Buying the right business software (ERP, CRM ec)  is critical to the growth of any  business
Buying the wrong software is a very costly exercise.
(Read our Blog The cost of choosing the wrong Business software)
Buying software is a serious decision and needs some planning and guidance. However, it’s usually done in a haphazard manner. It’s very common for companies to call a few vendors and decide on what software to buy. In such a case the Sales person becomes a consultant – guiding the company on why they have  the best software. We have nothing against sales-people. Only point to note is that they have sales targets which may cloud their judgement and hence  not be in your favor
We are seeing many companies (specially SME’s)  buying the wrong software – resulting in high failure rates.
Though Indian software product companies are now producing great software products , the adaptation by SME’s has not been high. They remain in the comfort zone of older / manual processes / software  products.
Why do software buying mistakes happen?
Some reasons why this happens are:
- Not enough time to evaluate all available options (Honestly there are many options today and a customer is overwhelmed with options)
- Not enough work done in defining / streamlining current processes by the organization
- Not enough effort in defining / documenting needs & challenges before looking for software options
- Over-selling by Salespeople pushing that they are the best option for the customer – making it more challenging for the customer to know what’s really  good for them. Special discounts to expedite the sale – giving the customer lesser time to evaluate the best option
- Inability to identify the shortcomings of various software products – making it confusing to find the right match
- Not enough IT/software expertise in identifying the best options / technologies
The net result of all the above is that Indian SME’s are challenged in moving ahead with the right technologies.
(See our Blog titled 11 Mistakes SME’s make while buying Business software)
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Why is this bad for the Indian software industry?
Since customers are confused on the buying option and the risk of buying the wrong software, they tend to postpone the buy decision. This is detrimental for the business software industry and leads to lower technology adaptation by customers. We are seeing great software products being launched by Indian software product companies – but they are unable to reach their target segment rapidly.
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So, how should companies ensure that they get the right software?
A few key steps are outlined below:
- Don’t start seeing product demos or calling vendors before you first review, analyze and document your needs and current challenges. If you need to change some processes, then do that before anything else.
- If you feel that you have lack of time / expertise in finding the best software, discuss your needs with an independent software advisor who is experienced, unbiased and can help you with the above steps. You could be surprised – it may even be free.
Why does it make sense to take help from a trusted software advisor?
A trusted software advisor can add value to your buying decision in the following ways
| Description | Internal Team | Software Vendor | Software Advisor |
| Exclusively specializes in software selection | No | No | Yes |
| Unbiased advice (without sales targets) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Shortcomings of the software are highlighted | Sometimes | – | Yes |
| Data driven , Objective selection | Sometimes | Sometimes | Yes |
| Pre-built checklist of typical needs | – | Sometimes | Yes |
| Formal process to discover unknown requirements | – | – | Yes |
| Software Gap Analysis | Sometimes | – | Yes |
| Requirements scope check | – | – | Yes |
| Detailed measurement of software fit as per your specific requirements | – | – | Yes |
| Audit & Validate vendor responses to expose exaggerated claims | – | – | Yes |
| Independent reference checks & Market feedback on various products and vendors | – | – | Yes |
| Vast experience  of software product implementation | Sometimes | Sometimes | Yes |
SoftwareHunt.in was conceptualized and launched to be a trusted advisor to companies who want to make sure they get the right business software.
Our goal is to:
- Ensure that companies do not make the usual buying mistakes
- Help companies adapt the most affordable and best software technologies suitable to their specific needs
- Help great software products / companies reach the right customers
The SoftwareHunt team spends substantial time each week looking at various software products to keep abreast with the business software landscape so that our clients don’t have to waste time finding the right software or the right vendor. With our experience of over 2 decades in the business software space, we are fully geared up to help you get the right solution.
Share your needs with us on www.softwarehunt.in or email us on [email protected].  We are available on 022 33 49 49 49 is you need to talk to us. We could pitch in 2 hours of free consulting.
We are available in multiple cities of India thru our network of associates and would be glad to meet up with you.
Do check out our blogs on www.sawindia.com/blog.
