Software is essential to the modern business, but a lot of business owners underestimate the problems that can come with the introduction of new software. This is something you have to be wary of; there’s new software all the time that tempts business owners with promises of increased efficiency or a sleeker interface. Make sure you consider these common problems with new software before you make any decisions!
Integration complication
A lot of software is designed to integrate with several facets of your business; other software, phones, printers, email, databases, etc. If you can integrate a given piece of business software into your systems with relative ease and sustained functionality, then it’s a good sign. Working with an IT expert or consulting someone who works for the software development team can help you ensure this process goes smoothly. If it doesn’t, it can cause serious disruption.
Scaling issues
When we buy new software, the hope is that we’ll get to use it for a very long time. After all, a lot of business software is pretty expensive. But in order to ensure that longevity of use, you need to make sure its scalable. Can this software work for a business that may transition from small to medium, or from medium to large? How much information can it retain and process before it struggles to cope? This is a common problem with a lot of free software – it’s great at first, but you end up having to migrate all your data from that software to one that can handle your needs. This can take a lot of time.
Complexity
If the software is a bit too complex, then your employees are probably going to have to get a bit of training for it. Don’t just assume that everyone in your office is a tech wiz just because it’s 2017. It’s your responsibility to make sure they get whatever assistance they can with software that isn’t self-explanatory. Get them the training and resources they need. If you’re introducing SharePoint, for example, then you may want to seek out Sharepoint consulting services. If you don’t commit to this, then you could end up losing a lot of efficiency as employees (and perhaps even you!) struggle with the new system.
A lot of software is designed to integrate with several facets of your business; other software, phones, printers, email, databases, etc. If you can integrate a given piece of business software into your systems with relative ease and sustained functionality, then it’s a good sign. Working with an IT expert or consulting someone who works for the software development team can help you ensure this process goes smoothly. If it doesn’t, it can cause serious disruption.
Usability
Of course, it’s not always about sheer complexity. Sometimes, a particular piece of software is just slow, cumbersome, and very unfun to use. If employees are feeling this way about the software they have, then it’s not a good idea to stick with it for long. This is why you should consider trialling the software with a few employees first. When you use a Testrigor software testing tool, you can test the usability of your software and know that it’s secure and working correctly. Your business relies on software to be able to function and if your software isn’t working correctly, you will find it hard to maintain your business security and safety. Taking the time to test your automation and your software is a must if you want to check usability.
Time and effort
Switching to new software can definitely be the best idea in the long run, but you need to consider the time and effort that will go into the enterprise in the meantime. The most common problem here is that of data entry. If a database can’t be migrated automatically from one piece of software to another, then it has to be done manually – and that’s a very time-consuming task. If it has to be done, consider hiring some data entry freelancers so as not to burden your employees with another task.
