Ten reasons to
upgrade your
software
Ten reasons to upgrade your software
If your software is struggling to fit
the needs and requirements of your
organisation, it is probably time to
think about upgrading.
Reviewing, selecting and choosing the right software to suit your business is a huge responsibility but there are steps you can take to ensure you make the right decision. Software is not a ‘nice to have’ option, it is an essential tool of a successful and growing business. To ensure the investment in your time and budget is spent wisely, take some tips from our easy to follow guide.
1. If it isn’t broke, why fix it
We all learn to work with the tools we have but it is worth taking time to assess your current software before starting the search for a replacement. Write a list of what you do and don’t like about your current software and ask your team to do the same. Don’t restrict this to just one department – even if they don’t currently use the software, would they benefit from having access? By doing this, you may discover that you could work with your current provider to tailor the software more closely to your needs.
2. Wish List
From carrying out a review of your current software, you should have a good idea of what it does and doesn’t do well. From this point, it is advisable to write a list of ‘must have’ functionality. Once again, look beyond your department – how would the sales team benefit from having access to the system, if they don’t already. Could you increase sales by providing them with remote access to stock levels whilst on site? Would having access to a customer’s account balance whilst they are face to face with the customer benefit your business? Perhaps consider setting up a product steering group that includes people from across the business who will use or be affected by the implementation of a new system.
3. Think ahead
By making such an investment, you want to be sure that the software will not restrict your organisation’s growth but will evolve with it. Look ahead at your 5 year business plan. How is your business planning to expand? Will you be entering new markets? How will your needs change? Firstly, you need to ensure that the software you select is not only scaleable but will continue to perform at its optimum as more users come on-board. It also needs to be flexible. If you are starting with just core accounts now – can you easily add new modules as and when you need them?
4. How will it fit?
A seamless system will be more efficient, avoid discrepancies and save time having to re-key data. Therefore it is vital to invest in a system that covers all of your business requirements and if this is not possible, then ensure the product you choose fully integrates with any other products that you are using.
5. One size fits all?
No two organisations are the same and each business has its own requirements so it is unlikely that any software will fit all organisations. When selecting new software, delve into how flexible it is, can settings be changed to meet the parameters of your business? The purpose of a new software solution is to
6. Price comparison
Purchasing software differs greatly than buying IT equipment. As no two products are the same, comparing prices is more challenging. Each provider may lay out their costs differently; making fair comparisons difficult to ascertain. When considering the costing element, ensure all factors are included in the initial quote and not added on further down the line after you have invested further time into the product. Does the quote contain implementation costs? Will the team need training and is this worked out per user? Will the provider train on-site to cut your costs and does this incur higher costs? How much is maintenance and is this likely to increase year on year?
7. Software health check
The product may look great now but how often will it be upgraded to keep up to date with changes in technology. How much does the vendor invest in research and development to keep the product up-to-date? Is it guaranteed that the supplier will make enhancements to the product to ensure it remains compliant with changing legislation? Will these upgrades incur any charges and will they be simple to implement or cause any downtime to your business?
8. Reality endorsement
The vendor will always claim their product is the best on the market and fancy brochures and product demonstrations are made to impress but the real way to find out how the product performs in real life is to talk to actual users. By all means, read customer stories and testimonials but nothing is as powerful as speaking to an actual user of the software. Ask if it is possible to visit a user on site, see how they are using the software, it will provide you with a valuable insight into how the software could work for you.
9. Supplier stability
With such a big investment as software, you need to feel confident that the organisation that you are purchasing it from is stable, secure and will not disappear anytime in the future! It may also be worth researching whether they are likely to be bought out or taken over and consider how this would affect the software product and future developments. Look at the company’s annual report – this will not only give you an insight into a company’s financial situation but can also help determine the management direction, business model and plans for future growth. Other factors to consider; how large is the support team and what is their commitment to responding to enquiries; is there a quality assurance and testing department, how much resource is dedicated to research and development of the product?
10. Go with your gut!
After thoroughly researching, evaluating and short listing software products, you may have 2 or 3 which look good on paper and you would be happy to go with. So how do you make the final choice? Overall, it is essential to go with the product that you like the most (even if it doesn’t tick every box), you can see fitting with the culture with your organisation and more importantly, make sure you get on with the people you will be working with as this will be a relationship that will hopefully last for years to come!
For further advice on selecting the right software product for you, please call and speak to one of our advisors on 0844 815 5600 or visit www.irisenterprise.co.uk
With over 30 years’ experience, more
than 50,000 users and revenues over
£22million, IRIS Accounting & Business
Solutions is a leading provider of
market-leading finance and business
management software solutions.
Our comprehensive portfolio of multi award-winning products, for small businesses right through to corporate organisations, includes:
• IRIS Exchequer accounting and financial management software
• IRIS Chorus ERP software
• IRIS Siclops and IRIS Service Director field service management software
• IRIS ProjectMinder project, resource, timesheet and expense management software
• IRIS SharpOwl professional services automation software
• IRIS Hiremate hire management software
IRIS Accounting & Business Solutions’ flagship products are also underpinned by our range of managed, hosted and web-based solutions, giving customers even greater flexibility to choose the solution that best suits their individual requirements. Customer focus is our key priority. Our class leading products, support and service quality is demonstrated in our customer retention rate of 96%, year on year – amongst the highest in the industry.
IRIS Accounting & Business Solutions is a division of CSH, one of the UK’s largest private software houses providing award-winning solutions to growing UK businesses.
