Solving your business problems with new software

So the time has come. It has become glaringly obvious that you have outgrown your current business software. Before you get overwhelmed with the endless array of possible solutions, before you drown yourself in brochures and fall down the online rabbit hole of software reviews, let’s talk about just how exactly you will figure out what is going to be the best fit for you.

Define your problems

First things first, why do you need to change software? What challenges came to a head and got you here? There are many reasons you may have decided now is the time for a better fit:

• Do you want to reduce double handling on your data – thus decreasing data input time and possible human errors?
• Is your data all over the place? Spreadsheets, emails, printouts… how can you possibly keep on top of all the moving parts?
• Do you need cloud timesheeting for your field staff?
• Do you need to gain real-time insight into your project costs against the estimate to predict cashflow?
• Are you tired of having fragmented business systems?

“Never purchase something before you have a clear understanding of what you need it to do.”

Map Your Current processes

Now you know what problems you need to solve, let’s think about your business processes (the things your team does daily / weekly / monthly.)

• How are these tasks currently tracked?
• Of all the information your team gathers every day, what do you actually need to collect and manage to run your business successfully?
• Who needs to have access to what data? Do you need the ability to set up access levels for your data? 

Looking at these current workflows in your business, where are the stumbling blocks in the process? This is your opportunity to look at ways to fix further underlying issues and plug gaps that may cause future problems. Ask as many people in your business to assist you with this – the list will ultimately map out for you all the essential business processes you need to consider when changing software.

What does best practice look like? If you could dream up your software – what would it do? How would it work?

Other Requirements

Do you have any other requirements that you need to consider above and beyond your daily needs. Do you have legal obligations and reporting that you need to deal with? Are there other programs that you need your software to integrate with? 

Getting your team on the same page

Inspire those around you by presenting a compelling vision and goal for the future. Remember, your employees might not have the same motivations and insider knowledge as you do. You need to communicate effectively what the big picture is and how this change will provide an even clearer path for them ahead.

They need to know what is in it for them. Why is this change necessary? And how is it going to affect the organisation and individual long-term positively? As a result, you will have more engaged employees and may even create some change champions within your business.

Cost

Establish a budget you are willing to spend – instead of looking at what you are ready to spend, frame it as how much is a solution to these problems worth to your business?

Consider training and onboarding fees and any hardware upgrades that may be required – not all providers share all the costs with you in the first instance. Finally, choose what is best, not what is cheapest. Software can be expensive, but if it fulfills all your business needs and can help you do more with fewer resources, it will pay for itself over time. 

Founder Shield CEO Benji Markoff agrees:

“You get what you pay for most of the time. If you buy something terrible in order to pay less, it’ll just make more work for you down the road. Time is money, so don’t only take the price into consideration. When you scale, you’ll end up switching to the better product anyway. I’d rather pay as much money as I need for something that helps you grow, rather than waste money on a placeholder.”

Founder Shield CEO Benji Markoff

Finding the Right help

‘The only mistake you can make is not asking for help,”

Sandeep Jauhar.

Finding the right software solution for your business can be a daunting task. That’s where Thrive Technologies come in. We can help you source the right software to achieve your goals, from a single solution to a comprehensive end to end product. Thrive Technologies does not believe in one size fits all.

We have an extensive list of software we recommend. Each product has specific areas of expertise and nuances that will fit best.

We spend our time to get to know you, your business, and your pain points. Then, we recommend a product or suite of products, work through the implementation process, and train your staff. After all of that, our entire team is on hand to help with any questions and assistance you may need down the road.

We listen, we understand, and we find solutions.

If you would like to discuss how Thrive Technologies can help your business find the right software solution, get in touch with one of our industry experts today on 1300 868 474 or info@thrivetech.com.au.