Today, it’s hard to imagine a business climate without the assistance of the digital world. The time, effort and money solutions and unparalleled interconnectivity afforded to businesses by the digital era has completely revolutionized the way in which companies trade. But more than that, it’s also proved a great leveller. There was a time when those with entrepreneurial ambitions needed to raise a fortune in order to bring their businesses to life. Today, a laptop and a good idea can be enough to get you started. Whether you’re doing business solely in the digital realm, selling products and services through ecommerce, or whether you operate out of a brick and mortar business but rely heavily on your IT infrastructure, it’s highly unlikely that you could do what you do as well as you do it without the right software.
But the tech world is not known for its inertia. Every day, companies bring out increasingly inventive and efficient software solutions or essential upgrades to the solutions you may already have. While these are all pitched as products that will boost your productivity and revolutionize the way in which you do business, it can be tricky separating the bold claims from the benefits to your business. For the fiscally conscious entrepreneur who thinks twice before committing to yet another overhead, it’s merely a matter of knowing what to look for in a software solution…
Will it make my processes more efficient?
When businesses first start trading it can take them a while to find processes that work for them. But even the most well thought through of processes can stand to be made more efficient. If someone is trying to sell you a software, ask them for some specific examples of how it can make your processes more efficient. Dataserv’s digital HR solutions, for example, allow managers to access employee documents from hiring to retiring in seconds. Check here for more specs. It’s not difficult to see how much time and effort this could save a business.
Will it make my employees more productive?
Employee productivity is something that all businesses grapple with on a regular basis. A software solution may be able to work wonders for your business in theory but if it has an unwieldy interface or takes a significant investment of time and effort to train in its use, it may come at a cost of reduced employee productivity. The best software empowers employees by enabling them to do their job well and to do it efficiently. When the software is working for them rather than against them, increased productivity is an inevitable consequence.
Is it scalable to my operation?
There’s nothing more egregious in the world of small business than paying for a provision that your business isn’t using. Waste is a thief, and if the software in question can’t be scaled to the specific needs of your business, you may be locked into a contract that sees you spending money for months or years on services or features that contribute nothing to your business.
When you know what to look for, choosing the right software for your business can be easy and intuitive.
