necessary.
Quality
It is possible to tell about the vendor’s prospects by checking whether it focuses on quality. For example, does it have a dedicated quality assurance department with an established QA strategy, mandate, and policy? Nowadays, you can find vendors with the lowest price and lowest quality of software. The quality metrics will tell you how your applications are evolving and improving.