If you want to stay competitive in today’s world, you need software systems that not only work, but work well for your processes and operations. But, there are so many choices, and they change every day. How can you find reliable guidance that will help you choose the best software-based tools on the market for your business?

Browsing the internet, the vast information you can find quickly becomes overwhelming. It’s not enough to read a few characteristics of the desired software and compare their prices. You need reliable information you can trust based on experience as well as research. The software you select will go a long way toward determining whether your business soars above your competition or becomes ensnared by glitches, cost overruns and false promises.

When Buying New Software, Keep These 6 Priorities in Mind

1. Understand your business procedures and how they translate to software requirements. If the software you select forces you to adjust to what it does rather than help you improve on what you already do well, then your new software will hurt more than help.

2. Verify that your new software can import your current data. If not, you’re looking at several tough choices, and none of them are good:

• You can pay to have the data manually entered into the new system, which results in data entry errors and huge costs
• You can maintain both the old and new systems for years to come
• You can risk losing access to your old data completely

3. Look into the software provider’s background and previous success. How long have they been around? Do they have an experienced engineering team with low employee turnover or are you likely to have three different customer reps before the new software is even delivered? How hard is it to import and export data? Does their software suck you in then leave you with no reasonable way out if you want to move on? Get answers before you buy or suffer later.

4. Other customers’ experiences mean a lot. For any software you’re considering, get opinions and recommendations from existing customers. Search the web for any negative reviews or ratings.

5. Even though you shouldn’t try to cut costs for something as business-critical as software, you should work hard to uncover any additional hidden costs or fees that the software vendor has conveniently failed to mention.Most software companies are experts at the “bait and switch” approach. Don’t become their next victim. Be wary of too slick marketing or being peppered with an avalanche of industry buzzwords that have little meaning and do nothing to contribute to your business success.

6. After taking all of the tips mentioned above into consideration, it’s time to compare and contrast. This task can quickly become overly complex. Don’t be afraid to seek outside expertise to help with your decision from a fair and reputable source.

Evaluating and selecting software for your business isn’t part of your daily operations. It’s quite common for software to have advanced so much since the last time you implemented a new solution that the functionality now available can be difficult to translate in terms of improving your company’s efficiency.

Considering the operational impact and cost of new software, it’s a smart investment to partner with a company that specializes in software selection, software development, system integration, and software maintenance. For more than 15 years, Stasyx Software Solutions has helped companies, like yours, adapt the most complicated data systems and integrate the latest technologies to help improve efficiency and profitability.