Software is a must for every business that wants to compete these days. You can’t afford to do things by hand when so many tools are available to help speed up business processes. That reliance on software has led the online software market to grow to a value of $145.5 billion.
However, that means you have tons of options available to pick from. That isn’t always an easy choice.
That’s why knowing the common business software purchasing mistakes is critical. Below are five common mistakes you’ll make when looking at your options for software products.
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1. Not Understanding Your Needs
It’s easy to get excited and start buying every piece of software you see. Software companies tend to promise the world, but that doesn’t mean every program is a fit for all businesses.
You need to understand your current business needs and how software can help. Talk with your team to see what work they do can be aided with software. From there, flesh out your required features to narrow down the software you need to purchase.
2. Not Considering Scaling
Even if you have a large business today, the chances are good that you’ll need to expand in the future. While some software has no issue scaling, others aren’t so accommodating.
Whether it’s pricing issues or server loads, you need to make sure the software you use can scale with your business. Look to see how companies handle pricing and resource usage. You don’t want to end up with broken and expensive software in the future when you need it the most.
3. Not Looking at Integrations
The chances are good you won’t have one software package that handles all your needs. You’ll need to use multiple programs to handle everything you need to accomplish in business.
The question is, do you have a way to connect those programs to share data? Luckily, most programs offer software integrations to connect other products. Make sure you have that option with your software to ensure your teams can more easily work together.
4. Not Considering Security
You’re trusting sensitive company data to your software provider. You don’t want them to leave open a security breach and expose your data to hackers.
Make sure your software provider does enough to keep your data safe. Whether it’s secure data erasure with a company like Certus Erasure Software or keeping hackers out of their company systems, a reputable software provider should be able to explain how they keep customers safe.
5. Not Using a Free Trial
You don’t have to trust that a product can meet all your needs these days. It’s easy for software developers to create limited versions of their apps that let potential customers try before buying.
You should see a free trial option for most of your software options. Utilize those trials to see if a product can meet your demands. If you don’t see a public trial, reach out to the company’s support to see if there is any way for you to test the product.
Always Be Wary of Business Software Purchasing Mistakes
When you purchase business software, you’re making a significant investment with both money and energy. The last thing you want to do is waste resources on products that can’t do the job. Keep in mind the common business software purchasing mistakes to find products that work for your company.
Do you want to learn more about other investments you can make in your business to make things more efficient? Head back to the blog to find other ideas that can help.
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