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by Gregg Blanchard
1) Not Seeing the Future
Small business software can be tricky when it comes to buying different licenses. As your company
grows, your software needs to be able to grow right along with it. Take a customer database for
example. At first you have just a few clients, easily manageable with a small, free piece of
software or even a spreadsheet. Suddenly, you have hundreds of clients with vital data to store
regarding each one. Your software is overloaded and your spreadsheet looks like a bowl of Japanese
alphabet soup. When you are choosing the software for your company, choose a software that is
designed not just for small businesses, but mid sized businesses as well. Make sure that if it
designed to hold employee data, that it can hold an unlimited number of employees without having to
buy extra licenses. Also, if there are different levels of licenses available, don't restrict
yourself with a lower license just to save a few bucks, buy a license that will give you room to
expand a little without breaking your budget.
2) No Support or Expensive Support
The software you will be using to run your small business will hold very important, time-sensitive
information. Be it an invoice or payroll, the slightest computer glitch can cause your employees to
be upset, customers to request refunds, and most importantly, money to be lost. When a server goes
down the last thing you want to hear is your 20 year old tech guy say, "Sorry dude, looks like your
data is pretty much toast." Choose software that has a solid phone support system. Email support is
affordable, but it usually takes 24 hours to get a reply. If your business is worth $200 an hour,
how much is that really costing you? On the flip side, don't pay an arm and a leg for phone
support. Annual fees of $100-$200 are about average with per incident fees running about $50-$80 a
pop. If someone wants to charge $200+ per incident or per hour for phone calls, be very weary.
Their software better be perfection on a screen if it's going to be worth it.
3) Not Trying it Before You Buy
What is the safest way to make sure you get the software you need with all the features your
business demands? Download a demo BEFORE you buy! Nearly all software can be tried before you make
a decision to purchase. If you don't see a clear way to download a demo from their website, give
them a call and request one. If they don't offer one, ask them why and, unless they have a really
good excuse, pick up the search again for your software. Demos are great for a lot of reasons.
First, you can make sure that the data is compatible with your other programs (i.e. payroll with
time tracking). Second, this gives you a chance to test it on your network and operating system to
ensure full capability. Third, you can test their support when you encounter issues. If they are
unwilling to help you get the demo running, this may be a sign of "monetary myopia" where they only
help you once you have given them money. Not only does this show a sign a poor customer service but
it shows a lack of confidence in their product.
Gregg Blanchard may be contacted at http://www.brgsaltlake.com Click here to view more of Gregg Blanchard's articles.
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